cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrasonic spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry of liposomal-encapsulated nisin

The thermal stability of phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes (colloidal dispersions of bilayer-forming polar lipids in aqueous solvents) in the presence and absence of the antimicrobial polypeptide nisin was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and low-intensity ultrasonic spectroscopy (US). PC liposome mixtures with varying acyl chain lengths (C16:0 and C18:0) were formed in buffer with or without entrapped nisin. Gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition temperatures (T(M)) of liposomes determined from DSC thermograms were in excellent agreement with those determined by ultrasonic velocity and attenuation coefficient measurements recorded at 5 MHz. The dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) T(M) measured by DSC was approximately 41.3 and approximately 40.7 degrees C when measured by ultrasonic spectroscopy. The T(M) of distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) and DPPC/DSPC 1:1 liposomes was 54.3 and 54.9 degrees C and approximately 44.8 and approximately 47.3 degrees C when measured by DSC and US, respectively. The thermotropic stability generally increased upon addition of nisin. Analysis of the stepwise decrease in ultrasonic velocity with temperature indicated an increased compressibility corresponding to a loss of structure upon heating.
Heterogeneous Actions of Serotonin on Interneurons in Rat Visual Cortex

The effects of serotonin (5-HT) on excitability of two cortical interneuronal subtypes, fast-spiking (FS) and low threshold spike (LTS) cells, and on spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (s...
Birth of a chimeric primate gene by capture of the transposase gene from a mobile element

The emergence of new genes and functions is of central importance to the evolution of species. The contribution of various types of duplications to genetic innovation has been extensively investigated. Less understood is the creation of new genes by recycling of coding material from selfish mobile genetic elements. To investigate this process, we reconstructed the evolutionary history of SETMAR, a new primate chimeric gene resulting from fusion of a SET histone methyltransferase gene to the transposase gene of a mobile element. We show that the transposase gene was recruited as part of SETMAR 40–58 million years ago, after the insertion of an Hsmar1 transposon downstream of a preexisting SET gene, followed by the de novo exonization of previously noncoding sequence and the creation of a new intron. The original structure of the fusion gene is conserved in all anthropoid lineages, but only the N-terminal half of the transposase is evolving under strong purifying selection. In vitro assays show that this region contains a DNA-binding domain that has preserved its ancestral binding specificity for a 19-bp motif located within the terminal-inverted repeats of Hsmar1 transposons and their derivatives. The presence of these transposons in the human genome constitutes a potential reservoir of ≈1,500 perfect or nearly perfect SETMAR-binding sites. Our results not only provide insight into the conditions required for a successful gene fusion, but they also suggest a mechanism by which the circuitry underlying complex regulatory networks may be rapidly established.
Minority Science and Engineering Doctorate Recipients with Junior and Community College Backgrounds.

Shortfalls in science and engineering doctorate production among American citizens are alarming. Also alarming is that birth rate declines preclude amelioration of these shortfalls by recruiting mo...
In vitro effects of diisopropylfluorophosphate on cholinesterases and contractility of intact cat iris

Abstract A radiometric technique was used on intact cat irides to dissociate the effects of surface or functional cholinesterase from intracellular enzymes. This method enables the determination of the kinetics of surface enzyme activity along with simultaneous physiologic studies of iris contractile properties. The surface or external cholinesterase was found to consist of 50% acetylcholinesterase and 50% butyrylcholinesterase. Application of 3–5 μ m diisopropylfluorophosphate to intact iris in vitro resulted in 60–70% inhibition of surface acetylcholinesterase associated with a 20–100-fold potentiation of mecholyl sensitivity, which was reversible by 2-pyridine aldoxime methosulfate treatment. The results indicate that it is the inhibition of the surface acetylcholinesterase of the iris which is involved in potentiation of contractility induced by agonists.
Normalization of a hydrologic sample probability density function by transform optimization

Abstract Transformation of variates is the conventional procedure for deriving a probability density function of a variate y when a probability density function of a variate x and a function y = f(x) are known. In this study the probability density functions p(x) and p(y) are assumed known and the transform is treated as a differential equation which is solved to yield an optimal variate transform function x = f(y). Specifically, p(x) is considered a sample probability density function and p(y) is the normal probability density function. The solution for x = f(y) thus provides an optimal normalization of the sample. Properties of the normal distribution can then be used for estimating confidence intervals of the mean and tolerance limits of outer values. Such estimates of risk and uncertainty, when de-transformed back to the sampled variate of interest, x, are valuable tools in hydrology and water resource and environmental protection analysis and planning. The numerical methodology for solving the differential equation is not specific to the particular problem, and can be extended to other situations and other probability density functions.
Usefulness of tomographic thallium-201 imaging for detection of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Abstract The role of tomographic thallium-201 exercise and redistribution imaging in the detection of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was evaluated in 116 patients: 61 (53%) with 1- and 55 (47%) with multivessel PTCA, with a total of 185 dilated vessels. Complete revascularization was performed in 89 (77%) and partial revascularization in 27 (23%) of the patients. Restenosis was angiographically demonstrated in 69 (60%) of the patients and 85 (46%) of the vessels 6.4 ± 3.1 months after PTCA. Disease progression in previously normal vessels was noted in 11 patients. The results were: (1) for detection of restenosis in the group of patients, single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) versus exercise electrocardiographic sensitivity was 93 vs 52% (p 50% stenosis was detected with 91% sensitivity, 84% specificity and 85% accuracy. SPECT thallium-201 imaging is an excellent tool for the detection of restenosis and disease progression after PTCA in the settings of 1- and multivessel angioplasty and complete and partial revascularization.
Supersymmetry-breaking through D-terms

