cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Holographically Fabricated Dye-Doped Nanoporous Polymers as Matrix for Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry

We report laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry using a dye-doped nanoporous polymer matrix. The nanoporous polymer matrix was fabricated through a holographic interference patterning technique. The periodically aligned nanopores in the resulting polymer matrix produced a high surface-to-volume ratio that facilitates the homogeneous cocrystallization of the matrix and an analyte (i.e., peptide in this demonstration). To generate nanostructures with further enhanced functionalities, dyes were also incorporated into the photopolymer. We demonstrate that by using the dye-doped nanoporous polymer matrix, we can identify peptides with an enhanced signal from the peptides and decreased noise from the ion fragmentation. These results indicate that the dye-doped nanoporous polymer matrix we use here can be a promising platform for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. DOI: 10.1115/1.4002610
Ab Initio Calculations of Proton Dissociation Energies of Zinc Ligands: Hypothesis of Imidazolate as Zinc Ligand in Proteins

Despite intensive studies of zinc's role in proteins and recent growing appreciation of zinc in modern biology, the knowledge of the protonation state of common zinc ligands in proteins remains con...
Recognition of clinical immunology as a distinct medical subspecialty: importance for the practice of allergy.

Abstract Background: Although residents trained in accredited teaching programs in allergy and immunology are exposed to many areas of clinical immunology, the vast majority of these residents' subsequent practices are composed of caring for patients with allergic and asthmatic conditions. Except for rheumatologists, almost all other clinical immunologists appear to lack organized training programs, defined certification pathways, and clear career opportunities. Objective: Recognition of clinical immunology as a distinct medical subspecialty with many areas of expertise will enhance the image of allergists and clinical immunologists, ensure subspecialty certification, and provide better career opportunities. Methods: Documents, publications, and private opinions of individuals within professional allergy and clinical immunology organizations were evaluated for possible contribution to the subject content of this article. Results: There is a need for defined residency programs, medical board certification, and professional organizations that speak for and provide postgraduate education for all clinical immunologists. Molecular and genetic discoveries are delineating the central role of fundamental immunology in all immune-mediated diseases and future therapy of allergic and immunologic diseases. Conclusions:Allergists of the 21st century should participate in the growing recognition of clinical immunology as an important medical subspecialty that can provide science-based therapies for allergic and immunologic disorders. The future practice of allergy depends largely on the molecular and genetic discoveries that serve to unite all practitioners of clinical immunology. Forging common alliances of education, certification, and career pathways with other clinical immunologists is the correct investment for a bright future for allergy. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002;110:567-70.)
Precision control of pulse widths for charge balancing in functional electrical stimulation

Maintaining a balance charge is one of the key factors to ensure a safe neural stimulation employing biphasic current stimulus. However, a zero net charge is difficult to achieve due to the fabrication variation of stimulation drivers. Moreover, even with a perfectly matched cathodic and anodic current stimulus, a non-zero residual charge is still built up due to the inter-pulse delay adopted in the stimulation pattern. During this period, the charge injected by the first stimulus pulse is leaked to the surrounding tissue and thus, the remaining charge cannot be completely removed by the following compensating current stimulus even with matched intensity. In this paper, we present a charge-balancing scheme by precisely controlling the pulse width of current stimulus. Charge balance is achieved by using the residual voltage as a feedback signal to control the pulse width of next stimulus. Simulated in Matlab/Simulink, the proposed scheme is shown to mitigate up to 15% intensity mismatch of biphasic current pulses with 1ms inter-pulse delay. For a stimulus with constantly varying intensity, such as retinal and cochlear implants, the proposed scheme is also capable of maintaining a balance charge for a safe neural stimulation.
Miss Anscombe's complaint

Mise en question des opinions soutenues par E. Anscombe, dans son article "Modern Moral Philosophy" (in: Philosophy, 33, 1958, p.1-19). L'article tourne autour de l'intuitionnisme ethique et des questions sur la source et l'autorite des jugements moraux.
Influence of Temperature-Dependent Yield Strength on Thermomechanical Asperity Contacts

This paper reports the effects of thermal softening on asperity contacts. We modified the thermomechanical asperity model previously developed by Liu and Wang based on discrete convolution, fast Fourier transform and the conjugate gradient method and applied it to the current study. The yield strength was assumed to be a function of local asperity temperature. Asperity contact pressure and contact area with and without such temperature effects were analyzed and compared.
On the propagation of sonic discontinuities in the unsteady flow of a perfect gas

Abstract The magnitude of discontinuities of the first derivatives of flow quantities in the unsteady flow of a perfect gas are shown to satisfy Riccatti equations along the orthogonal trajectories of sonic singular surfaces S(t) . These equations are greatly simplified if they are transformed to equations along the bicharacteristic curves in the characteristic manifold Σ = U S(t) . When this is done an explicit criteria for the decay or “blow up” of sonic discontinuities can be given.
Mortality After Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: Results from an Anonymous Questionnaire to ASBS Members

