cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influencing Public Opinion of Space Policy: Programmatic Effects Versus Education Effects

The public is generally supportive of space policy, but less supportive of spending for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) compared to other government programs. Previous research has helped identify who is more likely to be supportive of NASA spending, but not why. This study seeks to understand the causal mechanisms that influence support for NASA. Using natural between-survey and induced within-survey experiments, this study attempts to identify factors influencing changes in public support for NASA spending. Short-term programmatic and related media effects appear to have no influence on public support for NASA spending. However, correcting information asymmetries in regard to NASA's budget appears to have a significant positive effect on public support for NASA spending. The findings speak to the importance of the public being well informed on policy issues in order to make a correct policy choice, and demonstrate that individual programmatic aspects may not be as important as o...
Assessing adequate treatment response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presents a substantial socioeconomic burden that is potentially reduced by individualized, appropriate management strategies. Integral to such strategies is recognizing the need for treatment changes when patients inadequately respond or do not respond to treatment. However, there might be little or no agreement as to what constitutes treatment failure or an adequate response. Currently used American College of Rheumatology response criteria and the disease activity score may underestimate the magnitude of treatment failure when applied in clinical practice, and, having been designed to differentiate responses between large groups, they may be of limited value in monitoring individual patients. Objective: The aim of this commentary was to assess how treatment failure and clinical remission/response have been defined in clinical studies. Methods: A PubMed search (1948–2009) was conducted to identify clinical studies or reviews containing the following search terms: rheumatoid arthritis and treatment failure, inadequate response, biologic therapy, DMARD, radiographic response , and remission . Select clinical reports in patients with RA were included if remission or treatment failure, radiographic or other, was a study end point. Results: Thirty–three studies were identified. The present assessment found no consensus as to what represents a practical definition of treatment failure or clinical remission in the clinical studies assessed. The definitions varied from the complete absence of any clinical disease to computer-generated numeric scales. The variability in clinical definitions of treatment failure or remission seems to have been mainly attributed to the time at which assessments were made, making it difficult to determine what treatment failure or remission means in individual patients with RA in clinical practice. Conclusions: Based on the findings of the present commentary, standard definitions of treatment failure or clinical remission/response are needed. Aggressive treatment strategies with specific clinical goals may result in better long-term outcomes. Early evidence of treatment effect may serve to improve clinical outcomes, including remission, and help define and align treatment goals in patients with RA.
Integrating system design and organizational learning

This paper describes a cycle in which organizational learning and work serve each other. Experience in a real-world software development project has led us to identify several key challenges for informing software design through organizational learning. The Group Interactive Memory Manager (GIMMe) system is presented along with early results from use of the system in software design projects.
Who Owns Your Body? A Patient's Perspective on Washington University v. Catalona

In 1890 a man sold the rights to his body after death to the Royal Caroline Institute in Sweden for research purposes. Later, he tried to return the money and cancel the contract. In the subsequent lawsuit, the court held that he must turn his body over to the Institute and also ordered him to pay damages for diminishing the worth of his body by having two teeth removed. Today, it would be an anathema for a person's body to be used against his wishes and for a research subject not to be allowed to withdraw from a study. In fact, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act allows people to change their minds and withdraw a previous agreement to donate organs and tissue after their death and the federal research regulations allow people to withdraw from studies without penalty or loss of benefits.
Comparison of the severity of sleep-disordered breathing in Asian and Caucasian patients seen at a sleep disorders center.

Race can be considered a risk factor for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), with higher prevalences and greater severity of the disorder documented among persons of certain racial groups compared with others. Based on clinical observation, it was hypothesized that, other risk factors being equal, Asian patients with SDB have greater severity of their illness compared to Caucasian patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a sleep disorders clinic involving 105 Asian patients diagnosed as having SDB after undergoing polysomnography and 99 similarly diagnosed Caucasian patients matched for the following variables: age, gender and body mass index (BMI). The main outcome measure of interest was objective assessment of severity based on polysomnographic data of respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and minimum oxygen saturation (SaO2) during sleep. Symptom scores between patients of the two racial groups were also compared. There were significantly larger proportions of Asians compared to Caucasians with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS) as defined by respiratory disturbance index (RDI) > or = 50 (25.0% vs 11.1%; P = 0.0288) or minimum oxygen saturation (SaO2) or = 50) independent of age, sex and BMI. The estimated odds ratio for Asians having severe OSAS compared with Caucasians was 2.51 [95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.98-6.64]. There was no significant difference in the severity of questionnaire-based symptoms of snoring, apneas during sleep and the median Epworth scores between Asian and Caucasian patients. Based on objective polysomnographic results, Asian patients with OSAS have greater severity of their illness compared to Caucasian patients matched for age, gender and BMI. There was, however, no significant difference in severity of questionnaire-based symptoms between Asian and Caucasian patients with SDB.
Role of pH in the Formation of Structurally Stable and Catalytically Active TiO2-Supported Gold Catalysts