Abstract Models in which supersymmetry is broken by the Fayet-Iliopoulos mechanism are reconsidered. The possibility that scalar quark and lepton masses might arise radiatively in such theories is explored. It is shown that in several interesting cases, these masses-squared are all negative. In grand-unified versions of these models, it is shown that the scale of SU(2) × U(1) breaking tends to be much larger than the scalar quark and lepton masses, i.e. that the hierarchy is unstable.
Fatigue, Weight Gain, Lethargy and Amenorrhea in Breast Cancer Patients on Chemotherapy: Is Subclinical Hypothyroidism the Culprit?

Background. The purpose of this study was to prospectively observe the relative contribution of each viable mechanism such as hyperphagia, physical activity, body composition, steroid hormonal and thyroid function, fatigue scores on changes in body weight in breast cancer patients, receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.
Intravenous alimentation in patients with cancer and neutropenia.

of 14 with symptoms similar to those which Patient A. S. developed at 11 89 years of age; the youngest child, at the age of 8, had minimal electrocardiographic findings. Incomplete development of the external genitals and mental retardation have been reported with several entities, 1 some of which have an associated congenital heart defect. Our three cases differ from these entities because of the conspicuous lack of associated phenotypic or chromosomal anomalies, and the presumptive evidence of a cardiomyopathy of late onset. Cases of familial cardiomyopathy have been reported, 2-4 but there has been no associated mental retardation or anomalies of the external genitals. The occurrence of these anomalies in three siblings suggests a genetic etiology. The consanguinity of the parents favors an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance.
Certification Schemes and their Benefit to Plant Protection1

In Israel, compulsory certification schemes have been of major importance in the protection of many crops. The examples discussed include carnation, rose, grapevine and avocado. Citrus certification in particular has provided an essential back-up to the programme of eradication of citrus tristeza virus. New meristem-culture techniques and virus-testing methods will make such schemes easier to develop in future and open possibilities for internationally accepted schemes.
A new approach for sequencing human IRS1 phosphotyrosine-containing peptides using CapLC-Q-TOFmicro

Reversible phosphorylation of proteins functions as a biological switching network for activation and inhibition of downstream biological processes. Since phosphorylations of these sites are often transient processes, and hence sub-stoichiometric, systematic characterization of phosphorylation sites is a formidable challenge. In this work, a new approach was developed to pinpoint phosphotyrosine sites on tyrosine-containing peptides. This required (1) the development of a new and highly sensitive nano-electrospray assembly and (2) validation of the concept that the specificity and detection limit for trace levels of phosphotyrosine immonium ion in peptide mixtures from protein digests can be increased by varying the collision energy. With our method, an automatic tandem mass spectrometric analysis of peptides eluted from a C18 capillary liquid chromatographic column is triggered by a positive confirmation of phosphotyrosine immonium ion in a time-of-flight mass spectrometric survey. The approach was tested by analyzing the phosphorylation of human IRS-1 peptides that interact with the Src-homology 2 domain and mixtures of these peptides with tryptic digests of bovine serum albumin and horse heart myoglobin. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CO2 Hydrogenation to Formic Acid on Ni(111)

Periodic, self-consistent, density functional theory (DFT) calculations are employed to study CO2 hydrogenation on Ni(111). CO2 hydrogenation with H adsorbed on the surface and with H absorbed in the subsurface is investigated systematically, and the respective microscopic reaction mechanisms are elucidated. We show that on Ni(111) CO2 hydrogenation to formate intermediate is more favorable than to carboxyl intermediate. The hydrogenation to formate goes through the unidentate structure that rapidly transforms into the bidentate structure. Further hydrogenation from formate to formic acid is energetically more difficult than formate formation. Formation of adsorbed formic acid from adsorbed CO2 and surface hydrogen is an endothermic reaction. Because subsurface H in Ni(111) is substantially less stable compared to surface H, its reaction with adsorbed CO2 to adsorbed formic acid is an exothermic one. Finally, our results may have significant implications for the synthesis of liquid fuels from CO2 and for catalytic hydrogenation reactions in general.
Treatment in Transition The Role of Mental Health Correctional Facilities

