cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The blast wave generated by spherical flames

A systematic numerical study of the structure of blast waves produced by constant-velocity and accelerating flames (H/sub 2/, CH/sub 4/, C/sub 2/H/sub 2/, C/sub 2/H/sub 4/, C/sub 2/H/sub 4/O, and C/sub 3/H/sub 8/) propagating away from the center of a spherical source region was conducted. A simple heat-addition working-fluid model appears to model quite adequately the reactive Hugoniot for ordinary hydrocarbon-air combustion processes. Calculations performed for a number of different types of acceleration behaviors show that the maximum overpressure generated by such flames is no higher than that generated by a constant-velocity flame that travels through the entire source region at the maximum velocity reached when the acceleration process ceases. Four fundamental and important conclusions are reached: (1) constant-velocity flames traveling in open spherical geometries must travel at exceedingly high effective burning velocities (about 50 times that of most hydrocarbons) before damaging blast waves can be generated by the flame; (2) acceleration processes as such cannot generate damaging blast waves; (3) positive impulse is unaffected by the details of the flame behavior; the positive impulse generated by any blast-wave source appears relatively insensitive to the nature of the source and, (4) for low-velocity flame propagation (in the range where ordinarymore » flame propagation is expected to occur even when some augmentation arises) the character of the blast wave produced by the flame is markedly different from that produced by a high-energy-density source, such as the detonation of a high explosive charge. This means that any object in the field of the blast wave will experience impulsive loads well before the maximum overpressure is experienced and that the duration of the impulsive loads will be considerably longer than they would be for an equivalent high-energy-density source.« less
Cavity Formation and Dipolar Contribution to the Gauche−Trans Isomerization of 1-Chloropropane and 1,2-Dichloroethane

The effects of pressure and temperature on the gauche−trans conformational equilibrium of 1-chloropropane and 1,2-dichloroethane dissolved in diethyl ether (ethoxyethane) are measured using Raman spectroscopy and analyzed using thermodynamic perturbation theory. The effects of solvation on the isomerization equilibrium, monitored using the C−Cl stretch band intensities of the two conformers, are interpreted as a sum of intermolecular attractive and repulsive solute−solvent interactions. A perturbative analysis of the isomerization enthalpy, ΔH, and volume, ΔV, is used to extract repulsive cavity formation and attractive mean field solvation contributions to the conformational equilibrium. Comparison of the thermodynamics of the two solutes with each other, and with previous gas phase and solution results, are used to confirm the self-consistency of the perturbative modeling strategy and to quantify dipolar contributions to the gauche−trans isomerization process.
Residual metabolism of the hypothermic-arrested pig heart.

Abstract Fourteen Yorkshire pigs were anesthetized and placed on cardiopulmonary bypass. The hearts were cooled to 15°C and arrested with periodic injections of 50 ml of a cold ( T = 4°C) crystalloid cardioplegic solution containing 35 meq/liter K + for 2 hr. The hearts were then reperfused with warm oxygenated blood for 1 hr. A needle pH electrode (MI-408C, Microelectrodes, Inc., Londonderry, N. H.) was placed into the myocardium and measurements of tissue pH were taken during arrest and reperfusion. Tissue samples were taken during arrest and reperfusion and analyzed for their content of ATP, ADP, AMP, CP, and lactic acid. Blood samples were taken during reperfusion for measurement of CPK. Tissue concentrations of ATP and CP fell during arrest from 4.10 and 6.54 to 3.40 and 1.45 m M respectively. The concentrations of H + and of lactic acid rose during arrest from 2.8 × 10 −8 M and 10.48 m M to 27.5 × 10 −8 M and 18.95 m M , respectively. During reperfusion ATP continued to fall to 2.95 m M while blood CPK rose from 50.81 to 159.49 IU/L. The rise of H + during hypothermic arrest indicates the presence of residual metabolism which may have irreversibly changed the enzyme system for regulating the concentration of tissue ATP. Evidence for this conclusion is given by the escape of CPK into blood during reperfusion.
Chiral liquid chromatography resolution and stereoselective pharmacokinetic study of the enantiomers of a novel anticonvulsant, N-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(4-pyridyl)ethylamine, in rats.