We report the investigation of titania (Degussa P25) supported gold catalysts prepared by magnetron sputtering. Catalysts grown on natural fumed titania were structurally unstable, resulting in the rapid coarsening of 2.4 nm gold clusters into large ∼20 nm gold clusters in a few days at room temperature under normal atmospheric conditions. However, treating the titania support powder to a mock deposition−precipitation process, at pH 4, followed by the subsequent deposition of gold onto this treated powder produced a remarkable enhancement in gold particle stability and a 20-fold enhancement of catalytic activity. Furthermore, it was found that treating the titania under basic conditions (pH 10) resulted in a further enhancement of structural stability and a further doubling of the reaction rate to 0.28 mol of CO/mol of Au·s. This enhancement cannot be attributed to removing surface Cl− species from the titania, the formation of oxygen vacancies on the TiO2 surface, or an electronic effect. Instead, it app...
Effects of X-Irradiation on Susceptibility of Neonatal Rat Brain and Muscle to Goxsackie B1 Virus Infection.

SummaryLarge doses of X-irradiation primarily to the head of the newborn rat 24 hours prior to infection with Coxsackie B1 virus resulted in an immediate increase in the titer of virus recovered from brain. Six days later a delayed rise was also detected in skeletal muscle harvested from a site distant from the point of maximum irradiation. In brain the increased viral yield was probably related to the simultaneous effects of ionizing radiation on both the head and the body. There is no satisfactory explanation for the delayed effect noted in muscle.
The molecular chaperone α-crystallin inhibits UV-induced protein aggregation

Abstract Solutions of γ-crystallin, and various enzymes, at neutral pH and 24–26°C, became turbid upon exposure to UV radiation at 295 or 308 nm. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed interchain cross-linking and aggregate formation compared to dark control solutions as reported previously. When α-crystallin was added to the protein solutions in stoichiometric amounts, UV irradiation resulted in significantly less turbidity than in the absence of α-crystallin. For example, addition of 0.5mg of α-crystallin to 0.5mg of γ-crystallin in 1.0ml solution yielded only 25% of the turbidity seen in the absence of α-crystallin. Addition of 2.0mg of α-crystallin resulted in 20% of the turbidity. Given the molecular weights of α- and γ-crystallin (about 800kDa and 20kDa, respectively), a γ/a 1:1 weight ratio corresponds to a 40:1 molar ratio, and a γ/a 1:4 weight ratio corresponds to a 10:1 molar ratio. Hence, the molar ratio of α-crystallin needed to effectively protect γ-crystallin from photochemical opacification was γ/a=n:1, where n was in the range 10–40. In terms of subunits, this ratio is γ/a=1:m, where m=1–4. Thus, each γ-crystallin molecule needs 1–4 α subunits for protection. Similar stoichiometries were observed for protection of the other proteins studied. The protection stems in part from screening of UV radiation by α-crystallin but more importantly from a chaperone effect analogous to that seen in thermal aggregation experiments.
A novel assay method for glycosphingolipid deacylase by enzyme-linked immunochemical detection of lysoglycosphingolipid.

Lysoglycosphingolipids consist of a sphingoid long-chain base and monosaccharide or complex sugar, and they lack the fatty acyl group present in native glycosphingolipids. Less than 1 pmol of lyso-Forssman glycolipid and lysoganglioside GM1 were detected on a thin-layer chromatogram by an enzyme-linked immunochemical coloration method with anti-Forssman glycolipid antibody (FOM-1) and cholera toxin B subunit, respectively. Each spot between 1 and 100 pmol lyso-Forssman glycolipid was immunostained as densely as that of the same amount of native Forssman glycolipid. The density of the lyso-Forssman glycolipid spots increased proportionally with increment in the amount of lysoglycolipid. The density of spots of 0.2–100 pmol lysoganglioside GM1 was also proportional to the amount of each lyso-GM1 spot. These results indicated that less than 1 to 100 pmol of deacylated glycosphingolipid was quantifiable by the immunochemical coloration method with sugar chain-specific antibodies. Glycosphingolipid deacylase, which cleaved an amide bond between the sphingoid long-chain base and fatty acyl chain in ceramide of glycosphingolipid, was assayed by detecting the lyso-Forssman glycolipid produced. Lipophilic compounds, recovered from an aliquot of the reaction mixture of Forssman glycolipid and crude enzyme at appropriate times, were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography. It was found that lyso-Forssman glycolipid was produced in the first 1–2 h by the enzyme and production increased with incubation time. This coloration method is more sensitive and specific than the visualization method with a non-specific reagent such as orcinol-sulfuric acid reagent.
Electrooptic lens stacks on LiTaO/sub 3/ by domain inversion

The design and analysis of one-dimensional (1-D) electrooptic lens stacks is presented. Experimental results of a seven-element stack fabricated on Z-cut LiTaO/sub 3/ substrates using domain inversion support the analysis. The optical focusing power of these bulk stacks is shown to be voltage-controlled.
PKA Phosphorylation Has No Effect on the Force-PCA Relationship or Length Dependent Activation Following L48Q cTNC-Tn Exchange in Rat Demembranated Trabeculae