This article describes the struggles and difficulties of providing rehabilitation services in the transitional corrections environment. Larned Mental Health Correctional Facility, located in southwest central Kansas, is used as an example for outlining the difficulties faced by mental institutions devoted to offender treatment and processing while under correctional care. After 5 years in existence, the unit has discovered that symptoms and functional disabilities that make up long-term mental disorders pose a significant challenge to treatment and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation and treatment modalities can help reduce or compensate for social and occupational disabilities, but permanent improvements and successful transitions back to regular correctional institutions are frequently unpredictable.
Hypothalamic galanin: control by signals of fat metabolism

The peptide, galanin (GAL), is known to stimulate eating behavior, reduce energy expenditure and affect the release of metabolic hormones. Further, the activity of this peptide in the hypothalamus is modulated, in turn, by these hormones as well as by the ingestion of nutrients. The focus of this investigation is on signals related to nutrient metabolism that may also affect GAL production and, through these neurochemical events, control the ingestion of specific nutrients. Three experiments were performed in normal-weight male, Sprague-Dawley rats. In Experiment 1, the impact of food deprivation (24 and 48 h) was examined. Experiment 2 tested the effects of the compound, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG, 200 and 400 mg/kg), which blocks glucose utilization, whereas Experiment 3 studied mercaptoacetate (MA, 200 and 600 micromol/kg), which blocks fatty acid oxidation. Eating behavior was examined in some rats, whereas hypothalamic GAL activity was measured in others using radioimmunoassay, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Both food deprivation and MA (600 micromol/kg), but not 2-DG, affected GAL in the hypothalamus, in one specific area. This is the anterior parvocellular region of the paraventricular nucleus (aPVN), which has a dense concentration of GAL-containing neurons and terminals. GAL gene expression and peptide immunoreactivity in this area is enhanced by food deprivation; in contrast, it is reduced by injection of MA. Other hypothalamic sites with dense concentrations of GAL-containing neurons or fibers are unaffected by food deprivation or MA, and the antimetabolite 2-DG has no impact on GAL in any area. Behavioral measurements indicate that these shifts in GAL activity are accompanied by specific changes in eating behavior. Food deprivation which enhances aPVN GAL produces a marked increase in fat ingestion, whereas MA which reduces aPVN GAL causes a specific reduction in fat ingestion along with a stimulation of protein intake. In contrast, 2-DG preferentially enhances ingestion of carbohydrate. These findings suggest a possible relationship between GAL activity in the aPVN and the metabolic and behavioral processes of fat metabolism and ingestion.
Energy nonlinearity in radiation detection materials: Causes and consequences

The phenomenology and present theoretical understanding of energy nonlinearity (nonproportionality) in radiation detection materials is reviewed, with emphasis on gamma-ray spectroscopy. Scintillators display varying degrees and patterns of nonlinearity, while semiconductor detectors are extremely linear, and gas detectors show a characteristic form of nonproportionality associated with core levels. The relation between nonlinear response (to both primary particles and secondary electrons) and spectrometer resolution is also discussed. We review the qualitative ideas about the origin of nonlinearity in scintillators that have been proposed to date, with emphasis on transport and recombination of electronic excitations. Recent computational and experimental work on the basic physics of scintillators is leading towards a better understanding of energy nonlinearity and should result in new, more linear scintillator materials in the near future.
Fundamental Limits of Efficacy of Intercellular Communication by Diffusion

We investigate the fundamental aspects of cell-to-cell signaling by diffusing signaling compounds produced at nonuniform rates using an analytical model. Given a time-averaged secretion rate, we consider the effects of “pulsing” the secretion with different pulse interval lengths. The effective communication distance increases with decreasing pulse length, but this increase is theoretically limited to approximately twice the effective communication distance in the case of steady secretion. The time intervals in which signal transfer is permitted also decrease as pulse time decreases. These results illustrate important limiting cases in which the mode of the secretion of signaling compounds can have significant effects on cell-to-cell signaling.
Violence and well-being.

Violence is one of the most pressing and most intractable problems in the world today. In this article four papers originally commissioned and written as research papers for a collaborative study of mental and behavioral health in low-income countries are presented. The papers attend to some of the cultural and political forces that impact on the relationship between violence and personal and social well being. In particular it is more concerned with the psychological cultural and moral consequences of violence and with the ways in which societies and families respond to the damage caused by violent actions. Three of the papers are ethnographic in nature. They draw on local particulars to get at the relation between cultural forces acts of violence and questions of well being. The "Friends neighbors enemies strangers: aggressor and victim in civilian ethnic riots" by Stanley Tambiah questions the common notion that ethnic riots involve a collision of two bounded collectivities. Another one is the "Adolescents and violence in South Africa" by Mamphela Pamphele. In "Domestic violence and mental health" by Ruth Fischbach and Barbara Herbert a comprehensive review is provided concerning the pervasiveness of gender-based violence throughout the world. And lastly the "Gender domestic violence and sickness in Mexico" by Kaja Finkler comprehends the social dimensions of violence and medical or psychological problems. These papers underscore the fact that violence is not simply a medical social political or psychological issue; it is all of these things at once and intricately so.
Rating of Marketing Publications: Impact of Accreditation and Publication History