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) approved 6 years ago by the Federal Drug Administration is considered a safe and simple procedure for weight loss with a reported low mortality rate (0.05%) in the literature. The aim of the study was to probe the membership of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) to elucidate the incidence and possible causes of unreported operative and late mortality. A simple questionnaire on early (30 days) and late mortality after LAGB and reoperation for banding was sent to 1,437 of 2,500 members of ASBS. Incidences and causes were studied. Of the 1,437 questionnaires sent, 453 (31%) were returned. Sixty-eight of the surgeons did not do any LAGBs, 350 had no operative mortalities, and 35 (9%) reported at least one operative mortality and had a total of 36 operative deaths and 19 late deaths, for a grand total of 55. Five additional deaths occurred after reoperations for LAGB, following removal, revisions, or conversions to another bariatric procedure. Of 62 deaths, the causes were: 20 (33%) cardiac origin, 11 (18%) thromboembolic, ten (16%) GI perforations, three (5%) bleedings, and 18 miscellaneous. Of all deaths, 40% occurred remotely from the band insertion date. Although LAGB is technically simple, it carries a non-negligible short- and long-term mortality, with the majority being cardiac or thromboembolic. Late mortalities from LAGB and reoperations appear to be under-reported.
A quasi-experimental assessment of interactive student response systems on student confidence, effort, and course performance

Abstract The interactive student response system (SRS), commonly referred to as ‘clickers,’ is an alternative learning method that has the potential to improve student course (i.e., quiz/examination) performance. Prior SRS studies both within accounting and other academic disciplines have found conflicting results as to its influence on student course performance. This quasi-experimental study re-examines the relationship between the use of an SRS and course performance. We also investigate how using SRS influences student confidence and time spent studying outside of class. Unlike prior SRS related studies, we tested both our SRS class and our control class (with no SRS) in the same academic semester with the same instructor to provide a higher degree of experimental control. Through doing so, we compared the benefit of immediate feedback achieved by SRS to the delayed feedback of traditional assessment formats. Higher in-class performance on multiple-choice quiz items was found for students using SRS versus those who did not use SRS; however, no significant differences in examination performance or overall course performance were noted between the two groups. Students using SRS reported being more confident in their abilities and spent less time preparing for the course outside of class, while maintaining similar overall course performance when compared to those who did not use the SRS. We conclude our study by providing areas of meaningful future research related to the use of SRS.
State Route 91 Value-Priced Express Lanes: Updated Observations:

Recently over 5 years of field observations were concluded of the value-priced express lanes that opened December 27, 1995, in the median of State Route 91, in Orange County, California. Data collection, covering about a year and a half of observations to establish baseline conditions before opening day, included traffic measurements, vehicle occupancy counts, transit ridership, and comprehensive travel surveys of current and former commuters. The corresponding data analysis included the calibration of choice models of route, occupancy, transponder acquisition, and time-of-day behavior of commuters and the estimation of air pollution emissions. Findings are presented on traffic trends, toll lane use, travelers' responses to changing congestion and tolls, shifts in ridesharing and transit use, shifts in trip purpose, differences associated with income and other demographics, public opinion, collision experience, and the results of choice and emissions modeling. As the first practical application of value pricing in the United States, the State Route 91 express lanes provide many important insights, both technical and institutional, some of which are relevant to the implementation of value-pricing projects in other locations.
Relative Importance of 3-Methoxy-4-Hydroxyphenylglycol and 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylglycol as Norepinephrine Metabolites in Rat, Monkey, and Humans

: A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric assay, which allowed simultaneous measurement of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG), was used to show that the concentration of MHPG in primate CNS far exceeded that of DHPG and that both metabolites were mainly in the unconjugated form. In rat brain, DHPG concentration was generally higher than that of MHPG, and both existed predominantly as conjugates. Rat and primate plasma contained more MHPG than DHPG. In plasma of primates but not of rats, higher proportions of the metabolites were conjugated, compared to those in brain. Significant correlations existed between MHPG and DHPG in rat brain, monkey brain, human plasma, and both monkey CSF and plasma. In monkeys, a significant CSF-plasma correlation was found for MHPG, but not for DHPG. Acute administration of piperoxane raised rat brain MHPG and DHPG concentration; desipramine prevented this rise in DHPG, but not in MHPG. Desipramine alone decreased DHPG, but not MHPG, concentration. Piperoxane increased monkey brain MHPG, but not DHPG, concentration. These data suggest that DHPG is a valuable metabolite to measure when assessing norepinephrine metabolism in the rat. Under certain conditions, measurement of rat brain MHPG and DHPG may provide information concerning the site of norepinephrine metabolism. However, in primates the importance of monitoring DHPG, in addition to MHPG, is uncertain.
Tales from a distant swamp: Petrological and paleobotanical clues for the origin of the sand coal lithotype (Mississippian, Valley Fields, Virginia)