The molecular mechanism behind the Frank-Starling law of the heart is thought to be due in part to changes in myofilament lattice spacing and/or increased myosin proximity to actin binding sites at longer sarcomere lengths (SL). We previously showed that cardiac trabeculae have a left-shifted force-pCa relationship and eliminated SL-dependence of this relationship following passive exchange with cTn containing a mutant (L48Q) cTnC (with enhanced TnC-TnI interaction strength). This result suggests L48Q cTnC reduces the cross-bridge dependent component of thin filament activation. Experiments here were designed to test the hypothesis that cTnI phosphorylation can restore SL dependence in L48Q cTnC exchanged trabeculae by decreasing Tn Ca2+ affinity and/or TnC-TnI interaction strength. Interestingly, PKA treatment did not reduce Ca2+ sensitivity of force or restore SL dependence in L48Q cTnC-cTn exchanged trabeculae. PKA treatment of native and WT cTn exchanged trabeculae right-shifted and also reduced SL dependence of the force-pCa relationship. Other laboratories investigating the effect of PKA on SL dependence have produced discordant results, possibly due to PKA-induced phosphorylation of proteins other than TnI (i.e., MyBP-C and titin) Therefore, planned future experiments will investigate exchange of PKA pre-treated cTn complexes, S23/24D (phosphomimic) cTnI, and S23/24A (non-phosphorylatable) cTnI with WT and L48Q cTnC. Experiments will be coupled with solution measurements cTnI-cTnC affinity using spectrofluorimetry to provide a more detailed understanding of how PKA phosphorylation and cTnI-cTnC interaction strength influence SL-dependence in cardiac muscle. Support provided by NIH HL65497 (MR) and T32 HL07828 (FSK).
A Voxel-Based Morphometry Analysis of White Matter Asymmetries in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) has become an increasingly common method for assessing neuroanatomical asymmetries in human in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here, we employed VBM to examine asymmetries in white matter in a sample of 48 chimpanzees (15 males and 33 females). T1-weighted MRI scans were segmented into white matter using FSL and registered to a common template. The segmented volumes were then flipped in the left-right axis and registered back to the template. The mirror image white matter volumes were then subtracted from the correctly oriented volumes and voxel-by-voxel t tests were performed. Twenty-seven significant lateralized clusters were found, including 18 in the left hemisphere and 9 in the right hemisphere. Several of the asymmetries were found in regions corresponding to well-known white matter tracts including the superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus and corticospinal tract.
Depression and late mortality after myocardial infarction in the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease (ENRICHD) study

Objective The Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease study was a multicenter clinical trial in which patients with depression and/or low perceived social support after an acute myocardial infarction were randomly assigned to an intervention consisting of cognitive behavior therapy and, in some cases, sertraline, or to usual care. There was no difference in survival between the groups. A possible reason why the intervention failed to affect survival is that too many patients with mild, transient depression were enrolled. Another is that some patients died too soon to complete the intervention. This analysis evaluates whether there was a difference in late (ie, > or =6 months after the myocardial infarction) mortality among initially depressed patients who had a Beck Depression Inventory score > or =10 and a past history of major depression, and who completed the 6-month post-treatment assessment. It also examines the relationship between change in depression and late mortality. Methods Out of the 1,165 (47%) of the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease study participants who met our criteria, 57 died in the first 6 months, and 858 (409 usual care, 449 intervention) completed the 6-month assessment. Cox regression was used to analyze survival. Results The intervention did not affect late mortality. However, intervention patients whose depression did not improve were at higher risk for late mortality than were patients who responded to treatment. Conclusions Patients whose depression is refractory to cognitive behavior therapy and sertraline, two standard treatments for depression, are at high risk for late mortality after myocardial infarction.
Dynamics of adsorption columns with bacterial growth outside adsorbents

The dynamics of adsorption columns with the presence of bacterial activity was studied analytically and experimentally. The bacterial activity results in the formation of growing microbial films outside adsorbents. Equations describing the interaction between adsorption and bacterial growth were formulated and algorithms for their solutions developed. Experiments relating to the removal of valeric acid from aqueous solutions with granular carbon in the presence of denitrifying bacteria were performed to substantiate the analysis. On a etudie, analytiquement et experimentalement, la dynamique des colonnes d'adsorption en presence d'activite bacterienne. L'activite bacterienne resulte dans la formation de films microbiens croissant a l'exterieur des adsorbants. On a formule des equations qui decrivent l'interaction entre l'adsorption et la croissance bacterienne, et l'on a etabli un algorithme pour les resoudre. On a fait des essais d'elimination de l'acide valerique de solutions aqueuses, au moyen de carbone granulaire en presence de bacteries denitrifiantes, pour confirmer les resultats analytiques.
Reflections on the sixth report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