Abstract In this article, we examine the ratings by marketing department chairpersons of various publications in marketing. In addition to developing a journal ranking based upon these ratings, we examined the impact of the college's accreditation status and past publication history of the rater. Generally, the perceived value of various publications appears to be influenced by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) status of the institution. Additionally, the prior publication experience of individuals appears to influence their perception of the value of various publications. Implications for faculty promotion and tenure as well as other areas related to marketing education are discussed.
Oxidative dehydrogenation of butenes over magnesium ferrite kinetic and mechanistic studies

Abstract Deuterium and 14C-labeled isotopic tracers were used in kinetic experiments to study the oxidative dehydrogenation (OXD) of n-butenes to 1,3-butadiene over a MgFe2O4 catalyst in the temperature range 300–400 °C. The OXD reaction is approximately zero order in O2 when O2 is in excess, and it is near first order in butene when the partial pressure of the hydrocarbon is relatively low. OXD occurs even in the absence of gaseous O2 over an oxidized catalyst, but the reaction becomes quite slow when the surface is reduced. Use of [14C]butadiene confirmed that both butene and butadiene are directly oxidized to CO2 and water. Large kinetic isotope effects ( k h k d ~ 2 ) indicate that both OXD and n-butene isomerization involve CH cleavage in the rate-limiting step, but there is no H D scrambling in the product molecules when the butene reactant is an equimolar mixture of C4H8 and C4D8. Most of the observations can be accounted for by a modified Rennard-Massoth mechanism involving an oxidation-reduction cycle between Fe2+ and Fe3+ with C4H7, C4H6−, and OH species on the surface.
Identification of Failure Modes of Carbon-Carbon Composites at Various Processing Stages Using the Acoustic Emission Technique

In the fabrication ofcarbon-carbon (C/C) composites, the first carbonization process is crucial, as the mechanical properties of the composite are completely altered at this stage. Some predominant effects of this process, in the composite, are development of delaminations, fiber breaks, distributed porosity and formation of transverse cracks in the matrix. These effects are to some extent, beneficial, during latter processing of the composite. However, excessive occurrence of any of these effects is undesirable. Keeping this in view, the present study focuses on the utilization of acoustic emission (AE)(as a nondestructive evaluation (NDE)) technique for identification and characterization of failure modes of C/C composites at several processing stages of C/C composites. Primarily, acoustic emission (AE) has been used to study the failure modes of C/C composites at the as-cured, carbonized and densified stages using AE parameters such as the peak amplitude, event duration and energy content of the AE signals. These parameters have been related to the initiation and progression of matrix cracking, fiber breakage and delaminations which occur in the composite at the as-cured, carbonized and densified stages.
Reconstitution of the Enzymatic Activities of Cytochrome P450s Using Recombinant Flavocytochromes Containing Rat Cytochrome b5 Fused to NADPH–Cytochrome P450 Reductase with Various Membrane-Binding Segments

The role of the hydrophobic membrane-binding segments of NADPH–cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) and cytochrome b5 remain undefined. We have expressed four different recombinant flavocytochromes containing b5 linked to CPR with different hydrophobic segments as linkers. These fusion proteins have been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified and some of their physical properties and electron transfer activities described in the accompanying paper. Of interest is the presence of internal “membrane-binding” hydrophobic segments in these flavocytochromes. This paper describes the ability of these flavocytochromes to reconstitute in vitro two P450 activities that have been reported to be stimulated by the addition of b5 (the 17,20-lyase activity of CYP17A and the 6β hydroxylation of testosterone catalyzed by CYP3A4) and two P450 reactions that do not respond to the presence of b5 (the 17α-hydroxylation of progesterone catalyzed by CYP17A and the omega hydroxylation of lauric acid catalyzed by CYP4A1). The present study shows that a hydrophobic “membrane-binding” segment must be present in the artificial flavocytochromes in order to successfully reconstitute in vitro hydroxylation activities with P450s. Differences in the effectiveness of the different flavocytochromes to reconstitute enzymatic activities depends on the P450 tested and the nature of the hydrophobic linker segment present in the purified recombinant flavocytochromes. The hypothesis is proposed that differences in the surface topology of a P450 may dictate differences in their docking with the CPR or b5 component of a fusion protein, resulting in differences in the rates of electron transfer to the P450.
Media Policy Goes to Main Street: The Uprising of 2003

