cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Globalization and inflation: Evidence from a time-varying VAR

Abstract According to the Globalization Hypothesis, global economic slack should progressively replace the domestic output gap in driving inflation as globalization increases. We investigate the empirical evidence in favor of this prediction by using a time-varying VAR. Two main results emerge from the analysis: First, global slack is found to affect the dynamics of inflation in many countries, yet its influence did not become stronger over time. Second, a panel analysis that exploits the cross-sections characteristics of our dataset shows that globalization, measured in terms of trade and financial openness, is positively related to the effects of global slack on inflation. We conclude that integration in the global economy is in fact important, but globalization has not yet induced changes in openness large enough to justify significant brakes in inflation dynamics.
Melatonin in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Endogenous and Pharmacokinetic Profiles in Relation to Sleep

Supplemental melatonin has been used to treat sleep onset insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), although the mechanism of action is uncertain. We assessed endogenous and supplemental melatonin profiles in relation to sleep in nine children with ASD. In endogenous samples, maximal melatonin concentration (Cmax) and time to peak concentration (Tmax) were comparable to those previously published in the literature for typically developing children, and dim light melatonin onsets were captured in the majority of children. In treatment samples (supplemental melatonin), melatonin parameters were also comparable to those previously published for typically developing children. Our findings support that children with ASD and insomnia responsive to low dose melatonin treatment have relatively normal profiles of endogenous and supplemental melatonin.
The quest for the origin of the elements.

All life on Earth depends on the energy in sunlight, which comes initially from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium deep in the solar interior. But the sun did not produce the chemical elements which are found in the earth and in our bodies. The first two elements and their stable isotopes, hydrogen and helium, emerged from the first few minutes of the early high-temperature, high-density stage of the expanding Universe, the so-called big bang.
Greener library printing and copying

Purpose – Libraries have a variety of computer printers, faxes, network printers and photocopiers. All these machines have an environmental impact using paper, ink and electricity. This paper aims to discuss strategies for lessening the impact of these devices.Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a “how‐to” approach for librarians to achieve greener printing and copying.Findings – Modification in library procedures can result in greener printing and copying.Originality/value – The paper reviews the research on greener printing and provides practical suggestions for achieving greener printing and copying.
Benzenoid isomer enumeration and a new topological paradigm

Benzenoid isomer series possessing a constant number of isomers are reviewed. The benzenoid series having the same isomer number possess a one-to-one matching among their benzenoid membership in regard to molecular symmetry. These results are supplemented and clarified. For a given number of carbons, information regarding all the more stable benzenoids of potential interest to experimentalists is contained in these results.
Energies of fullerenes.

To understand fullerenes, it is crucial to determine the energies, and hence the relative stabilities, of different structures. Here we introduce an approach to calculating and understanding these energies, by applying elasticity theory. Explicit formulas are given for the energies of ball-shaped molecules, graphite tubules, and the recently proposed negative-curvature fullerenes. Extensive atomistic calculations confirm the validity of the formulas. These results provide a general perspective on the relative stability of the different fullerenes
The evaluation of excess biomass growth in sewers

A few sections of the sewers in Watertown were experiencing clogging due to an excess biomass growth. It was suspected that the wastewaters discharged from Fisher-Barton's two facilities were causing excess biomass growth. Madison raw sewage had a slightly lower biomass growth than the mixture of industrial wastewater and domestic sewage samples. From microscopic examination of biomass, the main cause of excess biomass growth is thought to be toilet tissue. Biomass is attached to toilet tissue, decomposing it gradually and generating extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Then, suspended particulates including graphite and precipitates are attached to the biomass and filamentous organisms, especiallySphaerotilus natans, leading to the increase in the biomass volume. We found that the filamentous bacteria were present in biofilm by FISH. A significant amount of graphite was embedded to biomass grown in sewer. Since the major cause of excess biomass appeared to be toilet tissue, it would not be economical to employ a filtration system for complete graphite separation. Instead, it is recommended that the manufacturing process where graphite is used be assessed and a best management practice is in place. Key words: Excess Biomass Growth, FISH, Sewer, Evaluation, Wastewater
Factors that influence effective evidence-based medicine instruction.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) as a health care practice is being incorporated into education programs across the spectrum of medical education to develop lifelong learning skills and to enhance the practice of evidence-based health care. Since improving the quality of patient care is the ultimate goal of EBM, EBM learning must be integrated with clinical application, and resulted outcomes must be reflected in learning transfer (or EBM practice) within the context of solving patient problems. Different factors may constitute the context or environment in which EBM is learned, practiced, and sustained. However, these contextual factors are seldom considered and examined in the development, implementation, and evaluation of EBM instruction for learners at different levels. This article will introduce several contextual factors as tips and strategies that affect EBM learning and transfer. Also included in the article are recommended practices for designing effective EBM instruction that would contribute to a ...
The political work of narratives: A dialogic analysis of two slave narratives

Tied to meaning-making, narratives are saturated with political relevance. Narratives do political work on both the individual and collective levels. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the political work performed by a given narrative, both the historical context and local context must be analyzed. This paper uses a comparative dialogic analysis derived from M. M. Bakhtin to illuminate the different types of political work that narratives can accomplish. I compare two slave narratives, each recalling an incident of violence against a slave. Although the narratives describe similar events, their portrayals of slavery differ greatly because of the different political work they perform in their respective contexts. One narrative, produced in conjunction with the abolitionist movement, serves as a piece of political propaganda that frames slavery in an uncompromisingly harsh light. The other narrative, taken from a WPA interview in the 1930s, reveals narrative as a site of political conflict between blacks and whites during the Jim Crow era.
The incidence of leukemia and related diseases in patients with rheumatoid (ankylosing) spondylitis treated with x-ray therapy.