Abstract Tournasian (Mississippian) Price Formation semianthracites ( R max = 2.40%) in the Valley Fields of southwestern Virginia contain a lithotype described in an early-20th-century report as a “sand” coal. The Center for Applied Energy Research inherited a collection of coals containing sand coal specimens, making it possible to study the lithotype from the long-closed mines. The sand coal consists of rounded quartz sand and maceral assemblages (secretinite, corpogelinite, and rounded collotelinite) along with banded collotelinite, vitrodetrinite, and inertodetrinite assemblages. The association of rounded macerals and similar-size quartz grains suggests transport. Oxidation rims surrounding the rounded collotelinite provides further evidence for transport. Due to the semianthracite rank, palynology could not be performed. Stratigraphic evidence indicates that the Lepidodendropsis flora would have been the dominant mire vegetation. Pteridosperms in this assemblage could have contributed resin rodlets, subsequently metamorphosed to collogelinite or secretinite. While a resin rodlet origin is an intriguing possibility for the origin of the rounded macerals (at least some of the rounded maceral, the rounded collotelinite clearly has a different origin), we cannot definitively prove this origin.
Endogenous protease activation of ENaC: effect of serine protease inhibition on ENaC single channel properties.

Endogenous serine proteases have been reported to control the reabsorption of Na+ by kidney- and lung-derived epithelial cells via stimulation of electrogenic Na+ transport mediated by the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC). In this study we investigated the effects of aprotinin on ENaC single channel properties using transepithelial fluctuation analysis in the amphibian kidney epithelium, A6. Aprotinin caused a time- and concentration-dependent inhibition (84 ± 10.5%) in the amiloride-sensitive sodium transport (INa) with a time constant of 18 min and half maximal inhibition constant of 1 μM. Analysis of amiloride analogue blocker–induced fluctuations in INa showed linear rate–concentration plots with identical blocker on and off rates in control and aprotinin-inhibited conditions. Verification of open-block kinetics allowed for the use of a pulse protocol method (Helman, S.I., X. Liu, K. Baldwin, B.L. Blazer-Yost, and W.J. Els. 1998. Am. J. Physiol. 274:C947–C957) to study the same cells under different conditions as well as the reversibility of the aprotinin effect on single channel properties. Aprotinin caused reversible changes in all three single channel properties but only the change in the number of open channels was consistent with the inhibition of INa. A 50% decrease in INa was accompanied by 50% increases in the single channel current and open probability but an 80% decrease in the number of open channels. Washout of aprotinin led to a time-dependent restoration of INa as well as the single channel properties to the control, pre-aprotinin, values. We conclude that protease regulation of INa is mediated by changes in the number of open channels in the apical membrane. The increase in the single channel current caused by protease inhibition can be explained by a hyperpolarization of the apical membrane potential as active Na+ channels are retrieved. The paradoxical increase in channel open probability caused by protease inhibition will require further investigation but does suggest a potential compensatory regulatory mechanism to maintain INa at some minimal threshold value.
Diffuse neonatal hemangiomatosis

Diffuse neonatal hemangiomatosis is an often fatal disorder characterized by widespread capillary hemangiomas of the skin and visceral organs. Ultrasound and computed tomographic scans may be useful in determining the extent of visceral disease. The organs most commonly affected are the gastrointestinal tract, brain, liver, and lung. Complications include high-output cardiac failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, hydrocephalus, and consumption coagulopathy. Despite therapy with corticosteroids, the mortality rate is high.
Faunal epiboles in the Upper Ordovician of north-central Kentucky: Implications for high-resolution sequence and event stratigraphy and recognition of a major unconformity

Abstract Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic strata of the lower Richmondian (Upper Ordovician, Cincinnatian) in the Cincinnati Arch region represent deposition along a gentle epeiric ramp in the Taconic foreland basin. Previous stratigraphic investigation of this interval largely emphasized local facies, with little consideration of regionally persistent patterns and widespread marker horizons. The current study describes a distinctive package within the lower Rowland Member of the Drakes Formation of northern Kentucky; this interval comprises a four-part succession of units, several of which are characterized by unusually high abundance of particular taxa (proliferation epiboles). Similar (to nearly identical) successions, including epiboles in corresponding positions, are present within the undifferentiated Bull Fork Formation of central Kentucky and the Fort Ancient Member of the Waynesville Formation in southwestern Ohio. Further, progressive erosion of the widely traceable “lower Rowland” succession beneath a distinctive, prominent marker bed indicates the presence of a previously undocumented, regionally angular unconformity within the middle Rowland Member (the “mid-Richmondian unconformity” predicted by some earlier workers). Hence, a widely persistent, nearly layer-cake pattern can be documented over 150 km across the Cincinnati Arch. Although the mechanism(s) responsible for such widespread epiboles is (are) enigmatic, this study demonstrates the significant value of epiboles in regional stratigraphic correlation and recognition of unconformities.
Effects of energy buffers in distribution grids with PV generation