In this article, I chronicle the uprising of 2003, when media policy absolutely exploded into the public consciousness as millions of Americans registered their opposition to the relaxation of long-standing media ownership rules. I concentrate on the first half of 2003, when the popular movement moved from the margins to the mainstream and put media reform activism in the public eye for the first time in generations. In some ways this event also provides a textbook case of corrupt policy making as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) majority, following standard operating procedure for that less-than-august body, acted reprehensibly in view of the public feedback it received. The Republican leadership in Congress was no better. I will emphasize the activities and arguments of FCC members Michael Powell and Michael Copps because they came to lead the respective sides and became the leading public faces of the media ownership debate. Important organizing work took place in previous years—centered aro...
Properties and phenomena relevant to CH4‐CO2 replacement in hydrate‐bearing sediments

[1] The injection of carbon dioxide, CO2, into methane hydrate-bearing sediments causes the release of methane, CH4, and the formation of carbon dioxide hydrate, even if global pressure-temperature conditions remain within the CH4 hydrate stability field. This phenomenon, known as CH4-CO2 exchange or CH4-CO2 replacement, creates a unique opportunity to recover an energy resource, methane, while entrapping a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Multiple coexisting processes are involved during CH4-CO2 replacement, including heat liberation, mass transport, volume change, and gas production among others. Therefore, the comprehensive analysis of CH4-CO2 related phenomena involves physico-chemical parameters such as diffusivities, mutual solubilities, thermal properties, and pressure- and temperature-dependent phase conditions. We combine new experimental results with published studies to generate a data set we use to evaluate reaction rates, to analyze underlying phenomena, to explore the pressure-temperature region for optimal exchange, and to anticipate potential geomechanical implications for CH4-CO2 replacement in hydrate-bearing sediments.
Periodic disease associated with muscle destruction

Abstract This report presents a clinical and metabolic investigation of a man who had periodic attacks of illness characterized by generalized muscle aching and weakness. In intervals between episodes of illness he had excellent health and normal motor function.
The Problem with Community in Planning

As an element of planning practice, the notion of “ community” is not well thought out. The quest for community in the realm of planning praxis provokes an age-old debate, which, given the current ...
Treating Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome

A treatment approach for odontogenic keratocysts characteristic of nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome is described. More than 100 anomalies are associated with this syndrome. In this case, a cyst removed from a 15-year-old male was diagnosed as an odontogenic keratocyst. The long history of this syndrome with its associated problems is described.
Dislocation multi-junctions and strain hardening

At the microscopic scale, the strength of a crystal derives from the motion, multiplication and interaction of distinctive line defects--dislocations. First theorized in 1934 to explain low magnitudes of crystal strength observed experimentally, the existence of dislocations was confirmed only two decades later. Much of the research in dislocation physics has since focused on dislocation interactions and their role in strain hardening: a common phenomenon in which continued deformation increases a crystal's strength. The existing theory relates strain hardening to pair-wise dislocation reactions in which two intersecting dislocations form junctions tying dislocations together. Here we report that interactions among three dislocations result in the formation of unusual elements of dislocation network topology, termed hereafter multi-junctions. The existence of multi-junctions is first predicted by Dislocation Dynamics (DD) and atomistic simulations and then confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments in single crystal molybdenum. In large-scale Dislocation Dynamics simulations, multi-junctions present very strong, nearly indestructible, obstacles to dislocation motion and furnish new sources for dislocation multiplication thereby playing an essential role in the evolution of dislocation microstructure and strength of deforming crystals. Simulation analyses conclude that multi-junctions are responsible for the strong orientation dependence of strain hardening in BCC crystals.
Peer Consonance Age Matters in Story Selection and Presentation Among Television News Producers

This study’s author surveyed news producers about their desire to attract young television viewers to local news. Producers of local late evening “shared” newscasts were asked how much they valued viewers of different ages. Not one producer cited viewers older than 50 as their most important audience, despite their role as the most loyal news viewers. There were clear correlations between the age and experience of producers and their motivation to attract young viewers. Producers crafted newscasts for people like themselves, establishing peer consonance as a fertile area to explore within gatekeeping.
On stably decomposing products of classifying spaces

John Martino1, Stewart Priddy2, Jason Douma3 1 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA (e-mail: martino@math-stat.wmich.edu) 2 Department of Mathematics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA (e-mail: priddy@math.nwu.edu) 3 Department of Mathematics, University of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, USA (e-mail: Jason.Douma@thecoo.edu)
The Fukushima radiological emergency and challenges identified for future public health responses.