Abstract A selective chiral high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed and validated to separate and quantify the enantiomers of a novel anticonvulsant agent, N -(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(4-pyridyl)ethylamine (AAP-Cl), in rat plasma. After extraction of the plasma samples with ethyl acetate, the separation was accomplished by an HPLC system consisting of a Chirex chiral column ( 250 mm ×4.6 mm i.d.) and a mobile phase of hexane:ethanol:tetrahydrofuran (280:20:40 (v/v)) containing trifluroacetic acid (0.3% (v/v)) and triethylamine (0.018% (v/v)) at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min with UV detection. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given (+)-AAP-Cl (10 and 20 mg/kg), (−)-AAP-Cl (10 mg/kg) or the racemic mixture (20 mg/kg) by i.v. bolus injection and serial blood samples were collected at different times after drug administration. (+)-AAP-Cl and (−)-AAP-Cl were separated with a resolution factor, R s , of at least 1.4, and a separation factor, α , greater than 1.09. Linear calibration curves were obtained over the concentration range of 0.5–30 μg/ml in plasma for both (+)-AAP-Cl and (−)-AAP-Cl ( R 2 ≥0.996) with a limit of quantitation of 100 ng/ml and the recovery was greater than 80% for both enantiomers. The accuracy and precision for both enantiomers ranged from 96 to 102% (±0.2–7%) at upper and lower concentrations. The plasma concentration–time profiles of the enantiomers of AAP-Cl were best described by a two-compartment open model with a mean terminal half-life of about 5 h, volume of distribution at steady state of 3 l/kg and clearance of about 0.6 l/(h kg) in rats. There was no significant difference between the pharmacokinetic parameters of (+)-AAP-Cl and (−)-AAP-Cl, suggesting that the disposition of AAP-Cl in rats is not enantioselective. In addition, no chiral inversion of (+)-AAP-Cl to (−)-AAP-Cl or vice versa was observed. The results of this investigation have shed some light on the mechanism of action and disposition of AAP-Cl in rats.
Corrosion of resin-bonded orthodontic brackets

The objective was to identify the nature and origin of indelible black and green stains found in enamel after the removal of bonded orthodontic brackets. Several brackets were examined by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Irrespective of the type of bracket or resin, morphologic evidence of corrosion activity was found. Brackets were pitted, and in some cases large amounts of metal were missing. Cracks were found in the resin which led to sites of destruction in which structures resembling microorganisms were also found. X-ray analysis showed the presence of chromium, nickel, iron, and chlorine in significant amounts in the bonding, discolored resin. It was concluded that the cracks were favoring crevice corrosion. In the presence of organisms and a lowered pH, together with a chloride environment and an oxygen gradient, conditions conducive to corrosion are established.
DNA index by flow cytometric analysis : An additional prognostic factor in advanced ovarian carcinoma without residual disease after primary operation

Patients with no macroscopic residual disease after primary cytoreductive operation are considered to have the most favorable prognosis among subjects with advanced ovarian carcinoma. Nevertheless, approximately half of these patients eventually die of recurrent disease. The identification of more cogent prognostic factors within this subcategory of patients might allow for improved design of postoperative adjuvant treatment. The prognostic significance of several clinical and pathologic factors, including DNA content, was evaluated in 27 patients afforded complete cytoreduction at primary operation who were participants in prospective clinical trials of adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian carcinoma. After a median follow-up of 120 months, 14 patients were alive without evidence of disease and 13 had died of progressive disease. DNA index provided statistically significant prognostic information on the outcome (P = 0.02). Eleven of the 16 patients with a DNA index more than 1.3 died of tumor (8-year survival, 35%), whereas only 2 of the 11 with a DNA index less than 1.3 died (8-year survival, 79%). In addition, menopausal status was of borderline significance for predicting survival (P = 0.04). The prognostic impact of the DNA index became progressively more evident with longer follow-up. Confirmation of this observation in larger sample populations may provide useful information for designing future clinical trials for this prognostically favorable subset of patients who have optimal reduction with advanced ovarian epithelial carcinoma.
Peptide transport activity of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) is inhibited by an early protein of equine herpesvirus-1

Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) downregulates surface expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules on infected cells. The objective of this study was to investigate whether EHV-1 interferes with peptide translocation by the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) and to identify the proteins responsible. Using an in vitro transport assay, we showed that EHV-1 inhibited transport of peptides by TAP as early as 2 h post-infection (p.i). Complete shutdown of peptide transport was observed by 8 h p.i. Furthermore, pulse-chase experiments revealed that maturation of class I molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) was delayed in EHV-1-infected cells, which may be due to reduced availability of peptides in the ER as a result of TAP inhibition. Metabolic inhibition studies indicated that an early protein(s) of EHV-1 is responsible for this effect.
Two-Photon Imaging for the Non-Invasive Assessment of Electric Field Effects on Osteogenic Stem Cell Differentiation

We present the use of two-photon excited fluorescence and second harmonic generation, to monitor electric field effects on osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells in terms of cellular morphology, biochemical composition and collagen deposition.
Zinc Is Required for Assembly and Function of the Anti-trp RNA-binding Attenuation Protein, AT