The editors of the Journal have asked us to review the background process to the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI) [1], reflect on criticism, indicate where important changes occurred compared with its predecessor, and predict the purpose and content of the subsequent report.
Optimizing Sensor Networks for Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Lattice wireless sensor network (WSN) resulting from deterministic deployment by using Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) can provide optimal network QoS. It also leads insight to random WSN design by providing upper bounds for performance evaluation. In this paper, we examine the features of lattice WSNs from different perspectives by investigating square, triangular, and hexagonal pattern-based WSNs. First, we examine their node deployment efficiency in terms of the number of required sensors for achieving application-specific QoS. Then, we compare their energy efficiency by exploring the ways on grouping adjacent sensors into clusters through k-clustering and balanced clustering techniques. At last, we introduce a collision-free TDMA-based node scheduling scheme for in-cluster data aggregation in each lattice WSN. This work can be regarded as a guideline to direct the design and deployment of lattice WSNs.
Laser supraglottoplasty: development of an outcomes tool

Laryngomalacia is a common cause of airway obstruction in neonates and infants that, when severe, may be treated surgically via laser supraglottoplasty. Despite individual surgeons' successful experience with this technique, an objective broadly applied assessment of patient outcomes has been lacking. This is worrisome since the provision of health care is increasingly judged by the ultimate result: whether a person's quality of life is better for having undergone a particular procedure. Institutions that lack evidence of such benefit will face difficulty in justifying, and in obtaining compensation for, their services. We share our tool for the measurement of outcomes following laser supraglottoplasty. Over the past year, we have found this tool to be easily and rapidly applied. The wide range of possible combinations of patient presentation and the specific anatomic conformation of the laryngomalacia are effectively organized into standard database format, allowing for relevant clinical and anatomic information to be compared to post-operative indicators of outcome. We hope that this discussion prompts the development of similar tools for patient assessment following other laser airway procedures. Our ability as health care provides to control patient care depends upon the presentation of cogent, convincing evidence of improved patient well-being following treatment.
Location Choice in Two-Sided Markets with Indivisible Agents

Consider a model of location choice by two sorts of agents, called buyers and sellers: In the first period agents simultaneously choose between two identical possible locations; following this, the agents at each location play some sort of game with the other agents there. Buyers prefer locations with fewer other buyers and more sellers, and sellers have the reverse preferences. We study the set of possible equilibrium sizes for the two markets, and show that two markets of very different sizes can co-exist even if larger markets are more efficient. This extends the analysis of Ellison and Fudenberg [3] (EF), who ignored the constraint that the number of agents of each type in each market should be an integer, and instead analyzed the quasi-equilibria where agents are treated as infinitely divisible.
Rate constants for cyclizations of α-hydroxy radical clocks

The 1-hydroxy-1-methyl-6,6-diphenyl-5-hexenyl radical (4a) and the 1-hydroxy-1-methyl-7,7-diphenyl-6-heptenyl radical (4b) were prepared from the corresponding PTOC esters (anhydrides of a carboxylic acid and N-hydroxypyridine-2-thione). The key step in the synthetic method for the precursors was a coupling reaction of the respective carboxylic acids with the thiohydroxamic acid, which was conducted for ca. 5 min and followed rapidly by chromatography. Rate constants for cyclizations of radicals 4a and 4b in acetonitrile and in THF were measured directly between –30 and 60 °C by laser flash photolysis methods. The Arrhenius functions in acetonitrile are log k = 9.9–2.6/2.303RT and log k = 8.9–4.4/2.303RT (kcal mol−1) for 4a and 4b, respectively. Rate constants for cyclizations at room temperature of 9 × 107s−1 and 4 × 105s−1 are somewhat larger than the rate constants for cyclizations of analogous alkyl radicals. Crude rate constants at room temperature for H-atom trapping of 4a by thiophenol and 4b by t-butylthiol were kT = 1.2 × 109 M−1s−1 and kT = 2 × 107 M−1s−1, respectively, which are modestly larger than rate constants for reactions of alkyl radicals with the same trapping agents.
Neonatal Oligodendrocytes Contain and Secrete Neuregulins In Vitro

The factors that influence the development of oligodendrocyte (OLG) progenitors into mature OLGs remain elusive. Recent evidence has suggested that neu differentiation factor (NDF), which is a member of the neuregulin family of growth factors, influences the development of glial cells, including Schwann cells, astrocytes, and OLGs. Neurons are postulated to be the source of neuregulins, because neurons closely interact with these glial cells during development. In this report, we have identified the mRNA for both isoform families of NDF in cultured neonatal (immature) OLGs. We have also demonstrated that cultured neonatal OLGs contain and secrete NDF protein. These data raise the possibility that NDF could be used in an autocrine/paracrine loop by neonatal OLGs during development for survival, proliferation, and/or differentiation.
Direct observations in the dusk hours of the characteristics of the storm-time ring current particles during the beginning of magnetic storms