On 11 March 2011, northern Japan was rocked by first a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the eastern coast and then an ensuing tsunami. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex was hit by these twin disasters, and a cascade of events was initiated that led to radionuclide releases causing widespread radioactive contamination of residential areas, agricultural land, and coastal waters. Radioactive material from Japan was subsequently transmitted to locations around the globe, including the U.S. The levels of radioactive material that arrived in the U.S. were never large enough to be a concern for health effects, but the presence of this material in the environment was enough to create a public health emergency in the U.S. The radiation safety and public health communities in the U.S. are identifying challenges they faced in responding to this incident. This paper discusses three of those challenges: (1) The growing shortage of trained radiation subject matter experts in the field of environmental transport and dosimetry of radionuclides; (2) the need to begin expressing all radiation-related quantities in terms of the International System of Units; and (3) the need to define when a radiation dose is or is not one of “public health concern.” This list represents only a small subset of the list of challenges being identified by public health agencies that responded to the Fukushima incident. However, these three challenges are fundamental to any radiological emergency response. Addressing them will have a significant positive impact on how the U.S. responds to the next radiological emergency.
Correlations between Palmitate Content and Agronomic Traits in Soybean Populations Segregating for the fap1, fapnc, and fan Alleles

Palmitate is the predominant saturated fatty acid in soybean oil. Major fap alleles that reduce palmitate content in seed oil also reduce seed yield. Breeders are interested in estimating the genotypic correlation between palmitate content and agronomic traits to predict unfavorable correlated responses to selection. The main objective of this study was to estimate the genotypic and phenotypic correlations between palmitate and linolenate contents and other traits in three populations segregating for the fap nc , fap1, and fan alleles and modifier genes. The populations derived from crosses of high-yielding lines and improved low-palmitate and low-linolenate lines were grown in replicated trials in three environments. Significant positive genetic correlations between palmitate and yield and between palmitate and plant height were observed in all three populations. Linolenate content was genetically positively correlated with lodging in two populations and negatively correlated with oil content in three populations. Our results support the observation that the major fap nc or fap1 or both alleles reduced plant height and had a major negative effect on yield. These effects could be due to pleiotropy or linkage with unfavorable yield or height genes. The relative importance of pleiotropy and linkage has very different implications for oil quality breeding.
Pdf Modeling of Turbulent Nonpremixed Methane Jet Flames

Abstract Anexpanded model of turbulent nonpremixed combustion is herein presented. In the model, the scalar mixing and reactions are described by a probability density function (pdf) submodel capable or handling five scalars, while the turbulent velocity field is described by a second-order moment closure. Two plausible chemical reaction models are considered: a five-scalar, four-step, reduced reaction mechanism and a four-scalar constrainted equilibrium model. Detailed comparisons of model predictions with laser Raman experimental data provide a valuable evaluation of the model's ability in predicting nonequilibrium chemistry in turbulent nonpremixed flames. Overall, the model fails to predict greater departure from chemical equilibrium as mixing rates are increased. Interestingly, this failure is not due to the chemical model, both of which perform satisfactorily. Instead, the failure to predict greater departure from chemical equilibrium is a subtle artifact of the current Monte Carlo simulation of tur...
Optic Neuritis in Different Strains of Mice by a Recombinant HSV-1 Expressing Murine Interleukin-2

PURPOSE The authors have shown previously that a recombinant HSV-1 that constitutively expresses two copies of murine IL-2 (HSV-IL-2) induces demyelination by activated CD8(+) T cells in the brain and spinal cord of ocularly infected female BALB/c mice. The present study was conducted to determine whether the ocular infection with this recombinant virus induces optic neuritis independent of virus dose, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) background, or sex. METHODS Female BALB/c, C57BL/6, SJL/6, and 129SVE mice and male BALB/c mice were ocularly infected with different doses of recombinant HSV-IL-2 virus. Demyelination of optic nerves in infected mice was monitored histologically using Luxol fast blue staining and by measurement of visual-evoked cortical potentials (VECPs). RESULTS Both focal and diffuse regions of demyelination of the optic nerves were observed in the HSV-IL-2-infected mice as early as day 10 after infection and as late as day 60 after infection (the final experimental time point) in all strains of mice tested. Optic nerve demyelination was not observed in control mice ocularly infected with HSV-IL-4 or wild-type HSV-1. VECP responses were delayed significantly in the HSV-IL-2-infected mice compared with mice infected with control viruses. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate for the first time that a combination of viral infection and constitutive expression of IL-2, but not IFN-gamma or IL-4, can result in demyelination and visual impairment in the optic nerves of ocularly infected mice.
A DFT-Based Study of the Low-Energy Electronic Structures and Properties of Small Gold Clusters

Gold clusters Aun of size n = 2–12 atoms were studied by the density-functional theory with an ab-initio pseudopotential and a generalized gradient approximation. Geometry optimizations starting from a number of initial candidate geometries were performed for each cluster size, so as to determine a number of possible low-energy isomers for each size. Along with the lowest-energy structures, metastable structures were obtained for many cluster sizes. Interestingly, a metastable planar zigzag arrangement of Au atoms was obtained for every cluster size n ≥ 5. The stable electronic structure, binding energy, relative stability and HOMO–LUMO gap for the lowest-energy isomer were calculated for each cluster size. Variation of the electronic properties with size is investigated in this paper and compared with experimental results and other calculations.
Abba J. Kastin, the Zeitgeist, and the inception of Peptides

It is wonderful to be able to record the establishment and growth of a professional journal after thirty-five years, and to celebrate the splendid career of Abba J. Kastin as an editor as well as a scientist and educator. Abba is also an enriched human being who is both sophisticated and simple, and we are proud to be life-long friends of his. This Festschrift reviews how we (the Olsons) started our careers as neuropsychologists, our interactions with Abba, reflection of the job as neuroscientists, and discussion of the growth and future of Peptides with the new publishing fads.
The periodic synthesis of thymidine kinase in mouse fibroblasts.