The increased presence of photo-voltaic (PV) power generation in distribution grids has influences on the security of supply, in particular voltage stability. One of the commonly accepted control approach to remediate over-voltage situations is the absorbing of reactive power by the PV inverters. An alternative approach is to introduce energy buffering devices (e.g. batteries) into the distribution grid and to control real power charged respectively discharged from the batteries. We have simulated an examplary rural distribution grid with PV generation and energy buffering in order to study the effect on voltage distribution and power flows.
Manipulating solids CSD in a supercritical fluid crystallizer: CO2-benzoic acid

The final properties and end use of many organic solids often depends on their crystal-size distribution (CSD), e.g., bioavailability for pharmaceutical solids. The objective of this study was to develop an alternate technology for crystallizing and manipulating size distribution of organic solids by crystallization from supercritical fluids. Such a technology might be superior to conventional-size manipulation techniques, such as milling and recrystallization from organic solvents, which might contaminate the products and affect their physical-chemical stability. Supercritical carbon dioxide was used as solvent to dissolve and then crystallize benzoic acid. A batch crystallizer was constructed and operated in the supercritical region. Seeded and unseeded crystallization experiments were performed. Different depressurization vs. time profiles for the supercritical fluid were used to produce crystals of various sizes.
Do it yourself education

Parents who want appropriate educational experiences for their children should provide differential education opportunities for their children at home.
Amplatzer Septal Occluder Associated With Late Pulmonary Venous Obstruction Requiring Surgical Removal With Acquired Aorta to Left Atrial Fistula

The Amplatzer septal occluder is currently the preferred device for the transcatheter closure of secundum atrial septal defects. Multiple studies have shown that device complications with the Amplatzer occluder are rare and often acute in presentation. The investigators describe the first reported case of late obstruction of the right pulmonary veins with an Amplatzer septal occluder and, in the same patient, an unusual intraoperative finding of a noncoronary aortic sinus to left atrium fistula after device removal.
A note on the characterization of bismuth black by Raman microspectroscopy

Inspired by the discovery of bismuth metal used as a pigment in a fifteenth century illuminated manuscript, the identification of bismuth compounds by Raman spectroscopy is investigated. Raman spectra of bismuth metal powder, bismuth (III) sulfide (Bi2S3) and bismuth (III) oxide (α-Bi2O3) are presented. The influence of excitation laser wavelength is explored, along with the laser-induced oxidation of bismuth to α-Bi2O3 and β-Bi2O3. The implication of these results with respect to the selection of appropriate analytical protocols in the investigation of bismuth pigments in works of art is discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Editorial Board Thoughts: Eating Our Own Dogfood

I'll never forget helping one of my relatives learn how to use his first computer. We ran through the basics: turning the computer and monitor on, pointing and clicking, typing, and opening and closing windows. I went away to college, and when I came back for the holidays, he happily showed off his new abilities to send emails and create spreadsheets and such. Despite his well-earned pride, I couldn't help but notice that when he reached the edge of the desk with the mouse, he would use his other hand to place a photo album up against the desk and roll the mouse onto it, in order to reach the far right-hand side of the screen with the pointer. When I picked up his hand and the mouse and re-centered it on the desk for him, I think it blew his mind. He had been using the photo album to extend the reach of the mouse and pointer for months! It occurred to me that I should have spent more time with him, not just showing him what to do, but watching him do it. Those of us working in information technology have a tremendous impact on library staff productivity by virtue of the systems we select or develop and implement. People working in most facets of library operations trust and rely on our hardware and software to accomplish their daily work, for which we bear a significant burden of responsibility. Are they using the best possible tools for their work? Are they using them in the best way? A great deal of effort has gone into user-centered design and improving functionality for our patrons, but in this time of reduced budgets and changing staff roles, it is important to extend similar consideration to the systems that we provision for our co-workers. At its best, information technology has the ability to save time and add value to the library by creating efficiencies and empowering people to do better and new work. Whether we are evaluating new integrated library systems or choosing the default text editor for our workstations, we are presented with opportunities to learn more about how our libraries accomplish work "on the ground" and reconsider the role that technology can play in helping them. The phrase "eating your own dog food" is so common in software development circles that some have begun using it as a verb. Developers engage in "dogfooding" by using new software themselves, internally, to identify bugs and improve usability and functionality before releasing it to users. This is a regular practice of companies such as Microsoft (1) and Google (2). Setting aside any negative connotations for the moment (Why are people eating dog food? And exactly who are the "dogs" in this scenario?), there is a lot that we can learn by putting ourselves in the place of our users and experiencing our systems from their perspective. …
Sensitivity of a GCM climate simulation to differences in continental versus maritime cloud drop size