In a series of 496 rheumatoid spondylitis patients treated with x-ray, the authors have reported an incidence of leukemia over 17 times greater than expected in a comparable population. No conclusion can be drawn with respect to the exact nature of dose-response relationship in leukemogenesis. Four of the reported leukemias arose from myeloid reticular elements of the bone marrow; the fifth case is of undetermined origin. Since the chief use of x-ray therapy under these circumstances is as an analgesic, it would seem unwise to compound the risk of developing leukemia in these patients by its continued use unless all other forms of symptomatic treatment have failed and the patient and the physician mutually accept the possibility of this increased hazard. Super le base de 496 patientes tractate con radios X pro spondylitis rheumatoide, le autores reporta un incidentia de leucemia plus que 17 vices plus alte que illo expectate in un comparabile population de controlo. Nulle conclusion pote esser derivate con respecto al exacte natura del relation de dosage a responsa in le leucemiogenese. In quatro del reportate casos, le leucemia habeva su origine in elementos reticular myeloide del medulla ossee; in le quinte, le origine es indeterminate. Viste que le uso principal del radiotherapia sub iste conditiones es illo de un analgesico, il pare pauco sage currer le risco del disveloppamento de leucemia in le patientes rheumatoide per le continue uso de radiotherapia, excepte quando omne altere forma de tractamento symptomatic se ha provate van e quando tante le medico como etiam le patiente es conscie del hasardo inherente e accepta lo.
Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of stationary digital breast tomosynthesis to digital mammography with respect to lesion characterization in breast tissue biopsy specimens: a preliminary study

Current practice for imaging surgical breast specimens is a single 2D magnification view on a mammography system, but 2D imaging overlaps the tissue in different planes causing distortion of lesion margins. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) could be used as an alternative imaging modality for imaging breast specimens. DBT systems acquire multiple low dose projection images, over a small angular span, which are then reconstructed into a partial 3D volume. The reconstructed images can be used to increase visualization of lesion margins and extent of microcalcifications (MCs). Current commercial DBT systems use a single rotating X-ray source, the movement of which produces motion blur. Motion blur reduces visualization of small objects such as MCs. MCs, depending on size and structure, can be implicative of breast cancer. We have developed a stationary DBT (s-DBT) system using a linearly distributed, CNT Xray source array. S-DBT allows for rapid acquisition of projection images with no image degradation from X-ray source motion. Full tomosynthesis datasets can be acquired, allowing visualize of both masses and microcalcifications. Here we report the preliminary results of a reader study comparing breast specimen images from a 2D commercial mammography system and an s-DBT system. Preliminary results show that s-DBT is capable of producing equivalent image quality to 2D mammography, and in some cases is superior.
Ultra-high vacuum techniques in the study of single-crystal electrode surfaces

Abstract The development of powerful, surface-sensitive analytical methods has led to spectacular advances in the field of gas-solid interfacial science over the past two decades. Earlier research had been based upon thermodynamic and kinetic methods that portrayed only the macroscopic properties of the interfacial ensemble. The dearth of atomic-level information at that time is remarkably similar to what presently handicaps classical electrochemistry. In search of a more fundamental, microscopic view of electrode processes, research in modern electrochemistry has incorporated non-traditional approaches to the study of the electrode-solution interface. One approach, motivated by the overwhelming successes in vacuum-metal surface science, is the adaptation of ultra-high vacuum (UHV) surface spectroscopic techniques; such approach is the subject of the present review. This article describes the capabilities and limitations of coupled UHV-electrochemistry (UHV-EC) as a means to extract an atomic-level picture of the solid-electrolyte interface. After a brief introduction that outlines the experimental and theoretical obstacles in electrochemical surface science, this review presents a detailed discussion on experimental protocols (sample preparation, surface analytical techniques, instrument design) and critical processes (emersion, evacuation, surface characterization) inherent in the UHV-EC methodology. The final segment of this article summarizes selected studies with single-crystal electrode surfaces that showcase the power and elegance of the UHV-EC strategy; a more extensive bibliography of published investigations is provided in the Appendix. This review is concluded with a commentary on the future prospects of the UHV-EC approach.
Parenting Children With Proteus Syndrome: Experiences With, and Adaptation to, Courtesy Stigma