The anti-TRAP protein (AT) ofBacillus subtilis regulates expression of thetrp operon and other genes concerned with tryptophan metabolism. AT acts by inhibiting the tryptophan-activatedtrp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP). AT is an oligomer of identical 53-residue polypeptides; it is produced in response to the accumulation of uncharged tRNATrp. Each AT polypeptide has two cysteine-rich clusters that correspond to the signature motif of the cysteine-rich zinc-binding domain of the chaperone protein DnaJ. Here we characterize the putative zinc-binding domain of AT and establish the importance of zinc for AT assembly and activity. AT is shown to contain Zn(II) at a ratio of one ion per monomer. Bound zinc is necessary for maintenance of the quaternary structure of AT; the removal of zinc converts the AT complex into inactive monomers. All four cysteine residues in the AT polypeptide are involved in Zn(II) coordination. Chemical cross-linking analyses indicate that the AT functional oligomer is a hexamer composed of two trimers. Substituting alanine for any cysteine residue of AT results in rapid degradation of the mutant proteinin vivo. We propose a model for the AT trimer in which three AT chains are held together by three zinc atoms, each coordinated by the N-terminal segment and the C-terminal segment of separate AT polypeptides.
Public Opinion of Teen, Classroom, and Formal Court Styles

The present research examined the views of a community sample regarding teen court, classroom court, and formal/traditional court. Participants read vignettes of teen offenders who had committed crimes of high or low severity and were given relatively severe or mild sentences through one of the three courts. Results revealed stronger support for teen court than the other courts, a general preference for harsh sentences, and a preference for match between crime and punishment. The results of this study indicate that teen courts are seen as providing an appropriate means to sentence juvenile offenders and are likely to receive public support for their continued operation.
Peripheral nerve glycoproteins and myelin fine structure during development of rat sciatic nerve

Developmental changes in relative amounts of peripheral nerve proteins and glycoproteins have been correlated with the degree of morphological myelination at various ages during the first 25 postnatal days in rat sciatic nerve. At birth there is virtually no major myelin glycoprotein (P0), but there is a protein which migrates to the same point on sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) polyacrylamide gels as the small myelin basic protein (P2). During the time myelin is being formed in the nerve, the P0 protein increases and the P2 protein appears to decrease in relative amount in the nerve. The accumulation of P0 protein in the nerve correlates extremely well with the degree of myelination in sciatic nerve.
Implicit Attitude Measures: Consistency, Stability, and Convergent Validity

In recent years, several techniques have been developed to measure implicit social cognition. Despite their increased use, little attention has been devoted to their reliability and validity. This article undertakes a direct assessment of the interitem consistency, stability, and convergent validity of some implicit attitude measures. Attitudes toward blacks and whites were measured on four separate occasions, each 2 weeks apart, using three relatively implicit measures (response-window evaluative priming, the Implicit Association Test, and the response-window Implicit Association Test) and one explicit measure (Modern Racism Scale). After correcting for interitem inconsistency with latent variable analyses, we found that (a) stability indices improved and (b) implicit measures were substantially correlated with each other, forming a single latent factor. The psychometric properties of response-latency implicit measures have greater integrity than recently suggested.
Isolation and characterization of rapidly self-renewing stem cells from cultures of human marrow stromal cells.

Background The adult stem cells from BM, known as non-hematopoietic mesenchymal stem cells, or marrow stromal cells (MSCs), readily generate single-cell-derived colonies, but the cultures are known to contain cells with at least two different morphologies and different properties of differentiation. Recently, we tried to identify the earliest progenitors in the cultures.
A Multidimensional Exploration of the Foundations of Community Attachment among Seasonal and Year-Round Residents†

Utah is a popular second-home destination because of its unique landscapes offering numerous natural amenities. This research utilized data from a mail survey of residents in six Utah counties and had two objectives: (1) to test a multidimensional conceptualization of community attachment and (2) to determine if the foundations of community attachment, based on those conceptual dimensions, are different for year-round and seasonal residents. The study utilized structural equation models, which allow the use of latent variables, to complete those objectives. Results revealed that a multidimensional conceptualization of community attachment is appropriate. The conceptual dimensions (social bonds, participation, and sentiments) used in this research all proved to be important elements of the higher order construct “community attachment” for both year-round and seasonal residents. For year-round residents, community attachment is best predicted by the social bonds dimension, while for seasonal residents the participation dimension is most important. However, all three of the dimensions of attachment used herein are important among both residence categories, indicating that future research on this topic would be best served by using a multidimensional conceptualization of community attachment.
Interim [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography imaging in stage I-II non-bulky Hodgkin lymphoma: would using combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography criteria better predict response than each test alone?