Extensive observations indicate a distinct difference between maritime and continental effective drop size, r(sub e), for warm clouds. The latest version of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model (CCM2) is used to explore the sensitivity of differentiating between continental and maritime r(sub e) on the simulated climate. The results of this study indicate that the smaller drop size over continents leads to a reduction of surface-absorbed solar radiation from 20 to 60 W/sq m. This reduction in surface solar flux leads to a cooling of the continents by up to -3.5 K. The reduction in surface solar flux and temperature also leads to a reduction in latent heat flux and precipitation over land. In the January simulation, there is a significant shift in tropical precipitation associated with the Australian monsoon. This shift leads to a response in the extra tropical geopotential height field over the western United States. All of these changes reduce biases in the current version of CCM2.
Do results of the T-SPOT.TB interferon-γ release assay change after treatment of tuberculosis?

Summary Background Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production by lymphocytes exposed to antigens specific of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been shown to correlate with antigen load and disease activity. Aim of study To determine whether treatment of tuberculosis (TB) led to a decrease and/or a reversion of results of a IFN-γ release assay (T-SPOT. TB , Oxford Immunotec, UK) and thus if T-SPOT. TB could be used to monitor response to treatment. Methods Qualitative and quantitative analysis (SFUs: spot-forming units) of T-SPOT. TB ® in HIV-negative patients with TB, during initial 2 weeks of treatment (T0), at end of treatment (TE) and 6 months later (TE+6). Results Mean SFU (SD) was 75 (58; n =62) at T0, 46 (55; n =55) at TE, and 33 (46; n =41) at TE+6; positive rate was 98%, 93% and 98%, respectively. SFUs (paired samples, n =36) decreased significantly between T0 and TE; 2 reversions occurred between T0 and TE (6%), but none between TE and TE+6. Of 6 patients (17%) with an increase in SFUs between T0 and TE, 5 had a favourable outcome at TE and TE+6. Conclusion Decrease in SFUs under treatment suggests a relationship with antigen load; however, persisting high SFUs were not predictive of unfavourable outcome and test reversion was rare. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00595907).
cDNA cloning of a novel G protein-coupled receptor with a large extracellular loop structure.

Abstract A cDNA designated as AZ3B has been isolated from a differentiated HL-60 cell cDNA library with a probe derived from the N -formyl peptide receptor gene. The 1.97-kb cDNA encodes a novel G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) with 482 amino acids. In addition to the predicted 7 transmembrane domains common to all GPCRs, the protein encoded by AZ3B contains a large extracellular loop of ∼172 amino acids between the fourth and the fifth transmembrane domains, a feature unique among the hundreds of GPCRs identified to date. High sequence homology exists between the AZ3B protein and a number of chemoattractant receptors in the amino-terminal 170 residues and the carboxyl-terminal 150 residues. Northern and flow cytometric analyses suggested that the AZ3B message and protein are widely expressed in several differentiated hematopoietic cell lines, in the lung, placenta, heart, and endothelial cells. We postulate that the AZ3B protein defines a distinct group of receptors within the GPCR superfamily.
Robot Head Motion Control with an Emphasis on Realism of Neck---Eye Coordination during Object Tracking

Important aspects of present-day humanoid robot research is to make such robots look realistic and human-like, both in appearance, as well as in motion and mannerism. In this paper, we focus our study on advanced control leading to realistic motion coordination for a humanoid's robot neck and eyes while tracking an object. The motivating application for such controls is conversational robotics, in which a robot head "actor" should be able to detect and make eye contact with a human subject. Therefore, in such a scenario, the 3D position and orientation of an object of interest in space should be tracked by the redundant head---eye mechanism partly through its neck, and partly through its eyes. In this paper, we propose an optimization approach, combined with a real-time visual feedback to generate the realistic robot motion and robustify it. We also offer experimental results showing that the neck---eye motion obtained from the proposed algorithm is realistic comparing to the head---eye motion of humans.
The organization of the malleolar sensory system in the solpugid, Chanbria sp.