Courtesy stigma refers to the stigmatization an unaffected person experiences due to his or her relationship with a person who bears a stigma. Parents of children with genetic conditions are particularly vulnerable to courtesy stigma, but little research has been done to explore this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the courtesy stigma experiences of parents of children with Proteus syndrome (PS) and related overgrowth conditions. Thematic analysis of transcripts from 31 parents identified three distinct themes: stigma experiences, social-emotional reactions to stigmatizing encounters, and coping responses. Four types of stigmatizing experiences were identified: intrusive inquires, staring and pointing, devaluing remarks, and social withdrawal. Additionally, we uncovered eight strategies parents used to cope with courtesy stigma: attributing cause, assigning meaning to social exchanges, concealing, withdrawing socially, taking the offensive, employing indifference, instructing and learning from family, and educating others. Parents' choices of strategy type were found to be context dependent and evolved over time. This is the first study to document the adaptive evolution of coping strategies to offset courtesy stigma by parents of children with genetic conditions. These results provide groundwork for genetic counseling interventions aimed at addressing issues of courtesy stigma and further investigation of the phenomenon itself.
Anthropology and the study of of conflict: an introduction

Ethnographers have long been recording instances of warfare, feuding, factionalism, and sorcery, but theoretical attention to social conflict is relatively new in anthropology. Recent theoretical work by anthropologists on this subject has been influenced primarily by the structural-functional theory of social systems and indirectly by the psychoanalytic theory of personality (including its behavioristic revision in the frustration-aggression hypothesis). At the present writing there appear to be two schools of anthropological thought on the subject of conflict. One is that of Max Gluckman and V. W. Turner, of the University of Manchester, who see patterns of social conflict as eufunctional for the maintenance of social systems. The "silver-lining" approach of Gluckman is exemplified by the titles of some of his well-known BBC lectures (6): "The Peace in the Feud" and "The Bonds in the Colour-Bar." The theoretical position of this school of thought is that conflicts within and between small social units
Studies on D-alanine in the Heteroptera*

Four milkweed associated insects were assayed for free D-alanine by gas-liquid chromatographic methods. Oncopeltus fasciatus and Lygaeus kalmii, reared aseptically on milkweed seeds, showed high titres of free D-alanine. Labidomera clivicollis showed traces of the D-isomer whereas none could be detected in Tetraopes tetrophthalmus. O.fasciatus reared aseptically on sunflower seed showed high titres of D-alanine. No D-alanine could be detected in milkweed seed hydrolysates. Several museum specimens of the orders Hemiptera and Homoptera were assayed and all showed high titres of D-alanine.
Influence of Calcium and Phosphorus, Lactose, and Salt-to-Moisture Ratio on Cheddar Cheese Quality: Manufacture and Composition

Eight Cheddar cheeses with 2 levels of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P), residual lactose, and salt-to-moisture ratio (S/M) were manufactured. All cheeses were made using a stirred-curd procedure and were replicated 3 times. Treatments with a high level of Ca and P were produced by setting the milk and drawing the whey at a higher pH (6.6 and 6.3, respectively) compared with the treatments with a low level of Ca and P (pH of 6.2 and 5.7, respectively). The lactose content in the cheeses was varied by adding lactose (2.5% by weight of milk) to the milk for high lactose cheeses, and washing the curd for low lactose cheeses. The difference in S/M was obtained by dividing the curds into halves, weighing each half, and salting at 3.5 and 2.25% of the weight of the curd for high and low S/M, respectively. All cheeses were salted at a pH of 5.4. Modifications in cheese-making protocols produced cheeses with desired differences in Ca and P, residual lactose, and S/M. Average Ca and P in the high Ca and P cheeses was 0.68 and 0.48%, respectively, vs. 0.53 and 0.41% for the low Ca and P cheeses. Average lactose content of the high lactose treatments at d 1 was 1.48% compared with 0.30% for the low lactose treatments. The S/M for the high and low S/M cheeses was 6.68 and 4.77%, respectively. Mean moisture, fat, and protein content of the cheeses ranged from 32.07 to 37.57%, 33.32 to 35.93%, and 24.46 to 26.40%, respectively. The moisture content differed among the treatments, whereas fat and protein content on dry basis was similar.
Inelastic Levinson's theorem, CDD singularities, and multiple resonance poles

Abstract Some effects of inelastic channels on elastic partial wave amplitudes are discussed. A Levinson's theorem for both the real part of the phase shift and the total phase of the elastic amplitude is derived. The CDD singularities required to make the elastic amplitude calculated by single-channel inelastic N D equations agree with the many-channel calculation without CDD singularities are fully characterized in both the η and R methods. Finally, a simple explanation of multiple resonance poles on different Riemann sheets of the amplitude is given in terms of the analyticity properties of η.
Reticular formation and brainstem unitary activity: Effects of posterior hypothalamic and septal-limbic stimulation at reward loci