Abstract A step-wise increase in thymidine kinase activity (ATP: thymidine 5′-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.21) occurred in cultured mouse fibroblasts partially synchronized with 5-fluorodeoxyuridine or a high concentration of thymidine. This increase in activity is probably not due to stabilization or decreased inhibition of the enzyme, but to periodic enzyme synthesis, which can be prevented by puromycin or actinomycin D. Kinase synthesis is probably not stimulated by induction or derepression, and may reflect the constitutive synthesis of messenger RNA for this enzyme immediately before DNA replication.
Carcinoma of the vocal cord. Results of treatment and time‐dose relationships

A retrospective analysis has been done of 173 patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the vocal cord treated with radiation therapy at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center between January 1970 and December )974. one hundred fifty-eight patients (91.3%) were early (T1, T2) glottic lesion and 10 were advanced (T3, T4) lesion. Five (2.9%) were presented with positive cervical lymph nodes initially. Of 158 patients who had T1, T2N0M0 glottic tumor, 146 had definitive radiation therapy and 12 had preoperative radiation therapy. An analysis of frequency of local recurrence versus total dose (NSD) has been done for 146 patients and a dose response curve has been generated. Local failure rates were 22.2% for 1,800 +/- 50 rets, 11.1% for 1,900 +/- 50 rets, and 3.2% for 2,000 +/- 50 rets. For the early glottic cancer, local control rates were increased with increasing total dose without significant complications. In patients with advanced primary tumors, a greater number of the patients were treated with preoperative radiation therapy and this group had slightly better results.
Endometrioid Ovarian Carcinoma in a Premenarchal Girl: Report of a Case☆

In children and adolescents, ovarian neoplasmas are predominantly germ cell and sex cord stromal tumors. Carcinomas are quite rare, and, in particular, endometrioid adenocarcinomas are extremely rare in this age group. We report the case of a 13-year-old girl with FIGO stage I, grade I endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the ovary. To our knowledge this is the first report of an endometrioid carcinoma of the ovary occuring in the premenarchal age group and only the second case reported before age 15. Our patient has been treated by conservative surgery without postoperative chemotherapy. Menarche occured 3 months after surgery. Twelve months after surgery she is free of disease.
Increasing the efficiency of instruction for a person with severe disabilities: The applicability of Fitts' law in predicting response time

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the applicability of Fitts' law in predicting the response duration of instruction-specific head movements for a person with severe multiple disabilities. Fitts' law is a motoric algorithm that calculates an index of difficulty (ID) for responses in relation to the variables of stimulus width and stimulus amplitude. Four functional tasks from the learner's current continuing education plans were targeted: photocopying, using a paint well, model painting, and communication symbol sequencing. For each of the four tasks, two sets of indices were calculated by (1) holding constant stimulus width while varying amplitude, and (2) holding constant stimulus amplitude while varying width. Results showed that response duration varied as a function of ID variation.
Characterization of imaging performance in differential phase contrast CT compared with the conventional CT--noise power spectrum NPS(k).

Purpose: The differential phase contrast CT is emerging as a new technology to improve the contrast sensitivity of the conventional CT. Via system analysis, modeling, and computer simulation, the authors study the noise power spectrum (NPS)—an imaging performance indicator—of the differential phase contrast CT and compare it with that of the conventional CT. Methods: The differential phase contrast CT is implemented with x-ray tube and gratings. The x-ray propagation and data acquisition are modeled and simulated with Fourier analysis and Fresnel analysis. To avoid any interference caused by scatter and beam hardening, a monochromatic x-ray source (30 keV) is assumed, which irradiates the object to be imaged by 360° so that no weighting scheme is needed. A 20-fold up-sampling is assumed to simulate x-ray beam’s propagation through the gratings G1 and G2 with periods 8 and 4 μm, respectively, while the intergrating distance is 193.6 mm (1∕16 of the Tabolt distance). The dimension of the detector cell for data acquisition ranges from 32 × 32 to 128 × 128 μm2, while the field of view in data acquisition is 40.96 × 40.96 mm2. A uniform water phantom with a diameter 37.68 mm is employed to study the NPS, with its complex refraction coefficient n = 1 − δ + iβ = 1 − 2.5604 × 10−7 + i1.2353 × 10−10. The x-ray flux ranges from 106 to 108 photon∕cm2·projection and observes the Poisson distribution, which is consistent with that of micro-CT in preclinical applications. The image matrix of reconstructed water phantom is 1280 × 1280, and a total of 180 regions at 128 × 128 matrix are used for NPS calculation via 2D Fourier Transform in which adequate zero padding is applied to avoid aliasing. Results: The preliminary data show that the differential phase contrast CT manifests its NPS with a 1∕|k| trait, while the distribution of the conventional CTs NPS observes |k|. This accounts for the significant difference in their noise granularity and the differential phase contrast CTs substantial advantage in noise over the conventional CT, particularly, in the situations where the detector cell size for data acquisition is smaller than 100 μm. Conclusions: The differential phase contrast CT detects the projection of refractive coefficient’s derivative and uses the Hilbert filter for image reconstruction, which leads to the radical difference in its NPS and the advantage in noise in comparison to that of the conventional CT.
Replacement costs: the inefficiencies of sampling with replacement