Abstract Five malleoli extend ventrally from the proximal segments of each hind leg of mature and immature solpugids. Each malleolus contains the dendrites of 72,000 bipolar sensory neurons with somata in a ganglion in the leg just dorsal to the malleolus. The dendrites terminate in a sensory groove which extends along the ventral edge of the sense organ. The sensory groove has a slit-like opening to the outside, suggesting that these sense organs are chemoreceptors. The malleoli also contain long processes from microvillar cells with somata in the sensory ganglion. The microvillar cell processes extend into the malleolus to the ciliary ending of the dendrites where each process has an enlarged microvillar ending which surrounds the outer segments of 15 to 22 dendrites and releases a sense secretion.
Energy-transfer processes in decaying helium-cadmium plasmas

Light absorption and emission spectroscopy were used in studies of the time dependences of the CdII spectral emission and Hem(23S) number density in the stationary afterglow of helium-cadmium mixtures. Transitions from 12 CdII energy levels were monitored in the afterglow. The five CdII states below 20 eV are produced, either directly or via cascading, by the Penning ionization of Cd by Hem(23S). The remaining CdII states studied are produced by the chargeexchange excitation of Cd by He+. No evidence was found for the production of CdII energy levels by charge transfer between Cd and He 2 + or by Penning ionization of Cd by He 2 m (23σ u + ). A value of (5.4±0.3)×10−10 cm3 sec−1 was measured for the reaction rate coefficient for the Penning ionization of Cd by Hem(23S), and a value of (2.1±0.2)×10−10 cm3 sec−1 was measured for the reaction rate coefficient for charge exchange between He+ and Cd at a gas temperature of 200°C.
Nonthermal plasma synthesis of size-controlled, monodisperse, freestanding germanium nanocrystals

Germanium nanocrystals may be of interest for a variety of electronic and optoelectronic applications including photovoltaics, primarily due to the tunability of their band gap from the infrared into the visible range of the spectrum. This letter discusses the synthesis of monodisperse germanium nanocrystals via a nonthermal plasma approach which allows for precise control of the nanocrystal size. Germanium crystals are synthesized from germanium tetrachloride and hydrogen entrained in an argon background gas. The crystal size can be varied between 4 and 50nm by changing the residence times of crystals in the plasma between ∼30 and 440ms. Adjusting the plasma power enables one to synthesize fully amorphous or fully crystalline particles with otherwise similar properties.
Mathematical determination of stresses and displacements in star-perforated grains

A mathematical method is presented for determining stresses in solid propellant rocket grains due to pressurizatio n, steady thermal gradients, and uniform propellant shrinkage. The type of solid propellant grain considered is a long cylinder containing a longitudinal perforation with an arbitrary number of identical star points of general shape. The external boundary of the propellant grain is bonded to a circular-cylindrical motor case. The propellant has constant mechanical and thermal properties and is in a state of plane strain. Linear elasticity theory and complex variable methods are used to formulate a general stress problem for a doubly connected region that has a star-shaped internal boundary and a circular external boundary and is subjected to steady thermal gradients and uniform boundary pressures. This problem is solved approximately by considering a related problem for an infinite plane with a star-shaped hole. Effects of bonding the external boundary to an elastic case are deduced approximately by superposition. A general stress program for a digital computer is described, and example computations testing the validity of the assumed approximations are made. The method is found to provide a practical means of analyzing stresses in solid propellant grains.
Does Democracy Facilitate the Economic Transition? An Empirical Study of Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union

The authors analyze whether political freedom and civil liberties help or hinder economic liberalization, using panel data from 25 post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union between 1992 and 1997. Building on arguments and counter-arguments put forth in recent literature, they identify the channels through which political freedom affects economic liberalization during the transition. Then they test the arguments empirically with an econometric framework that takes into account possible problems with simultaneity between the economic and political transitions. Their empirical findings clearly reveal that democracy has facilitated economic liberalization in countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This conclusion is confirmed under various model specifications, for both ordinary and two-stage least squares procedures and using two different measures of liberalization. The econometric results reveal that the existence of a vibrant civil society at the start of the transition has the most explanatory power in the author's regressions.
Caida de Mollera among Children of Mexican Migrant Workers: Implications for the Study of Folk Illnesses

Information about the folk illness caida de mollera was collected from Mexican and Mexican American migrant mothers who had treated their children for the illness, and from physicians in a clinic that served this population. These physicians believed that the vast majority of the sets of symptoms were worthy of medical attention and could be life threatening if not treated. This research report concurs with other studies that suggest that although Mexican folk illnesses are conceptualized to have folk-social and psychological causes, they are also seen to have biological causes and physiological symptoms that can be treated by biomedical methods. This report outlines a model for understanding aspects of folk illnesses that includes folk vs. biomedical ideas about disease, causes vs. symptoms, and psychological vs. physiological aspects of sickness. It also suggests that the kinds of questions anthropologists ask about these illnesses may need to be modified—shifting away from questions about treatments of causes and refocusing on those about the treatment of physiological symptoms—if we are to more fully understand home approaches to the management of these illnesses, [folk illnesses, Mexican, Mexican American, farmworkers]
Appropriately upset? Emotion norms and perceptions of crime victims.