Abstract Stimulation at reward sites in septal-limbic regions had little influence on brainstem unitary activity, while, by comparison, stimulation at reward sites in the ventral regions of the posterior diencephalon had a marked influence. Reward effects in this latter region were obtained not only from areas typically associated with reward as the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), but somewhat surprisingly, were also obtained from regions dorsal to the MFB in H2 field of Forel. Stimulation in these two ventral diencephalic regions had a similar strong influence on reticular formation (RF) units, but other brainstem units were significantly more influenced by H2 field of Forel than by MFB. Distinctions between ventral posterior diencephalic rewarding and non-rewarding placements observed in behavioral testing procedures were also observed electrophysiologically. Stimulation at reward sites had a significantly greater influence on brainstem activity than did nonrewarding stimulation. There was no difference, however, between rewarding and non-rewarding placements when their effects on RF unitary activity alone were considered. It was concluded that RF may not represent a critical area of convergence for rewarding stimulation of the brain. Differences of effect of stimulation of reward loci on brainstem activity when either septal-limbic area and MFB or MFB and H2 field of Forel were compared suggested the possibility that the view of a single brain mechanism subserving reward may be an oversimplification.
(d, p) and (t, d) reactions in the coulomb field

Arguments are put to show the unique role provided by measurements of differential cross sections below the Coulomb barrier for the determination of reduced widths or spectroscopic factors in stripping reactions. Corroboration is given by the results of DWBA calculations involving targets with Z = 20, 30, 40 and 50 where certain energies and angles are singled out as providing instances of high yields, (close to that expected above the Coulomb barrier in the forward hemisphere) and a fair degree of insensitivity to the effects of nuclear distortion and other uncertainties associated with the DWBA. This situation obtains for low Q values, and the relevance is then only to high states of excitation in a (d, p) transition. The (t, d) reaction, on the other hand, enables studies of transitions to the ground state and neighbouring excited states.
Superluminal light pulses, subluminal information transmission

We describe optical pulse propagation through a medium where the group velocity exceeds the speed of light in vacuum. The information velocity is observed to be subluminal, consistent with the special theory of relativity.
Progesterone stimulates cardiac muscle protein synthesis via receptor-dependent pathway

Abstract Objective To examine the effect of ovarian hormones on the regulation of cardiac growth. Design Ovariectomized rat model with replacement of 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P). Setting University research laboratory. Patient(s) Female Sprague-Dawley rats (7–8 weeks old). Intervention(s) Rats were separated into five groups: [1] sham-operated (S; n = 6), [2] ovariectomized plus placebo (OVX; n = 8), [3] OVX plus 17β-E2 (OVX+E2; n = 8), [4] OVX plus P (OVX+P; n = 8), and [5] OVX+E2+P (n = 7). Main outcome measure(s) Cardiac muscle protein synthesis rates, steroid hormone receptor protein expression, and plasma volume. Result(s) Cardiac protein synthesis was greater in OVX+P (mean ± SE; 11.4 ± 1.5% per day) rats compared with S (5.9 ± 0.6%/day), OVX (6.9 ± 0.5%/day), OVX+E2 (5.2 ± 0.4%/day), and OVX+E2+P (6.8 ± 0.3%/day) groups. Treatment of OVX+P rats with the P receptor antagonist RU 486 (n = 9) reduced protein synthesis rates to control levels (7.5 ± 0.5% per day), indicating that P regulates cardiac protein metabolism through a receptor-dependent pathway. Both P and estrogen receptors were found in cardiac tissue homogenates, suggesting the possibility of direct effects of ovarian hormones on the heart. Progesterone replacement had an additional effect of increasing plasma volume. Rats in the OVX+P group had a 20% greater plasma volume compared with animals in the S group (5.24 ± 0.22 vs. 4.19 ± 0.26 mL/100 g). This effect of P replacement to increase plasma volume was not blocked by RU 486 (5.01 ± 0.24 mL/100 g), suggesting that volume expansion was not solely responsible for the effects of P on cardiac protein synthesis. Conclusion(s) Our findings indicate a role for ovarian hormones in the regulation of cardiac growth in female rats.
Angular distribution of high-order harmonics generated in the tunneling regime (Invited Paper)

The angular distribution of high-order harmonics produced in a jet of xenon gas is studied using a 1.053 micrometers wavelength laser. All the harmonics in the 9th to 25th range display approximately equal angular widths with cone angles that are approximately half that of the laser. These widths are significantly large than would be predicted by the lowest order perturbation theory.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
On the measurement of elastoplastic stresses

In principle, one should be able to measure elastoplastic stresses in the same manner as one does elastic stresses; i.e., measure the strains and compute the stresses from the constitutive law. In practice, this is rarely done because of the more complicated material response and the anisotropy of the plastic behavior. Further, elastoplastic stresses should be computed incrementally in the general case.
Stability of biochemical reaction tanks

Abstract In this paper we study the dynamics of a continuously fed chemical reaction tank in which a biological organism promotes the chemical reaction. The mathematical model proposed takes the age structure of the organism into account. An analytic procedure is used to compute the critical parameter ranges which lead to limit cycle oscillations of the population of the organism. Computer simulations are then used to confirm the shape of some of the limit cycles.
The somatic genetic architecture of human cancer: heterogeneity and the challenges for translational medicine