The characteristic features of the initial enhancement of the storm-time ring current particles in the evening hours are consistent with flow patterns resulting from a combination of inward convection, gradient drift, and corotation which carries plasma sheet protons into low L-values near midnight and the higher energy proton component into the plasmasphere and through the evening hours. Data from four magnetic storms during the early life of Explorer 45, when the local time of apogee was in the afternoon and evening hours, show that protons with lower magnetic moments penetrate deeper into the magnetosphere until a low limit, determined by the corotation and gradient drift forces, is reached. Such particle motions produce the stable energy dependent inner boundary of the ring current protons inside the plasmapause in the dusk sector and also provide the mechanism for energy injection into the ring current region. From the analyses of the pitch angle distributions it is evident that charge exchange and wave particle interactions are not the dominant causes of this inner boundary.
Finding Theodore Roosevelt: A Personal and Political Story

A grand man-on-horseback statue of Theodore Roosevelt stands guard at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Its heroic magnitude should remind historians that cinematic stories about masterful men possessing larger-than-life powers compete quite well in the marketplace of ideas with interpretations that show “great” men as vulnerable and fallible. How could historians ever expect to win popular audiences from the latest opiate of the reading people, books about the dash and drama of great men? Men who dare to perform bold deeds appeal to much larger audiences than most other topics historians consider historically significant. Celebrationist history wins applause; long footnotes do not. In public squares across the globe, the man-on-horseback type evokes nationalism inspired by battles won. People in other countries also lie to themselves about their pasts. Why should it be different here?
Pelletization and diffusibility studies on silver catalysts

Powders of silver catalyst of low calcium content and an 8.5% calcium in silver alloy were pelletized at different compacting stresses. The diffusibility of each pellet was measured, using hydrogen, and correlated with internal void volume, The surface area of the powders and of some representative pellets was obtained by nitrogen adsorption. All these parameters were used in an attempt to interpret the changes taking place with decreasing porosity. With the help of two plausible assumptions it was concluded that the tortuosity remained constant over the range examined. The figures obtained have limited usefulness for the prediction of approximate pellet diffusibilities from a knowledge of the compacting stresses applied to similar metal powders.
Increased left ventricular myocardial mass is associated with arrhythmias after cardiac surgery.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate whether patients with an elevated left ventricular mass index undergoing cardiac surgery were more likely to experience postoperative atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Design A retrospective analysis. Setting A single tertiary care university hospital. Participants One thousand consecutive patients undergoing all types of adult cardiac surgery. Interventions With institutional review board approval, intraoperative transesophageal echocardiographic images were reviewed by a single reviewer. The left ventricular mass index was calculated using the American Society of Echocardiography–recommended formula. Medical charts were reviewed for the occurrence and type of clinically significant postoperative arrhythmias. Measurements and Results Of the patients who had an elevated left ventricular mass index, 47.6% (225/473) developed clinically significant postoperative arrhythmias compared with 38.3% (142/371) of patients with a normal left ventricular mass index (odds ratio [OR] = 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.93; p = 0.007). In the multivariate analysis, this finding remained statistically significant, controlling for the effects of age, weight, sex, surgery type, left ventricular function, functional status, left atrial dimensions, and a history of atrial fibrillation (OR = 1.40; 95% CI, 1.03-1.90 per 100-g/m 2 increase in the left ventricular mass index). An increased left ventricular mass index was also an independent predictor of the separate or combined occurrence of atrial or ventricular arrhythmias. Conclusions An elevated left ventricular mass index was a strong independent predictor of clinically significant postoperative atrial and ventricular arrhythmias after adult cardiac surgery. Although prospective validation is required, targeting patients for arrhythmia prophylaxis therapy may be justified in patients with a left ventricular mass index >188 g/m 2 .
The Structure and Properties of Boundaries in Bicrystals of Boron-Doped Ni 3 (Al,l at% Ta)

The effect of boron on the structure and macroscopic properties of an isolated grain boundary in bicrystals of a non-stoichiometric Ni 3 Al alloy (76 at% Ni, 23 at% Al, 1 at%Ta) has been studied. The room temperature tensile ductility and fracture mode of the bicrystals varies dramatically with the rate of cooling after elevated temperature heat treatment. In the absence of significant segregation of boron to the boundary, the bicrystals fail via brittle interfacial fracture with little or no ductility. When the segregation of boron to the boundary is maximized, the bicrystals are highly ductile. High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that this ductile state is achieved without the formation of a detectable region of compositional disorder at the boundary. Atomistic calculations using a Monte Carlo scheme predict that only partial disordering of the planes immediately adjacent to the boundary should occur for Ni-rich alloys both with and without boron. These results suggest that the presence of boron causes an increase in the cohesive energy of the boundaries rather than a change in the local compositional ordering.
Algorithm 652: HOMPACK: a suite of codes for globally convergent homotopy algorithms

There are algorithms for finding zeros or fixed points of nonlinear systems of equations that are globally convergent for almost all starting points, i.e., with probability one. The essence of all such algorithms is the construction of an appropriate homotopy map and then tracking some smooth curve in the zero set of this homotopy map. HOMPACK provides three qualitatively different algorithms for tracking the homotopy zero curve: ordinary differential equation-based, normal flow, and augmented Jacobian matrix. Separate routines are also provided for dense and sparse Jacobian matrices. A high-level driver is included for the special case of polynomial systems.
Variable line spacing diffraction grating fabricated by direct write lithography for synchrotron beamline applications