AbstractOur objective was to validate the International Harmonization Project (IHP) positron emission tomography (PET) response criteria and correlate with the Deauville criteria and diagnostic computed tomography-based (dCT) lesion size changes. All patients were recruited prospectively to the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 50203 trial for the treatment of stage I–II, non-bulky Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET and dCT were performed at baseline and after two doxorubicin, vinblastine and gemcitabine (AVG) cycles (PET-2, dCT-2) in 88 patients. IHP and Deauville criteria and percent decrease in the sum of the products of the perpendicular diameters (%SPPD) after two cycles were correlated with progression-free survival (PFS). After a median follow-up of 3.3 years, 23.9% of patients relapsed/progressed (3-year PFS 77%). By IHP, the 2-year PFS was 88% and 54% for PET-2 negative and positive groups, respectively (p = 0.0009). Similar results were obtained for Deauville criteria. In...
Contribution of Rapid Evolution of the luxR-luxI Intergenic Region to the Diverse Bioluminescence Outputs of Vibrio fischeri Strains Isolated from Different Environments

Vibrio fischeri serves as a valuable model of bacterial bioluminescence, its regulation, and its functional significance. Light output varies more than 10,000-fold in wild-type isolates from different environments, yet dim and bright strains have similar organization of the light-producing lux genes, with the activator-encoding luxR divergently transcribed from luxICDABEG. By comparing the genomes of bright strain MJ11 and the dimmer ES114, we found that the lux region has diverged more than most shared orthologs, including those flanking lux. Divergence was particularly high in the intergenic sequence between luxR and luxI. Analysis of the intergenic lux region from 18 V. fischeri strains revealed that, with one exception, sequence divergence essentially mirrored strain phylogeny but with relatively high substitution rates. The bases conserved among intergenic luxR-luxI sequences included binding sites for known regulators, such as LuxR and ArcA, and bases of unknown significance, including a striking palindromic repeat. By using this collection of diverse luxR-luxI regions, we found that expression of P(luxI)-lacZ but not P(luxR)-lacZ transcriptional reporters correlated with the luminescence output of the strains from which the promoters originated. We also found that exchange of a small stretch of the luxI-luxR intergenic region between two strains largely reversed their relative brightness. Our results show that the luxR-luxI intergenic region contributes significantly to the variable luminescence output among V. fischeri strains isolated from different environments, although other elements of strain backgrounds also contribute. Moreover, the lux system appears to have evolved relatively rapidly, suggesting unknown environment-specific selective pressures.
Relationship of eggshell ultrastructure and shell strength to the soundness of shell eggs.

Factors affecting the soundness of shell eggs are of primary concern to egg processors due to substantial financial losses from cracked and leaker eggs. Ultrastructural analyses were used to examine the palisade layer width and mammillary knob layer thickness of sound, cracked, and leaker eggshells. Subjective observations were also made. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the width of the palisade layer or the mammillary knob layer among sound, cracked, and leaker eggshells. The eggshell strengths of sound, cracked, and leaker eggs were evaluated using puncture force and shell thickness measurements. Sound eggshells were found to have a significantly (P 0.05). Regression and correlation analyses indicated a significant correlation (P 0.05). The correlation coefficient between puncture force and shell thickness was significant (P < 0.01; r = 0.56), indicating a possible relationship.
Sampling issues in least squares, Fourier analytic, and number theoretic methods in parameter estimation

Given, noisy data from a periodic point process that satisfies certain conditions, least squares procedures can be used to solve for maximum likelihood estimates of the period. Under more general conditions, Fourier analytic methods, e.g., Wiener's periodogram, can be used to solve for estimates which are approximately maximum likelihood. However, these methods break down when the data has increasing numbers of missing observations. Juxtaposed with these methods, number theoretic methods provide parameter estimations that, while not being maximum likelihood, can be used as initialization in an algorithm that achieves the Cramer-Rao bound for moderate noise levels. We describe the conditions under which the least squares procedures and Fourier analytic methods do not produce estimates close to maximum likelihood, and show that the number theoretic methods provide a reliable estimate in these cases. We also discuss the type of data for which the number theoretic methods fail to produce good estimates.
The Inpatient Behavioral Rating Scale: a 26-item scale for recording nursing observations of patients' mood and behavior

The Inpatient Behavioral Rating Scale is an inventory designed to record daily nursing observations of mood and behavior of patients in a clinical setting. It has 26 items characterizing a broad range of psychopathology and is suitable for use where change in mood and behavior is relevant to clinical investigation. The format is an optical scan sheet for ease of computer entry and analysis. In over a year of use on two clinical research wards, the scale has been found sensitive to behavioral change, reliable, and easy to use by the nursing staff.
Antipsychotic binding to the dopamine-3 receptor in humans: A PET study with [11C]-(+)-PHNO

Background All currently available antipsychotic medications bind to both the dopamine-2 (D2) and dopamine-3 (D3) receptors in vitro. However, there is conflicting evidence from in vivo studies about whether or not antipsychotic medications bind to the D3 receptor (D3R). The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute doses of risperidone bind to the D3R in humans.
Occupational Plans, Beliefs about Educational Requirements, and Patterns of College Entry:

In this article, a measure of students’ beliefs is constructed from three sources of information on 12,509 high school seniors from the Education Longitudinal Study (2002 to 2006). First, verbatim responses to questions on occupational plans, drawn from restricted-access data records, are coded into 1,220 categories to capture detailed information (specific job titles), extended information (the listing of multiple jobs), and contradictory information (the listing of multiple jobs with divergent characteristics). Second, the educational requirements of detailed jobs, as specified in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network database, are matched to all jobs that students list within their verbatim occupational plans. Third, student perceptions of the educational requirements of their planned jobs, which were revealed in response to a follow-up question posed immediately after they provided their verbatim occupational plans, are used to identify students with puzzling beliefs about th...
A fast maximum power extraction algorithm for wind energy systems

With the advancements in the variable speed direct drive design and control of wind energy systems, the efficiency and energy capture of these systems is also increasing. As such, many maximum power point tracking methods have been developed and implemented. These MPPT algorithms can be broadly categorized into three types: Tip-Speed control, Power-Signal feedback, and Hill climb search based. However, it is required to develop advanced controls that require minimum sensors and independent of turbine characteristics to extract maximum power from them. As such many hill climb search based algorithms have been proposed over the years but they are suitable for systems whose inertia is negligible. This paper proposes a modified algorithm that takes into account the system inertia and extracts maximum power faster than the earlier methods while requiring no knowledge of the system parameters. The paper presents the proposed maximum power point tracking algorithm along with simulation results.
An implantable CMOS circuit interface for multiplexed microelectrode recording arrays

A second-generation multichannel probe designed for measuring single-unit activity in neural structures is described. The probe includes CMOS circuitry for electronically positioning the recording sites with respect to the active neurons and for amplifying and multiplexing the recorded signals. The probe selects eight active recording sites from among 32 on the probe shank using a static input channel selector. The neural signals on the selected channels are then amplified and multiplexed to the outside world. The probe offers a typical AC gain of 300 (15 Hz to 7 kHz), a DC gain of 0.3, and an equivalent input noise of 15 mu V rms. Operating from a single 5-V supply, the probe dissipates 2.5 mW of power and implements channel selection, self-testing, data output, and initialization using three external leads. The probe is realized using 12 masks in a high-yield single-sided dissolved wafer process with a 3- mu m feature size for the circuitry and a 3- mu m pitch on the electrode shanks. >
Too Much of a Good Thing? Psychosocial Resources, Gendered Racism, and Suicidal Ideation among Low Socioeconomic Status African American Women

Very few studies have examined predictors of suicidal ideation among African American women. Consequently, we have a poor understanding of the combinations of culturally specific experiences and ps...
Optimization of range checking

An analysis is given for optimizing run-time range checks in regions of high execution frequency. These optimizations are accomplished using strength reduction, code motion and common subexpression elimination. Test programs, using the above optimizations, are used to illustrate run-time improvements.
State, civil society and natural resource rents: a theoretical outline

This paper aims to outline the influence of natural resource rents on the state and civil society in resource-rich nations. It discusses the virtues and deficiencies of the two main theoretical approaches to the problem, the 'state capacity approach' and the 'resource curse approach', and argues that both frameworks are useful and complementary, but insufficient to fully understand the phenomenon. They are useful and complementary because they focus on the central role of state capacity while identifying a connection with the presence of relatively-abundant natural resource rents. They are insufficient, however, because they fail to explore the causes and consequences of such connection, particularly those around the relationship between state capacity and developmental outcomes. Although only preliminary elements are provided, the paper concludes, focusing on the case of the oil economy, that non-developmental configurations of the state and civil society are contingent on the reproduction of elites in power and decisively shaped by the uncontrolled and volatile flow of natural-resource rents.
Rate-one space-frequency block codes with maximum diversity for MIMO-OFDM

We propose a novel rate-one (i.e., one symbol per transmission), space-frequency block code (SFBC) for an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system with transmit (M), and receive (N) antennas that achieves the maximum diversity attainable over frequency-selective channels. Moreover, the space-frequency (SF) code design is shown to be robust to overestimation of the (true) channel order L at the price of increasing decoding complexity. Further, even if the channel order is underestimated (K<L), diversity order of MNK is achieved with commensurately reduced decoding complexity; this allows a natural mechanism for trading diversity for decoding complexity as desired. In addition, since the SF code symbol is transmitted in one OFDM block duration, it has a smaller processing delay than comparable space-time-frequency block codes (STFBC).
GPS for real-time earthquake source determination and tsunami warning systems

We identify the key design aspects of a GPS-based system (and in the future, GNSS-based systems) that could contribute to real-time earthquake source determination and tsunami warning systems. Our approach is based on models of both transient and permanent displacement of GPS stations caused by large earthquakes, while considering the effect of GPS errors on inverted earthquake source parameters. Our main conclusions are that (1) the spatial pattern, magnitude, and timing of permanent displacement of GPS stations can be inverted for the earthquake source and so predict the 3D displacement field of the ocean bottom, thus providing the initial conditions for tsunami models, and (2) there are no inherently limiting factors arising from real-time orbit and positioning errors, provided sufficient near-field GPS stations are deployed. This signal could be readily exploited by GPS networks currently in place, and will be facilitated by the IGS Real-Time Project as it comes to fruition.
Probable macromolecular mechanisms of gene regulation by adenosine diphosphoribosyl transferase (ADPRT).