Advances in sequencing technology have led to an unprecedented opportunity to characterize the genomes of human cancers. Our work has been focused on characterizing intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity in several tumor types. Work on breast cancer has revealed substantial complexity of operative cancer genes, with marked diversity between cancers revealed by exome sequencing. Further work in both renal and breast cancer has begun to define the architecture of intratumoral heterogeneity – revealing evidence for substantial branched and, in some cases, convergent evolution within the same tumors. These data and others, particularly as they relate to the challenges of translation and genomics-base medicine will be discussed.
Does morphological plasticity of the Phalaris arundinacea canopy increase invasiveness

Morphological plasticity could facilitate invasions of wetland plants into areas that experience increased durations of flooding and eutrophication. We explored canopy plasticity of Phalaris arundinacea, an aggressive invader of wetlands, as it differentially invaded wet prairie mesocosms under 3 flooding durations and 3 levels of nutrient addition. Phalaris grew as a sward with intermittent and early-season flooding but shifted to tussocks under constant flooding. These two growth forms differed by >20% in several canopy ratios. Clones that formed tussocks produced 45% more shoots per unit biomass (P = 0.007) and a 25% higher ratio of total shoot length to biomass (P = 0.04). Lighter-weight shoots supported 33% fewer leaves and, consequently, had 35% less leaf area per shoot height (P < 0.002). Tussocks developed a continuous mat of adventitious roots, with root mats reaching 20.9 ± 0.6 cm in diameter and 4.7 ± 0.3 cm in height over two growing seasons. While forming tussocks, Phalaris tolerated longer durations of flooding and more than doubled its aboveground biomass. Invasions occurred rapidly, with Phalaris exceeding 75% canopy cover and accounting for 66% of the total aboveground biomass under constant flooding. Early-season flooding increased the lateral spread of individual shoots. High nutrient addition produced shoots that were 27% taller and 50% heavier (P < 0.02), with 81% more leaf area (P < 0.0003) than shoots that received no nutrients. Consequently, under early-season flooding with high nutrient additions, Phalaris was primed to invade, nearly doubling its proportion of the total aboveground biomass and exceeding 50% canopy cover during year two.
Natural language mobile interface to register citizen complaints

Municipal corporation (MC) of a city is a local governing body which takes care of the functioning of the city. Among many other things one of the chief responsibilities of an MC includes addressing the complaints that the residents of the city might have. Maintenance of a large city requires that the MC be aware of any shortcomings either through surveillance (sensors/cameras) or by allowing the citizens to report them. The second option is usually preferred because there is a sense of belonging. A mechanism to accept complaints from citizens 24 times 7 would be the expectation from both the citizens and the MC. The Mumbai MC allows its citizens to place their complaints through several channels. The chief modes of complaint registration is (a) a visit to the ward office - where a person in charge listens to the complaint and asks for some personal details and put it across into an electronic form for other departments within the MC to handle the complaint, (b) through a contact center over a telephone - where the complaint is registered by an call center agent by typing the complaint into the system and more recently (c) through a web portal. In this paper, we propose a natural English enabled mobile interface which can be used to lodge complaints. The essential idea is to make use of the existing web portal infrastructure [6] and provide an easy, cheap and quick (complain as you see) mode of complaint registration around the clock. The proposed system enables and assists citizens to lodge compliant and seek redressal through their mobile phone in natural language.
Finite element design of MgO/Ni system functionally graded materials

Abstract Finite element analysis method was used to simulate the thermal residual stresses generated in MgO/Ni system functionally graded composites during post-sintering stage. All the material properties used for these calculations were obtained experimentally from the non-graded composites, their sintering behaviors, the mechanic and thermal properties were measured at 20% MgO volume fractions interval. A finite element numerical model and the compositional distribution optimization formulation were proposed for MgO/Ni functionally graded materials, the thermal stress distributions inside the graded layers and the MgO ceramic layer were calculated as a function of the composition distribution exponents. The maximum normal stresses developed in the Ni-rich region and released to the lowest level when P was equal to 1.8. The maximum radial and hoop tension released to the lowest level when P was equal to 1.6. The optimum composition distribution exponent P was 1.1 on the consideration of both material strength and the thermal stresses.
On the uniqueness of the Co1 2-local geometry

The object under consideration in this paper is the 2-local geometry of Co1, where Co1 is the first Conway group. This geometry was first introduced in [10]. In our opinion it is fascinating.
Molecular Mechanism of Cholesterol- and Polyphosphoinositide-Mediated Syntaxin Clustering