A Variable Line Spacing (VLS) diffraction grating has been fabricated using an optical direct write technique. This grating is now in use at the Advanced Light Source, in beamline 12.0.1, delivering light for EUV lithography. Direct Write Lithography (DWL) with focused light at λ = 442 nm was used for the first time to record a VLS grating pattern on a substrate coated with a photoresist. The pattern was transferred to the Si substrate surface using reactive plasma etch. Precision of groove placement was verified by wavefront measurements of a witness grating recorded simultaneously with the VLS pattern. Atomic force microscope measurements confirmed near ideal groove shape and high smoothness of the grating grooves. The grating coated with a Ru coating demonstrated diffraction efficiency of 39.5% in the negative first diffraction order which corresponds to theoretical efficiency at the wavelength of 13.5 nm. This work validates the DWL approach as a promising technique for advanced grating fabrication.
Serine protease inhibitor 2A inhibits caspase‐independent cell death

The release of cysteine cathepsins from the lysosome into the cytoplasm can trigger programs of cell death (PCD) that do not require caspase executioner proteases but instead are mediated by toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we show that a cytoplasmic inhibitor of papain-like cathepsins – Serine protease inhibitor 2A (Spi2A) – is required for the protection of cells from caspase-independent PCD triggered by tumor necrosis factor-α. In the absence of caspase activity, Spi2A suppressed PCD by inhibiting cathepsin B after it was released into the cytoplasm. Spi2A also directly protected against ROS-mediated PCD, which is consistent with a role in suppressing caspase-independent pathways of PCD. We conclude that inhibition of lysosomal executioner proteases by Spi2A is a physiological mechanism by which cells are protected from caspase-independent programmed cell death.
Rhabdomyosarcoma of lung arising in congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation

An asymptomatic congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of lung discovered at age 18 months, and unchanging for 14 months prior to its removal, was found to harbor a small embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma following excision. With lobectomy and chemotherapy, the tumor-free interval has now exceeded three years. The case represents a well-documented occurrence of malignant tumor arising within a congenital malformation, an association that is unlikely to be the result of chance.
Proline-rich Motifs in the Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)/PTH-related Protein Receptor C Terminus Mediate Scaffolding of c-Src with β-Arrestin2 for ERK1/2 Activation

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates ERK1/2 through both G-protein signaling and β-arrestin2-mediated internalization. β-Arrestin may serve as a scaffold for c-Src. However, the molecular mechanisms for ERK1/2 activation by PTH remain unclear. By using a targeted mutagenesis approach, we investigated the PTH/PTH-related protein receptor (PTH1R) structural determinants for ERK1/2 activation and transcriptional activity in HEK-293 cells. First, ERK1/2 activation was inhibited by PTH1R mutations that specifically abrogate Gq-protein kinase C signaling without a decrease in cAMP-protein kinase A. Second, PTH1R C-terminal mutations and/or deletions that prevent interaction with β-arrestin inhibited ERK1/2 activation. Similar results were obtained in HEK-293 cells co-expressing wild-type PTH1R and a dominant-negative β-arrestin2. Third, the c-Src inhibitor PP2 and a kinasedead c-SrcK295M mutant co-expressed with wild-type PTH1R both inhibited ERK1/2 activation. Furthermore, c-Src co-precipitated with both PTH1R andβ-arrestin2 in response to PTH. Deleting the PTH1R-proximal C terminus abolished these interactions. However, the need for receptor interaction with β-arrestin to co-precipitate Src and activate ERK1/2 was obviated by expressing a constitutively active c-SrcY527A mutant, suggesting direct binding of activated Src to PTH1R. Subsequently, we identified and mutated to alanine four proline-rich motifs in the PTH1R distal C terminus, which resulted in loss of both c-Src and arrestin co-precipitation and significantly decreased ERK1/2 activation. These data delineate the multiple PTH1R structural determinants for ERK1/2 activation and newly identify a unique mechanism involving proline-rich motifs in the receptor C terminus for reciprocal scaffolding of c-Src and β-arrestin2 with a class II G-protein-coupled receptor.
A Ge-substituted ZSM-5 zeolite membrane for the separation of acetic acid from water

A Ge-substituted ZSM-5 membrane prepared on a porous, tubular, stainless steel support was effective for the separation of acetic acid from water by pervaporation. The Ge−ZSM-5 membrane had higher acetic acid fluxes and lower pure water fluxes than a silicalite-1 membrane because it is more hydrophobic than silicalite-1. The Ge−ZSM-5 membrane was selective because of the preferential adsorption of acetic acid, and both the flux and selectivity increased with temperature. The total flux decreased slightly as the acetic acid feed concentration increased from 0.33 to 5 wt %, and the separation selectivity decreased to one-half its initial value. For a 5 wt % acetic acid feed, the Ge−ZSM-5 membrane had a total flux of 0.43 kg/(m2·h) at 363 K with an acetic acid/water separation selectivity of 14.
High-resolution radio and X-ray observations of the supernova remnant W28