The basic macromolecular model of gene regulation consists of protein-DNA interactions (1), which may be sorted into at least two large groups: a.) positive and negative acting transcriptional factors, regulating DNA-transcription at any part of the transcriptional unit(s). The stability of complexes, consisting of regulatory proteins and specific transcription units may play a significant role in molecular memory, which constitutes a probable mechanism of cell commitment (2). The second, more complex role of DNA-binding proteins b.) is their participation in supramolecular structural regulation (protein-protein and protein-DNA binding as it occurs in coiled vs. uncoiled chromatin (3)). There appears to be a superimposed control function of b.) over a.) as coiled chromatin is assumed to be transcriptionally inactive, whereas localized relaxation (uncoiling of chromatin) brings into focus the regulatory forces operative in a.). It may be postulated that the cell physiological responses traceable to a.) and b.) are dependent on the molecular anatomy of a particular cell type.
Rarity in mass extinctions and the future of ecosystems

The fossil record provides striking case studies of biodiversity loss and global ecosystem upheaval. Because of this, many studies have sought to assess the magnitude of the current biodiversity crisis relative to past crises-a task greatly complicated by the need to extrapolate extinction rates. Here we challenge this approach by showing that the rarity of previously abundant taxa may be more important than extinction in the cascade of events leading to global changes in the biosphere. Mass rarity may provide the most robust measure of our current biodiversity crisis relative to those past, and new insights into the dynamics of mass extinction.
Breast cancer and sleep disturbance: more than simply a quality of life concern

As most practicing oncologists are well aware, problems with sleep are frequent among women with breast cancer. Insomnia affects approximately one quarter of the general adult population with women most commonly affected (1). Sleep problems are particularly prevalent in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women (2) and sleep patterns change with normal aging (3). Other factors associated with sleep disturbance include pain, anxiety and stressful life events - all of which are likely to be present in individuals newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
Direct Phenotypic Screening in Mice: Identification of Individual, Novel Antinociceptive Compounds from a Library of 734 821 Pyrrolidine Bis-piperazines

The hypothesis in the current study is that the simultaneous direct in vivo testing of thousands to millions of systematically arranged mixture-based libraries will facilitate the identification of enhanced individual compounds. Individual compounds identified from such libraries may have increased specificity and decreased side effects early in the discovery phase. Testing began by screening ten diverse scaffolds as single mixtures (ranging from 17 340 to 4 879 681 compounds) for analgesia directly in the mouse tail withdrawal model. The “all X” mixture representing the library TPI-1954 was found to produce significant antinociception and lacked respiratory depression and hyperlocomotor effects using the Comprehensive Laboratory Animal Monitoring System (CLAMS). The TPI-1954 library is a pyrrolidine bis-piperazine and totals 738 192 compounds. This library has 26 functionalities at the first three positions of diversity made up of 28 392 compounds each (26 × 26 × 42) and 42 functionalities at the fourth ...
Use of Item Response Theory to Examine a Cardiovascular Health Knowledge Measure for Adolescents with Elevated Blood Pressure

The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of a cardiovascular health knowledge measure for adolescents using item response theory. The measure was developed in the context of a cardiovascular lifestyle intervention for adolescents with elevated blood pressure. Sample consisted of 167 adolescents (mean age = 16.2 years) who completed the Cardiovascular Health Knowledge Assessment (CHKA), a 34-item multiple choice test, at baseline and post-intervention. The CHKA was unidimensional and internal consistency was .65 at pretest and .74 at posttest. Rasch analysis results indicated that at pretest the items targeted adolescents with variable levels of health knowledge. However, based on results at posttest, additional hard items are needed to account for the increase in level of cardiovascular health knowledge at post-intervention. Change in knowledge scores was examined using Rasch analysis. Findings indicated there was significant improvement in health knowledge over time [t(119) = -10.3, p< .0001]. In summary, the CHKA appears to contain items that are good approximations of the construct cardiovascular health knowledge and items that target adolescents with moderate levels of knowledge.
Relation of Plant Protein and Suitability of Cotton Foliage for Cigarette Beetle (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) Growth

Cigarette beetle (CB), Lasioderma serricorne (F.), was successfully reared on dried cotton leaves and squares. Dried cotton is reported as a new food. A linear decrease in CB numbers reared on foliage was related to decreasing foliar protein levels as the plant matured. A decreasing trend was observed in CB numbers reared from squares collected during the growing season. A relationship was found between amount of soy protein isolate and viability and number of adults reared on supplemented cotton foliage. Use of CB in cotton insect/plant interaction studies is discussed.
Transfemoral transcatheter valve-in-valve-in-valve replacement