The neuronal acceptor SNARE complex that functions as the receptor for synaptic vesicle docking and fusion at the presynaptic membrane is composed of the single-span transmembrane protein syntaxin-1A and the palmitoylated soluble protein SNAP-25. Previously, we explored interactions that promote the formation of syntaxin-1A clusters in membranes. Cholesterol activates clustering in native and model membranes, and its depletion in neuroendocrine cells results in a homogeneous distribution of the protein. However, as little as 1 mol % phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI-4,5-P(2)) or 20 mol % phosphatidylserine was found to disperse syntaxin-1A clusters [Murray, D. H., and Tamm, L. K. (2009) Biochemistry 48, 4617-4625]. Strong evidence suggests that syntaxin-1A and its synaptic vesicle cognate synaptobrevin both interact directly with PI-4,5-P(2) and that this interaction activates fusion. However, the molecular details of this interaction and its relationship to the partial dispersion of syntaxin-1A clusters remain largely unexplored. Hence, we mutated the polybasic juxtamembrane motif of syntaxin-1A and found several residues that partially or fully abrogate the electrostatic interaction with PI-4,5-P(2). We further show that even in the presence of physiological concentrations of phosphatidylserine, the PI-4,5-P(2)-syntaxin interaction is sufficiently strong to disrupt syntaxin-1A clustering. The stereochemistry of PI-4,5-P(2) is not critical for this interaction as other polyphosphoinositides have similar effects. Forming an acceptor SNARE complex between syntaxin-1A and SNAP-25 weakens but does not abrogate cholesterol/PI-4,5-P(2)-controlled cluster formation. Potential consequences of these interactions with respect to synaptic vesicle fusion are discussed.
Two‐characteristic markov‐type manpower flow models

Abstract : A two-dimensional state space markov model fo a manpower system with special structure is analyzed. Examples are given from the military services. The probabilistic properties are discussed in detail with emphasis on computation. The basic equations of manpower stocks and flows are analyzed.
Curriculum Policy Seen Through High-Stakes Examinations: Mathematics and Biology in a Selection of School-Leaving Examinations From the Middle East and North Africa

A study of curriculum goals set forth in school-leaving examinations in mathematics and biology from Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia benchmarked against the French baccalaureat examinations. This investigation uncovers and contrasts the goals of secondary education as they are put forward in the tests that are used in the certification of completion of secondary studies in these countries. The work takes advantage of a metric developed for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study efforts to measure educational goals for school mathematics and science. Tests from the sample of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries are found to emphasize traditional content and the ability to recall and apply routine procedures and algorithms. These goals are contrasted with French school-leaving examinations and the implications of these findings for understanding and assessing curriculum policy in MENA, in a context of educational reform and the challenges of economic competiven...
Towards Assurance Cases for Resilient Control Systems

The paper studies the problem of constructing assurance cases for embedded control systems developed using a model-based approach. Assurance cases aim to provide a convincing argument that the system delivers certain guarantees, based on the evidence obtained during the design and evaluation of the system. We suggest an argument strategy centered around properties of models used in the development and properties of tools that manipulate these models. The paper presents the case study of a resilient speed estimator for an autonomous ground vehicle and takes the reader through a detailed assurance case arguing that the estimator computes speed estimates with bounded error.
Quantitating antibody uptake in vivo: conditional dependence on antigen expression levels.

Purpose Antibodies form an important class of cancer therapeutics, and there is intense interest in using them for imaging applications in diagnosis and monitoring of cancer treatment. Despite the expanding body of knowledge describing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions of antibodies in vivo, discrepancies remain over the effect of antigen expression level on tumoral uptake with some reports indicating a relationship between uptake and expression and others showing no correlation.
Buccal drug absorption. I. Comparative levels of esterase and peptidase activities in rat and hamster buccal and intestinal homogenates

Abstract Esterase, aminopeptidase, carboxypeptidase, and endopeptidase activities were quantitated in homogenates of rat and hamster buccal and intestinal tissues. Whole homogenates (cytosol + cell membranes) of both tissues from the rat had higher esterase activity than supernatants of these homogenates. In both species intestinal homogenates showed significantly higher esterase and amino-peptidase activities than buccal homogenates, while carboxypeptidase activity in buccal homogenates was significantly higher than intestinal homogenates. Although hamster buccal and intestinal homogenates had similar levels of endopeptidase activity, rat intestinal homogenates had significantly higher endopeptidase activity than buccal homogenates. The results suggest that the utility of the buccal mucosa as a delivery route for some drugs may be compromised - as with the intestinal mucosa - by the presence of drug-degrading enzymes in the mucosa.
Epithelioid sarcoma. Case report with ultrastructural review, histogenetic discussion, and chemotherapeutic data

A case of abdominal wall epithelioid sarcoma, studied by light and electron microscopy over a 3-year period, is presented. Ultrastructurally, there appear to be two types of tumor cells, light and dark, which differ by virtue of a heavier concentration of microfibrils and dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum in the dark cells. Both tumor cell types contain prominent Golgi systems, abundant free ribosomes, and numerous pinocytotic vesicles. The ultrastructural characteristics of the tumor cells resembel those of epithelioid cells of experimental human granulomas, as well as those of normal human synovium. A multifaceted relationship between histiocytes and synovial cells is demonstrated and it is concluded that the tumor is probably derived from mesenchymal reserve cells capable of differentiating a long histiocytic or synovial lines. Preliminary chemotherapeutic data are reviewed.
Methionine metabolism in mammals: Synthesis of S-adenosylhomocysteine in rat tissues