The present study has the objective to report the first high resolution radio and X-ray observations of the central part of the galactic supernova remnant, W28, taking into account the possible association of the remnant with the unidentified gamma-ray source, 2CG 006-00. This gamma-ray source is approximately two-thirds as bright as the Crab pulsar above 100 MeV, and has a somewhat flatter spectrum. Both the radio and X-ray observations reveal previously unknown aspects of W28 which support the possibility of W28 being a gamma-ray source. The radio data show a flat-spectrum, nonthermal component reminiscent of the Crab Nebula and Vela, both of which are confirmed gamma-ray sources. The X-ray observations reveal a compact source within W28, again suggestive of both the Crab and Vela. If the similarities among W28, the Crab Nebula, and the Vela remnant are valid, the gamma-ray source 2CG 00-00 should be studied for periodicity, the conclusive signature of a compact source of emission.
Army Flight Medic Performance of Paramedic Level Procedures: Indicated vs. Performed

Abstract Background There is great disparity in the education, experience, and staffing requirements for civilian and Army aeromedical transports (AMT). Objective This study sought to determine if medical skills beyond the standard training for Army flight medics were indicated and being performed on Army AMT missions. As a secondary measure, the percentage of indicated interventions performed by basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) and paramedic (EMT-P) flight medics were compared. Methods This was a retrospective review of Army AMT charts including patients transported by an EMT-B-staffed unit in Iraq and an EMT-P-staffed unit in Afghanistan from July 2008 to June 2009. Charts were reviewed independently by two Emergency Medicine board-certified Army flight surgeons. Results Of 984 interventions found to be indicated on the 406 charts that met inclusion criteria, 36% were rated as EMT-P level. Seventeen percent were indicated but not performed. EMT-Bs failed to perform indicated procedures 35% of the time vs. 3% in the EMT-P group (p Conclusions There seems to be a substantial number of procedures beyond the scope of standard Army flight medic training being required for Army AMT missions. It seems that when advance interventions are indicated, those trained to the EMT-P level perform them significantly more often than those trained to Army standard. Conclusions Based on the findings of this study, the authors suggest the Army consider adopting the standards required for civilian AMT.
Inactivation and Inhibition of Replication of the Enveloped Bacteriophage φ6 by Fatty Acids

The enveloped bacteriophage phi6 has been shown to be an interesting model system for the study of chemical agents that might have specific antiviral effects against lipid-containing mammalian viruses. In this report, we describe two types of antiviral activity exhibited by several fatty acids against bacteriophage phi6. Oleic acid (18:1) and palmitoleic acid (16:1) were potent inactivators of the virus. Treatment with either fatty acid at 50 mug/ml at 25 or 0 degrees C for 30 min reduced the virus titer to about 0.1% of the initial titer. Oleic acid at a concentration as low as 3 mug/ml ( approximately 10(-2) mM) reduced the virus titer to <1% of the initial titer within 30 min. Ultracentrifugation analyses of (14)C-amino acid- and (32)P-labeled virus treated with oleic acid indicated that the virion is largely disassembled by the treatment. Myristic acid (14:0) and palmitic acid (16:0) did not inactivate phi6 at 50 mug/ml, but nevertheless did prevent phi6 plaque production. Single-step virus growth experiments in which fatty acid was added at various times before or after infection indicated that it was an early stage of the phi6 replication cycle that was inhibited by the presence of myristic acid and that the inhibition occurred only if the myristic acid concentration in the extracellular growth medium was greater, similar10 mug/ml. phi6 could attach to its host cell in the presence of myristic acid at 50 mug/ml. We conclude that the fatty acids that prevent phi6 replication probably do so by interfering with the entry of the viral genome into the host cell.
Fluctuations in multifragment decays

Abstract An analysis of charged particle distributions is performed to search for large fluctuations and signals of intermittency in 36 Ar + 197 Au reactions at E/A=35–110 MeV. When the effects of impact-parameter averaging are reduced by appropriate cuts on the total transverse energy, charged particle multiplicity distributions narrower than Poisson distributions are observed. Such distributions are inconsistent with intermittency signals of non-trivial origin.
Nanomaterials and future aerospace technologies: opportunities and challenges