From the Divisions of Cardiovascular Surgery and Cardiovascular Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. Disclosures: Authors have nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication Dec 16, 2015; revisions received Feb 11, 2016; accepted for publicationMarch 14, 2016; available ahead of print May 11, 2016. Address for reprints: Prashanth Vallabhajosyula, MD, MS, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St, 6 Silverstein, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (E-mail: prashant. vallabhajosyula@uphs.upenn.edu). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2016;152:622-3 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.03.047
Chemical Noise Produced by Equilibrium Adsorption/Desorption of Surface Pyridine at Au–Ag–Au Bimetallic Atom-Scale Junctions Studied by Fluctuation Spectroscopy

The chemical noise contained in conductance fluctuations resulting from adsorption and desorption of pyridine at Au–Ag–Au bimetallic atom-scale junctions (ASJs) exhibiting ballistic electron transp...
Systematics of the ectomycorrhizal genus Lactarius in the Rocky Mountain alpine zone

Lactarius (Russulales) is an important component of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in cold-dominated contiguous arctic and disjunct alpine habitats where it associates primarily with Betula, Dryas and Salix However, little is known of this genus in the central and southern Rocky Mountain alpine zone (3000-3900 m) of North America. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of nuc rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode) and the second largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II gene (RPB2) partial sequences in conjunction with detailed morphological examination confirm at least six species occurring above treeline. Most have intercontinental distributions in North America and Eurasia according to molecular comparison with type material and collections from Europe, Fennoscandia, Svalbard and Alaska. Rocky Mountain collections of L. lanceolatus (subgenus Russularia), along with the type from Alaska are paraphyletic with respect to L. aurantiacus and North American taxa L. luculentus and L. luculentus v. laetus Rocky Mountain collections of L. nanus, L. glyciosmus, L. repraesentaneus and L. salicis-reticulatae (subgenus Piperites) all form clades with European material from type localities and other arctic-alpine habitats. The arctic-alpine L. pseudouvidus/L. brunneoviolaceus group appears to be a complex containing additional taxa. North American material originally described as part of this group is well-separated phylogenetically and is described here as L. pallidomarginatus sp. nov. Lactarius lanceolatus, L. nanus and L. salicis-reticulatae appear largely restricted to arctic-alpine habitats with Salix Lactarius glyciosmus and L. repraesentaneus occur in arctic-alpine, subalpine and boreal habitats with Betula and also Picea and possibly Salix for the latter. Species distributions are hypothesized to be shaped by host ranges, glaciation and long distance dispersal.
The absence of toxicity in intraperitoneal iron dextran administration: a functional and histological analysis

ObjectiveTo determine the influence of iron dextran intraperitoneal administration on the function and histology of the peritoneum in rats undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis.DesignProspective, ...
Distinct oncogenic Ras signals characterized by profound differences in flux through the RasGDP/RasGTP cycle.

ABSTRACTT cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL) is an aggressive bone marrow cancer in children and adults, and chemotherapy often fails for relapsing patients. Molecularly targeted therapy is hindered by heterogeneity in T-ALL and mechanistic details of the affected pathways in T-ALL are needed. Deregulation of Ras signals is common in T-ALL. Ras is genetically mutated to a constitutively active form in about 15% of all haematopoietic malignancies, but there is a range of other ways to augment signaling through the Ras pathway. Several groups including our own uncovered that RasGRP1 overexpression leads to T-ALL in mouse models and in pediatric T-ALL patients, and we reported that this Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor, RasGRP1, cooperates with cytokines to drive leukemogenesis. In our recent study by Ksionda et al. we analyzed the molecular details of cytokine receptor-RasGRP1-Ras signals in T-ALL and compared these to signals from mutated Ras alleles, which yielded several surprising ...
Study on Pesticide Residues Level of Food in Sichuan Province

Objective To understand and analyze the status of pesticide residues contamination of food in Sichuan province,provide evidence for formulating appropriate control measures.Methods In 2009,totally 232 samples of vegetables,fruits,fresh edible mushroom and tea products in 4 cities of Sichuan province had been collected and tested for organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticide residues monitoring.Results The total pesticide positive rate of food was 6.13%,99.09% of food samples accorded with the National Standards.Conclusion Pesticide residues level of food in Sichuan is not high,but there is prominent pesticide pollution in some food products which should further intensify supervision.
Optimum rate of temperature drop and its effect factors for cells' cryopreservation

Long-term preservation of cells plays an important role and has a wide use in the fields of biology,medicine,and pharmacy.The process of cryopreservation brings injury to the cells,while the injury mechanism is related to many elements,such as cooling rate,permeability of cell membrane,cryoprotectant types and their concentrations.Based on the investigation of effects of the optimal cooling rate,permeability of cell membrane,cryoprotectant types and their concentrations on cell cryopreservation,some protocols were put forwards to reduce or avoid the injury due to storage at low temperature.
Endocrine-paracrine (APUD) cells of the human female urethra and paraurethral ducts