We have developed a sensitive double-isotope assay to measure the enzymatic synthesis of S-adenosylhomocysteine from adenosine and l-homocysteine. The enzyme is present in all rat tissues except the small intestinal mucosa. In the liver, the enzyme is found in the postmicrosomal supernatant. We studied some of the kinetic properties of the liver enzyme. At high concentration, both substrates inhibit product formation. S-Adenosylmethionine also inhibits the reaction but other metabolites of methiouine do not. The specific activity of the enzyme in liver increases in animals fed a high protein ration. Treatment with hydrocortisone and estradiol also resulted in an increase in the specific activity while administration of thyroxine led to a decrease.
A comparison of ARM and TRM in magnetite

Abstract Experiments comparing anhysteretic remanence (ARM) and thermoremanence (TRM) in samples containing natural and synthetic magnetite, whose mean particle sizes range from single domain to multidomain, show that ARM and TRM are very similar (but not identical) in their stabilities with respect to alternating field (AF) demagnetization, temperature cycles in zero field to below magnetite's isotropic temperature near 130°K, and stability with respect to spontaneous decay in zero field. Therefore, for magnetites, ARM can be used to model (with reasonable success) these stability properties of TRM. The field dependence of the acquisition of ARM and TRM shows that the low field susceptibility ratio, χ ARM /χ TRM , has a particle size dependence, increasing from 0.1 for certain submicron particles to 2.0 for large multidomain crystals. Even for samples whose remanence is predominantly carried by submicron particles χ ARM /χ TRM is highly variable, 0.11 ≤ χ ARM /χ TRM ≤ 0.50 . Therefore, ARM paleointensity methods which do not take into account the large variability in and the particle size dependence of χ ARM /χ TRM are subject to order-of-magnitude uncertainties.
Ultrafast excited-state dynamics in the green fluorescent protein variant S65T/H148D. 3. Short- and long-time dynamics of the excited-state proton transfer.

Steady-state emission, femtosecond pump−probe spectroscopy, and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) measurements were used to study the photophysics and the excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) reactions in the green fluorescent protein (GFP) variant S65T/H148D at three pH values: 6.0, 7.9, and 9.5. Selective mutation of GFP caused a dramatic change in the steady-state and excited-state behavior as compared to the wild-type GFP (wt-GFP) studied earlier. An excitation wavelength dependence of the quantum yield of the strong emission band at 510 nm (I* band) indicates the competition between adiabatic and non-adiabatic excited-state proton-transfer reactions. Pump−probe measurements show that the signal buildup probed at 510 nm is biphasic, where 0.8 of the signal amplitude is ultrashort, <150 fs, and 0.2 of the signal decreases with a ∼10 ps time constant. This effect is a summary result of adiabatic ESPT to the carboxylate group of Asp148 and nonradiative processes. When compared with the lumi...
Perturbation study of nonequilibrium quasiparticle spectra in an infinite-dimensional Hubbard lattice

A model for nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory is constructed for the infinite-dimensional Hubbard lattice. We impose nonequilibrium by expressing the physical orbital as a superposition of a left $(L)$-moving and right $(R)$-moving electronic state with the respective chemical potentials ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{L}$ and ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{R}$. Using the second-order iterative perturbation theory we calculate the quasiparticle properties as a function of the chemical potential bias between the $L$ and $R$ movers, i.e., $\ensuremath{\Phi}={\ensuremath{\mu}}_{L}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{R}$. The evolution of the nonequilibrium quasiparticle spectrum is mapped out as a function of the bias and temperature. The quasiparticle states with the renormalized Fermi-energy scale ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{QP}^{0}$ disappear at $\ensuremath{\Phi}\ensuremath{\sim}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{QP}^{0}$ in the low-temperature limit. The second-order perturbation theory predicts that in the vicinity of the Mott-insulator transition at the Coulomb-parameter $U={U}_{c}$, there exists another critical Coulomb-parameter ${U}_{d}$ $(l{U}_{c})$ such that, for ${U}_{d}lUl{U}_{c}$, quasiparticle states are destroyed abruptly when ${({\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{QP}^{0})}^{2}\ensuremath{\sim}a{(\ensuremath{\pi}{k}_{B}{T}_{c})}^{2}+b{\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{c}^{2}$ with the critical temperature ${T}_{c}$, the critical bias ${\ensuremath{\Phi}}_{c}$, and the numerical constants $a$ and $b$ on the order of unity.
Dynamic Fracture Responses of Alumina and Two Ceramic Composites

A hybrid experimental-numerical procedure was used to characterize the dynamic fracture response of Al2O3 and TiB2-particulate/SiC-matrix and SiC-whisker/Al2O3-matrix composites. Unlike metals and polymers, dynamic arrest stress intensity factors (SIFs) did not exist in the monolithic ceramics and the two ceramic composites considered. Thus a running crack in these materials cannot be arrested by lowering the driving force, i.e., the dynamic SIF. Fractography study of the alumina specimens showed that the area of transgranular failure varied from about 3 percent to about 16 percent for rapid crack extensions in statically and impact loaded specimens, respectively. The influence of kinematic constraints which enforces transgranular flat crack extension, despite the higher fracture energy of transgranular fracture, is discussed.
Smad7 is inactivated through a direct physical interaction with the LIM protein Hic-5/ARA55.