Victims who express less emotion in response to a crime are perceived as less deserv- ing, less sympathetic, and they have less punishment assigned to the offender who committed the crime. This study considers the extent to which emotion norms underlie perceptions of victims who testify. Two studies investigate the circumstances in which emotional reactions to a crime are seen as "unusual" and whether a more general emotion norm underlies responses to victim testimony. We test a "victim-role" norm against a "proportionality" norm by crossing the severity of victim's emotional response (severe or mild) with the seriousness of a crime (serious or less serious). Results across two studies lend greater support to the notion that people expect victims to match the intensity of their emotional response to the seriousness of the event (i.e., a proportionality rule), although we also find instances in which expectations of the victim are not strong. Gender of the victim exhibited small and contingent effects. We discuss the relevance of emotion norms to legal settings.
Stereotype Content Model Explains Prejudice for an Envied Outgroup: Scale of Anti-Asian American Stereotypes

The Stereotype Content Model hypothesizes anti-Asian American stereotypes differentiating two dimensions: (excessive) competence and (deficient) sociability. The Scale of Anti-Asian American Stereotypes (SAAAS) shows this envious mixed prejudice in six studies. Study 1 began with 131 racial attitude items. Studies 2 and 3 tested 684 respondents on a focused 25-item version. Studies 4 and 5 tested the final 25-item SAAAS on 222 respondents at three campuses; scores predicted outgroup friendships, cultural experiences, and (over)estimated campus presence. Study 6 showed that allegedly low sociability, rather than excessively high competence, drives rejection of Asian Americans, consistent with system justification theory. The SAAAS demonstrates mixed, envious anti-Asian American prejudice, contrasting with more-often-studied contemptuous racial prejudices (i.e., against Blacks).
Phase 2 Studies of Sunitinib and AG013736 in Patients with Cytokine-Refractory Renal Cell Carcinoma

Frequent loss of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene product in conventional-type renal cell carcinoma results in constitutive expression of proangiogenic growth factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). VEGF and PDGF function in a paracrine manner to stimulate tumor angiogenesis that results in a hypervascular phenotype. Dependency on this hypervascularity is underscored by the recent clinical efficacy shown by inhibition of the VEGF pathway. Most strategies that primarily target the VEGF pathway (neutralizing antibodies or receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors) result in objective tumor responses in or =40% objective responses with clinically important duration. Several hypotheses may explain the discrepancy of these response rates from other strategies in the class, including the synergistic effects of dual inhibition of VEGF and PDGF receptors, supported by preclinical studies. Ultimately, further clinical investigations with pharmacodynamic and correlative science end points are needed to clarify the mechanisms of action and resistance to build on the biological and clinical effects of these multitargeted agents.
Using Forearm Electromyograms to Classify Hand Gestures

Prosthetic hands of increasing capability and sophistication are being built, but how does the user tell the hand what to do? One method is to use the low-level electrical signals associated with forearm muscle movement, or electrogmyograms (EMGs). This paper describes an experiment in which supervised learning, or classification, was used to build a model that decides which of a set of hand gestures was made by a subject based on forearm EMGs. Several techniques were employed to optimize the process. A neurological study was consulted to optimize sensor placement. Several classification algorithms were tried and those with the highest accuracy used. Finally, ANOVA was used to reduce the number of features while maintaining classifier accuracy. The results showed accuracies exceeding 90%, even with a reduced feature set, and that supervised learning has promise as a technique to control a prosthetic hand.
Effect of a conditioning lesion on axonal sprout formation at nodes of ranvier

The effect of a conditioning lesion on the time-course of axonal sprout formation after a subsequent testing lesion was evaluated in myelinated axons of the rat sciatic nerve. Transmission electron microscopy of longitudinal nerve sections was used to examine nodes of Ranvier located 200-500 micron proximal to the testing lesion. The conditioning lesion was a cut of the tibial nerve at the ankle; the testing lesion, made 2 weeks later, was a crush of the sciatic nerve at the hip. Sprouts were defined as unmyelinated evaginations of the nodal axolemma that (1) had reached the basement membrane of the Schwann cell, and (2) were located between the myelin sheath of the distal paranode and the basement membrane. Photomicrographs of the nodes at 9, 18, and 27 hours after the testing lesion were assigned to one of seven categories: normal, retracted, myelin degeneration, axonal degeneration, type A sprout formation (cytoskeleton absent), type B sprout formation (cytoskeleton present), and type B sprout degeneration. By 9 hours after the testing lesion, type B sprout formation was found in 9% of the nodes in control nerves (testing lesion alone) and 33% of those in conditioned nerves (P less than .01). A 33% incidence of type B sprout formation was not reached in control nerves until 27 hours after the testing lesion. Since the conditioning lesion was located 50 mm distal to the testing lesion and did not induce neuronal death, earlier sprout formation can be attributed to a neuronal response to the conditioning lesion rather than to a putative factor that arises from pre-degenerated fibers and acts on newly formed sprouts.
The use of fuzzy membership in network training for isolated word recognition