Two decades of extensive investment in nanomaterials, nanofabrication and nanometrology have provided the global engineering community a vast array of new technologies. These technologies not only promise radical change to traditional industries, such as transportation, information and aerospace, but may create whole new industries, such as personalized medicine and personalized energy harvesting and storage. The challenge today for the defense aerospace community is determining how to accelerate the conversion of these technical opportunities into concrete benefits with quantifiable impact, in conjunction with identifying the most important outstanding scientific questions that are limiting their utilization. For example, nanomaterial fabrication delivers substantial tailorablity beyond a traditional material data sheet. How can we integrate this tailorability into agile manufacturing and design methods to further optimize the performance, cost and durability of future resilient aerospace systems? The intersection of nano-based metamaterials and nanostructured devices with biotechnology epitomizes the technological promise of autonomous systems and enhanced human-machine interfaces. What then are the key materials and processes challenges that are inhibiting current lab-scale innovation from being integrated into functioning systems to increase effectiveness and productivity of our human resources? Where innovation is global, accelerating the use of breakthroughs, both for commercial and defense, is essential. Exploitation of these opportunities and finding solutions to the associated challenges for defense aerospace will rely on highly effective partnerships between commercial development, scientific innovation, systems engineering, design and manufacturing.
From durable to disposable

American Plastic: A Cultural History. By Jeffrey L. Meikle. Rutgers University Press: 1996. Pp. 403. $49.95.
Stereotyped evaluative judgments and female attractiveness

This article explores individuals’judgments about the personality and relationships of “attractive” women. Front facial photographs of models from Cosmopolitan and Playboy were shown to eighty young women and men. Respondents did not know the source of the photographs of the women's faces. After each viewing, respondents were asked to write down their impressions of the women pictured. A content analysis of the open-ended descriptions revealed six major impression categories: flirt/tease, cold/superficial, confident/strong, sensitive/caring, timid/weak, exotic/sensual. Most of the images were perceived by the readers to have poor interpersonal relationships. Women, but not men, had different impressions of the Cosmopolitan and Playboy model images. This research establishes that there are diverse and contradictory readings of the images of beauty as depicted in popular magazines, and most readings of attractiveness are imbued with stereotypical characteristics of attractive women.
Altered intracellular signaling and reduced viability of Alzheimer's disease neuronal cybrids is reproduced by β-amyloid peptide acting through receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)

Abstract Activation of apoptosis by increased production of amyloid beta peptides (Aβ) has been implicated in neuronal cell death of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We used mitochondrial transgenic cybrid models of sporadic AD (SAD), which overproduce Aβ compared to control (CTL) cybrids, to investigate the effects of endogenously generated Aβ on intracellular signaling pathways and viability. Reducing SAD Aβ production with γ-secretase inhibition altered the total phosphorylation profile of SAD cybrid to one similar to CTL cybrids and enhanced viability to ∼CTL cybrid levels. Treating CTL cybrids with exogenous Aβ or conditioned media (CM) from SAD cybrids activated the signaling pathways active in SAD cybrids under basal condition and decreased viability. Antibodies against receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) blocked Aβ-induced activation of the p38, JNK pathways, and NF-κB in CTL cybrids and offered protection against the neurotoxic effects of Aβ. Expression of SAD mitochondrial genes in cybrids activates stress-related signaling pathways and reduces viability. This SAD phenotype is produced by endogenously generated Aβ and can be replicated by exogenous Aβ acting through RAGE.
IS-LM stability and economic policy effectiveness: Further observations

Abstract Professor Wang (1980) has usefully extended my original model by introducing an explicit government budget constraint. However, the form of that budget constraint is very restrictive and limited. In this note, an alternative budget constraint to Wang's is developed. This permits the model and policy analysis to be significantly extended and generalized.
Expression of mannose 6-phosphate receptor messenger ribonucleic acids in mouse spermatogenic and Sertoli cells.

ABSTRACT Spermatogenic and Sertoli cells isolated from the mouse synthesize different proportions of the two mannose 6-phosphatereceptors (MPR) during overnight culture periods (O'Brien et al., Endocrinology 1989; 125:2973). To determine the relativeexpression of MPR mRNAs in these cells, poly(A) + RNAs were examined by Northern blot analysis using cDNA probes specificfor the cation-independent (CI) and cation-dependent (CD) MPRs. A single CI-MPR transcript, -10 kb in size, was present inall tissues and cell types examined. Like the CI-MPR protein, this transcript was more abundant in Sertoli cells than in sperma-togenic cells isolated from adult testes. The CD-MPR is the predominant MPR synthesized by pachytene spermatocytes or roundspermatids. Multiple CD-MPR transcripts were detected in these cells, including a 2.4-kb CD-MPR mRNA that was indistinguish-able from CD-MPR transcripts in somatic tissues and Sertoli cells. Smaller CD-MPR mRNAs of -1.4 and 1.6 kb were prominentin pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids, respectively, but were faint or undetectable in somatic tissues. These smallerCD-MPR mRNAs did not hybridize with an 0.9-kb restriction fragment derived from the CD-MPR 3' untranslated region (UTR),suggesting that alternate polyadenylation signals are used to produce multiple CD-MPR transcripts in spermatogenic cells. Whenpoly(A) tracts were selectively removed from germ cell RNAs by ribonuclease H treatment, identical 1.3-kb CD-MPR mRNAswere detected in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids, indicating that the size difference between the 1.4- and 1.6-kb transcripts is due to variations in poly(A) tail length. These alterations in the 3' UTR of the CD-MPR transcripts may affectmRNA stability or translation during spermatogenesis.