is R* = 16 cm. TABLE 1 gives the value of p for selected values of n. Surprisingly enough, we observe that even when n is equal to 2, which means that the cake is cut into four equal parts, the probability that the knife hits the coin is very high (close to 30%). As expected, p is increasing as n increases and for n = 23, p is just below 1. For n > 24, the probability of an intersection is clearly 1 since for those values it holds true that R sin(n/2n) < Rc.
Permanental Partition Models and Markovian Gibbs Structures

We study both time-invariant and time-varying Gibbs distributions for configurations of particles into disjoint clusters. Specifically, we introduce and give some fundamental properties for a class of partition models, called permanental partition models, whose distributions are expressed in terms of the α-permanent of a similarity matrix parameter. We show that, in the time-invariant case, the permanental partition model is a refinement of the celebrated Pitman–Ewens distribution; whereas, in the time-varying case, the permanental model refines the Ewens cut-and-paste Markov chains (J. Appl. Probab. 43(3):778–791, 2011). By a special property of the α-permanent, the partition function can be computed exactly, allowing us to make several precise statements about this general model, including a characterization of exchangeable and consistent permanental models.
Speech and text-image processing in documents

Two themes have evolved in speech and text image processing work at Xerox PARC that expand and redefine the role of recognition technology in document-oriented applications. One is the development of systems that provide functionality similar to that of text processors but operate directly on audio and scanned image data. A second, related theme is the use of speech and text-image recognition to retrieve arbitrary, user-specified information from documents with signal content. This paper discusses three research initiatives at PARC that exemplify these themes: a text-image editor[1], a wordspotter for voice editing and indexing[12], and a decoding framework for scanned-document content retrieval[4]. The discussion focuses on key concepts embodied in the research that enable novel signal-based document processing functionality.
Alteration of cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate action on adenosine 5'-triphosphate induced muscular contraction by a serum enzyme.

Les effets d'une enzyme du serum humain sur la contractilite de la fibre musculaire glycerinee, et sur la superprecipitation de l'actomyosine sont demontres. Les effets produits sur l'inhibition par excess du substrat et sur l'inhibition par l'adenosine 3′, 5′-monophosphate cyclique des deux parameters, suggerent que l'enzyme du serum est un facteur qui controle la contraction musculaire.
Chronic rhizopus invasive fungal rhinosinusitis in an immunocompetent host

Hypothesis: Rhizopus species may cause chronic invasive fungal rhinosinusitis in an immunocompetent host. Study Design: Individual case report. Methods: Review of inpatient and outpatient records, radiographic studies, pathologic examination, and microbiology of the presented case. Review of the literature. Results: Rhizopus species may be the cause of chronic invasive fungal rhinosinusitis in an immunocompetent host and result in intracranial extension.
Vanadium(II)- and vanadium(III)-formamidinato compounds. Synthesis and molecular structure of V(form)2(NC5H5)2 and V(η5-C5H5)(form)2 [form=N,N′-di-p-tolylformamidine]

VCl2py4 and Li+form− in toluene afford V(form)2py2 (1) in 63% isolated yields. VCp(form)2 (2) can be prepared in 60% yields from the thermal reaction between VCp2 and Hform: Crystal data. Compound 1: triclinic, space group Pa=9.549(3), b=12.366(3), c=16.194(3) A, α=108.77(2), β=90.94(2), γ=94.83(2)°, V=1802(2) A3, Z=2, Dc=1.208 g cm−3, R=0.050 (Rw=0.062) for 441 parameters and 3051 data with Fo2 > 3σ(Fo2). Compound 2: triclinic, space group P, a=13.135(1), b=15.452(3), c=8.064(1) A, α=103.41(1), β=102.92(1), γ=103.55(1)°, V=1479(1) A3, Z=2, Dc=1.263 g cm−3, R=0.058 (Rw=0.078) for 327 parameters and 2319 data having Fo2 > 3σ(Fo2).