A modification to the use of fuzzy membership in the training of an artificial neural network is presented. The modified membership function can be applied to patterns that have a multi-center data structure in the feature space, and is used in network training for isolated word recognition. The results indicate that the network trained using this fuzzy membership function has a better overall recognition rate than either the network trained by the conventional error backpropagation method or the classifier derived from vector quantization. >
Pathology and protection in nephrotoxic nephritis is determined by selective engagement of specific Fc receptors

Introduction of heterologous anti–glomerular basement membrane antiserum (nephrotoxic serum, NTS) into presensitized mice triggers the production of IgG anti-NTS antibodies that are predominantly IgG2b and the glomerular deposition of pathogenic immune complexes, leading to accelerated renal disease. The pathology observed in this model is determined by the effector cell activation threshold that is established by the coexpression on infiltrating macrophages of the IgG2a/2b restricted activation receptor FcγRIV and its inhibitory receptor counterpart, FcγRIIB. Blocking FcγRIV with a specific monoclonal antibody thereby preventing IgG2b engagement or treatment with high dose intravenous γ-globulin (IVIG) to down-regulate FcγRIV while up-regulating FcγRIIB, protects mice from fatal disease. In the absence of FcγRIIB, IVIG is not protective; this indicates that reduced FcγRIV expression alone is insufficient to protect animals from pathogenic IgG2b immune complexes. These results establish the significance of specific IgG subclasses and their cognate FcγRs in renal disease.
Mid-Pliocene to Recent abyssal current flow along the Antarctic Peninsula: Results from ODP Leg 178, Site 1101

Abstract Sediments recovered from a drift deposit located on the Pacific side of the Antarctic Peninsula (ODP Leg 178, Site 1101) give a physical record of a bottom current, sourced from the Weddell Sea Deep Water, for the past 3 Ma. Sediment grain size and magnetic fabric analyses indicate a contourite depositional environment and little change in the average intensity of this current. Terrigenous fluxes decreased around the time of the onset of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation, which we interpret as a freezing of the base of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Cap. Terrigenous fluxes have increased since 1.7 Ma implying a possible return of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Cap to a more wet-based ice sheet.
Delayed treatment with a p53 inhibitor enhances recovery in stroke brain.

Objective Cerebral ischemia can activate endogenous reparative processes, such as proliferation of endogenous neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in the subventricular zone (SVZ). Most of these new cells die shortly after injury. The purpose of this study was to examine a novel strategy for treatment of stroke at one week after injury by enhancing the survival of ischemia-induced endogenous NPCs in SVZ.
Functional Studies of [FeFe] Hydrogenase Maturation in an Escherichia coli Biosynthetic System

Maturation of [FeFe] hydrogenases requires the biosynthesis and insertion of the catalytic iron-sulfur cluster, the H cluster. Two radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) proteins proposed to function in H cluster biosynthesis, HydEF and HydG, were recently identified in the hydEF-1 mutant of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (M. C. Posewitz, P. W. King, S. L. Smolinski, L. Zhang, M. Seibert, and M. L. Ghirardi, J. Biol. Chem. 279:25711-25720, 2004). Previous efforts to study [FeFe] hydrogenase maturation in Escherichia coli by coexpression of C. reinhardtii HydEF and HydG and the HydA1 [FeFe] hydrogenase were hindered by instability of the hydEF and hydG expression clones. A more stable [FeFe] hydrogenase expression system has been achieved in E. coli by cloning and coexpression of hydE, hydF, and hydG from the bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum. Coexpression of the C. acetobutylicum maturation proteins with various algal and bacterial [FeFe] hydrogenases in E. coli resulted in purified enzymes with specific activities that were similar to those of the enzymes purified from native sources. In the case of structurally complex [FeFe] hydrogenases, maturation of the catalytic sites could occur in the absence of an accessory iron-sulfur cluster domain. Initial investigations of the structure and function of the maturation proteins HydE, HydF, and HydG showed that the highly conserved radical-SAM domains of both HydE and HydG and the GTPase domain of HydF were essential for achieving biosynthesis of active [FeFe] hydrogenases. Together, these results demonstrate that the catalytic domain and a functionally complete set of Hyd maturation proteins are fundamental to achieving biosynthesis of catalytic [FeFe] hydrogenases.
Deuteron-nucleus collisions in a multiphase transport model

Using a multi-phase transport (AMPT) model, we study pseudo-rapidity distributions and transverse momentum spectra in deuteron-gold collisions at RHIC. We find that final-state partonic and hadronic interactions affect the transverse momentum spectrum of protons more than those of kaons or pions. Relative to p+p collisions at same center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair, the effect of final-state interactions on the charged particle transverse momentum spectra in d+Au collisions is much smaller than observed in experimental data, indicating that initial-state effects such as the Cronin effect are important. PACS numbers: 25.75.-q, 24.10.Lx