The distribution, immunostaining profile and ultrastructural morphology of human female urethral and paraurethral endocrine-paracrine (APUD) cells was studied. Five urethras obtained from radical cystectomy specimens were stained with antisera to serotonin, neuron-specific enolase, chromogranin, bombesin, calcitonin, somatostatin, prostatic acid phosphatase, prostatic specific antigen and with the Churukian-Schenk argyrophil method. Numerous endocrine-paracrine cells were observed along the entire length of resected urethra, with these cells most numerous in the paraurethral ducts. The endocrine-paracrine cells were positive for serotonin, neuron-specific enolase, chromogranin and the argyrophil reaction. Scattered bombesin and very rare calcitonin immunoreactive cells were noted. The endocrine-paracrine cells were of the open (luminal extensions) and closed cell types and often had multiple long dendritic processes suggesting a primarily paracrine function. By electron microscopy the secretory granule morphology was highly variable. Autonomic innervation of endocrine-paracrine cells was noted. The relationship of female urethral and paraurethral endocrine-paracrine cells to those of the male prostate and urethra is discussed with speculation as to the functional role these cells may play.
Geographical variation in song phrases differs with their function in white-crowned sparrow song

Complex signals that convey diverse forms of information may face conflicting pressures on their structure. Certain messages, such as species identification or ‘alerting’ receivers may require a relatively invariant signal structure, while messages about dialect or individual identity and motivation require structural diversity within and among individuals of a species. A resolution to this conflict is to encode different messages in different parts of the signal. When the signal is learned, as in birdsong, parts of the signal may develop along differing developmental pathways in order to produce the necessary signal variation. I tested the hypothesis that three phrases in the song of the Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys pugetensis, that are inferred to convey different messages will vary in their patterns of geographical variation along a 560 km long transect of the Pacific northwest coast of North America. I measured acoustic features of the songs of 267 males and tested for geographical structure using Mantel tests and Mantel correlograms. As predicted, the introductory whistle phrase, inferred to have an ‘alerting’ function, was geographically invariant. In contrast, the note complex and trill phrases, which convey information about individual identity and geographical origin, both decreased in similarity between males as distance increased. The two phrases have somewhat independent patterns of geographical variation. I suggest that differences in how these phrases develop, as measured in laboratory song-learning experiments, coupled with dispersal may contribute to the differing distributions.
Along Comes Keynes

As economies unwound around the globe, the British economist John Maynard Keynes was developing an explanation of consumer spending that was spot on for the era. His insights were both timely and profound, and are even experiencing a resurgence given the strong parallels between the Great Crash of 1929 and the Great Crash II of 2008, and between the Great Depression and our current Global Financial Meltdown.
Global Bioethics facing a world in crisis

Uncontrolled increases in the human population have put the world in a state of crisis in three categories: the religious, the environmental, and the economic, with political crises seen as a sub-set of the religious conflicts. But the crises that grows out of the other three is the question of human survival, discussed in five possible forms.
EXACT SUPERSYMMETRIC AMPLITUDE FOR $K^0 \hbox{-}\bar K^0$ AND $B^0 \hbox{-}\bar B^0$ MIXING

We present the most general supersymmetric amplitude for and mixing resulting from gluino box diagrams. We use this amplitude to place general constraints on the magnitude of flavor-changing squark mass mixings, and compare these constraints with theoretical predictions both in and beyond the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.
Dynamic surge protection: An approach to handling unexpected workload surges with resource actions that have lead times

Today’s information technology departments have significantly varying demands for resources due to unexpected surges in subscriber demands (e.g., a large response to a product promotion). Further complicating matters is that many resource actions done in response to surges (e.g., provisioning or de-provisioning an application server) have substantial delays (lead times) between initiating the resource action and its taking effect. This paper describes dynamic surge protection, an approach to handling unexpected workload surges in systems that have lead times for resource actions. Dynamic surge protection incorporates three technologies: adaptive short-term forecasting, on-line capacity planning, and configuration management. The paper includes empirical results from evaluations done on a research testbed, including favorable comparisons with a threshold-based heuristic. The results from an extended test also show that service objectives can be maintained cost-effectively.
Jacobi Lifts and Tensorial Splitting of the Double Tangent Bundle

Chapter IX dealt with two related main topics, involving estimates for the exponential maps via Jacobi lifts, and the Cartan-Hadamard theorem concerning seminegative curvature. The present chapter goes somewhat deeper into both topics. In addition, it is instructive to treat systematically the splitting of the double tangent bundle. A special case is treated ad hoc in the extension of the Cartan-Hadamard theorem to the normal bundle of a totally geodesic submanifold in §2, but it is worth while understanding the fuller structure in general.