We recently reported that hydrogen peroxide-inducible clone-5 (Hic-5, also named androgen receptor-associated protein 55) can bind to the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-signaling regulator Smad3, thereby inhibiting certain Smad3-dependent TGF-β responses. We now show that Hic-5 can also control TGF-β responses through an alternative mechanism involving Smad7, a key negative regulator of TGF-β signaling. Hic-5 binds directly to Smad7. This interaction requires the LIM3 domain of Hic-5, and enhances TGF-β signaling through causing loss of Smad7 protein but not mRNA. Enforced expression of Hic-5 reverses the ability of Smad7 to suppress TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of Smads 2 and 3 and activation of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promoter (in NRP-154 and PC3 prostate carcinoma and WPMY-1 prostate myofibroblast cell lines). Lentiviral-mediated small-hairpin RNA silencing of endogenous Hic-5 reduced TGF-β responses in PC3 and WPMY-1 cells. Further work suggests that the level of Smad7 is modulated by its physical interaction with Hic-5 and targeted to a degradation pathway not likely to be proteasomal. Our findings support that Hic-5 functions as a cell-type-specific activator of TGF-β signaling through its ability to physically interact with and neutralize Smad7.
HgCdTe focal plane arrays for high performance infrared cameras

Significant advances have been made in growing high quality HgCdTe detector arrays, designing and fabricating multiplexing readouts in submicron CMOS, and in subsequently fabricating large hybrid FPAs having excellent reliability. Consequently, high performance IR cameras are now being routinely developed for diverse applications. For example, FPAs as large as 1024 X 1024 with mean dark current 1 X 1014 Jones are being supplied for IR astronomy. Affordable high performance IR imaging cameras, however, require cost-effective staring focal plane arrays (FPA) that operate at temperatures compatible with long-life, low-power coolers. We thus report a 5 micrometers 256 X 256 FPAs having mean D > 8.8 X 1011 cm-(root)Hz/W with > 99.5 percent pixel operability at 90K operating temperature. The device's large charge capacity enables full coverage of the 3 to 5 micrometers atmospheric window to provide many of the advantages promised by competing staring LWIR sensors including enhanced S/N under stringent operating conditions and reduced background clutter. The staring Hg1-xCdxTe FPAs offer not only high sensitivity, operability and reliability at elevated operating temperatures, but also stable, temporal noise-limited imaging over the 3.4 to 4.8 micrometers passband. We report temporal sensitivity < mK with comparable spatial noise at 95K operating temperature. We also quantify the operating temperature stability required to maintain high sensitivity. Finally, we briefly status our HgCdTe FPA technology by focusing on key off-the-shelf CMOS readouts.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Transcription Factor Phosphorylation by pp90 rsk2 IDENTIFICATION OF Fos KINASE AND NGFI-B KINASE I AS pp90 rsk2

Abstract The in vitro phosphorylation of transcription factors by growth factor-activated protein kinases has resulted in the discovery of a number of activities whose identities and relationships to one another are unclear. Fos kinase is a growth factor-stimulated serine/threonine protein kinase that phosphorylates c-Fos at serine 362 within the carboxyl-terminal regulatory domain. Fos kinase activation is dependent on p21ras and mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase kinase (MEK) activity and is independent of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity. We have purified Fos kinase by affinity chromatography using the Sepharose-linked protein kinase inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide (BIM). Fos kinase has an apparent molecular mass of 88 kDa, and mass spectrophotometric analysis of the isolated protein showed that it produced tryptic fragments identical to those predicted for pp90rsk2. Fos kinase isolated from nerve growth factor-stimulated PC12 cells is indistinguishable from NGFI-B kinase I, based on their chromatographic behavior, substrate specificities, and relative sensitivity to BIM. Furthermore, we have distinguished Fos kinase from calcium/cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) kinase. Therefore, Fos kinase and NGFI-B kinase I and pp90rsk2 represent the same protein kinase species. Moreover, we report that pp90rsk2 exists within nerve growth factor-stimulated PC12 cells as two chromatographically and immunologically distinct species. Finally, we demonstrate that CREB kinase is distinct from pp90rsk2.
Playing with Fire, or the Stuffing of Dead Animals: Freire, Dewey, and the Dilemma of Social Studies Reform

In his proposal for a social studies both more critical and more participatory, Neumann's (2008) politically adaptive strategy of invoking standards for critical thinking poses troubling concerns for democratic-minded educators familiar with the trajectory of reforms. Neumann's outright dismissal of critical pedagogy ironically underscores how the political nature of educational knowledge itself mitigates the possibility of a more critical orientation. A reexamination of the Dewey-Lippmann debates points to the pivotal roles of dissent, dialogue and critical agency in democracy, and to the conclusion that, despite recent criticisms, critical pedagogy represented by Freire best meets Neumann's goal of a more “holistic approach to democratic health” (332).