cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Carbon Nano Fiber Reinforced SC-15 Epoxy

In the present investigation we have developed a novel technique to fabricate nanocomposite materials containing SC-15 epoxy resin and carbon nano fiber (CNF). A high intensity ultrasonic liquid processor was used to obtain a homogeneous molecular mixture of epoxy resin and carbon nano fiber. The carbon nano fibers were infused into the part A of SC-15 (Diglycidylether of Bisphenol A) through sonic cavitations and then mixed with part B of SC-15 (cycloaliphatic amine hardener) using a high speed mechanical agitator. The trapped air and reaction volatiles were removed from the reaction mixture using high vacuum. TGA, DMA and 3-point bending tests were performed on unfilled, 1wt. %, 2wt. % and 4wt. % CNF filled SC-15 epoxy to identify the loading effect on thermal and mechanical properties of the composites. The flexural results indicate that both modulus and strength increased with increasing loading percentage of CNF. DMA studies also revealed that filling the carbon nano fiber into epoxy can improve storage modulus and Tg compared to neat system. However, TGA results show that thermal stability of composite insensitive to the fiber content. The fracture surfaces, dispersions and morphological changes of composites were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). These results indicate that the carbon nano fiber is about 200nm in the diameter and 20–100um in the length and are nearly uniformly dispersed over the entire volume of the resin.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Functional domains of the receptor-associated protein (RAP).

Abstract The receptor-associated protein (RAP) specifically associates with gp330 and the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein (LRP), the two newest members of the LDL receptor gene family. Results obtained by ligand blotting, affinity chromatography, and density-gradient sedimentation demonstrate that RAP binds to both receptors with high affinity and that the binding is Ca2+ dependent. RAP also binds heparin and is identical to a mouse heparin binding protein (HBP-44) identified in a teratocarcinoma cell line (F9). While biochemical studies have shown that RAP is present on the cell surface and is an effective inhibitor of ligand binding to gp330 and LRP, immunocytochemical findings indicate that RAP is most abundant in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen and may function in receptor folding and/or trafficking. To facilitate the characterization of RAP's function(s) we have mapped its gp330 and heparin binding sites by performing direct binding studies on fusion proteins representing overlapping domains of RAP. gp330 was found to bind to two separate sites on RAP--i.e., between amino acids 85-148 and 178-248. Binding studies with radiolabeled heparin indicate that the heparin binding site is between amino acids 261 and 323, which is consistent with our previously proposed site (residues 287-306) based on the amphipathic nature of the C terminus of RAP. These data demonstrate that the gp330 and heparin binding sites and the Heymann nephritis pathogenic epitope (amino acids 1-86) demonstrated earlier are represented by distinct domains of the RAP polypeptide.
Tests of Direct-Sampling Coherent Detection with a Laboratory Analog-to-Digital Converter

Phase accuracy and simplicity advantages of a direct-sampling coherent detection (DCD) system were demonstrated by computer simulation in earlier correspondence. This correspondence reviews the DCD approach and reports the results of experiments involving digitized samples of analog signals taken by a high-quality, off-the-shelf A/Dconverter. IF signals near 10, 20, and 30 MHz were sampled at 5 MHzresulting in rms DCD phase errors generally below 0.50 compared witherrors less than 0.20 computed in the earlier simulations.
Mammosomatotropes: current status and possible functions.

Abstract Recent studies show that mammosomatotropes—cells that secrete both growth hormone and prolactin—are common in normal pituitary tissue. It is proposed that these dual hormone secretors serve as transitional cells for the differentiation of classical mammotropes during development, and for the functional interconversion of growth hormone and prolactin secretors in adults.
Novel benzoxazine monomer containing diacetylene linkage: An approach to benzoxazine thermosets with low polymerization temperature without added initiators or catalysts

Abstract A novel benzoxazine monomer containing diacetylene linkage has been synthesized by applying an oxidative coupling approach. The structure is confirmed by 1 H and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to study crosslinking behavior of synthesized material. The benzoxazine monomer exhibits unexpectedly low exothermic peak with the onset around 140 °C, which is significantly lower than conventional benzoxazines or benzoxazines containing additional crosslinking sites. Benzoxazine polymerization at this low temperature is also confirmed by FTIR. The initial model studies are made in order to understand this phenomenon and preliminary explanation is given. High thermal stability of the crosslinked thermoset was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).
Tiam1 and βPIX mediate Rac‐dependent endothelial barrier protective response to oxidized phospholipids

Oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (OxPAPC) exhibits potent barrier protective effects on pulmonary endothelium, which are mediated by small GTPases Rac and Cdc42. However, upstream mechanisms of OxPAPC-induced small GTPase activation are not known. We studied involvement of Rac/Cdc42-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) Tiam1 and betaPIX in OxPAPC-induced Rac activation, cytoskeletal remodeling, and barrier protective responses in the human pulmonary endothelial cells (EC). OxPAPC induced membrane translocation of Tiam1, betaPIX, Cdc42, and Rac, but did not affect intracellular distribution of Rho and Rho-specific GEF p115-RhoGEF. Protein depletion of Tiam1 and betaPIX using siRNA approach abolished OxPAPC-induced activation of Rac and its effector PAK1. EC transfection with Tiam1-, betaPIX-, or PAK1-specific siRNA dramatically attenuated OxPAPC-induced barrier enhancement, peripheral actin cytoskeletal enhancement, and translocation of actin-binding proteins cortactin and Arp3. These results show for the first time that Tiam1 and betaPIX mediate OxPAPC-induced Rac activation, cytoskeletal remodeling, and barrier protective response in pulmonary endothelium.
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)

May 2009 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) program at the Library of Congress. NUCMC is a free of charge cooperative cataloging program, partnered by the Library and eligible repositories located throughout the United States and its territories, which provides and promotes bibliographic access to the nation's documentary heritage. The following questions will be answered in this article: Who qualifies for the program? How does the program work? What types of material are, and are not, cataloged by NUCMC? What type of descriptive information needs to be provided to NUCMC? In what ways does an institution benefit from participation in the program? How does the researcher benefit? Why is the program important?
Aneurysms of the Thoracic Aorta A Clinical Study with Special Reference to Prognosis

The clinical features and follow-up data on 107 patients who had a clinical diagnosis of aneurysm of the thoracic aorta made at the Mayo Clinic in the period 1945 through 1955 were reviewed. The ratio of male to female was 2.8 to 1, and the average age at the time of diagnosis was 59.3 years. Fusiform aneurysms were four times as frequent as saccular aneurysms; the most common location of the former was the descending thoracic aorta and of the latter the ascending thoracic aorta. Most of the aneurysms (73 per cent) were probably arteriosclerotic in origin. Symptoms, usually pain, and physical signs were present in a minority of patients and indicated a large aneurysm with a poor prognosis. Diastolic hypertension was present in almost half of the patients at the time of diagnosis and had an adverse effect on the patient9s survival. Associated arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease was present in 40 (37 per cent) of the patients at the time of diagnosis; some of these patients had multiple associated cardiovascular lesions. The presence of associated coronary, cerebral, or other peripheral arterial occlusive or aneurysmal disease had the most deleterious effect on survival. The prognosis for patients with large aneurysms was poorer than for those with small aneurysms. Information as to the cause of death was available in 59 (83 per cent) of the 71 patients known to be dead at the time of follow-up. Approximately a third of the deaths were due to rupture of the thoracic aortic aneurysm, and approximately a half, to associated cardiovascular disease, particularly that due to arteriosclerosis. It is believed that this study of patients with untreated aneurysms of the thoracic aorta may be used as a guide to the selection of patients with aneurysm for surgical treatment and may serve as a basis for evaluating the long-term results of such treatment.
Influence of maceral content on δ13C and δ15N in a Middle Pennsylvanian coal

Abstract Using density-gradient centrifugation, within-sample heterogeneity in C/N, δ13C, and δ15N was determined for a sample of the Blue Gem coal bed (Middle Pennsylvanian, Duckmantian (Westphalian B), Breathitt Formation) and related to maceral (petrographically identifiable organic component) composition. Relatively pure macerals were separated by density, with purities up to 99% in the case of vitrinite in fractions around 1.3 g/mL. Lower density fractions (∼ 1.2 g/mL) contain predominantly liptinite (∼ 75%) but also significant amounts of vitrinite (∼ 20%). Denser fractions contain increasing amounts of inertinite, with several fractions between 1.37 and 1.44 g/mL containing > 98% total inertinite. Within these denser fractions, semifusinite concentrated at lower densities than did fusinite. The separation of macerals by density allowed a more detailed evaluation of the isotopic composition of relatively pure macerals within a single coal. δ13C becomes increasingly heavy across the density gradient, with δ13C values being lightest in the liptinites, followed by vitrinite, and then semifusinite and fusinite; by contrast, δ15N becomes lighter across the same density range. C/H increases with density, reflecting a general decrease in aliphatic components and increase in aromatic components. C/N follows a similar pattern, ranging from 1.32, the point at which inertinite macerals begin to predominate over vitrinite. The isotopic composition of macerals reflects chemical composition, which in turn reflects: 1) the original composition of plant tissues from which the macerals originated; 2) early diagenetic changes; and 3) changes during coalification. Macerals derived from lipid-rich precursor materials (liptinites) have more depleted δ13C values (∼ 2‰) relative to those derived from woody tissues (vitrinite). Fusinized material, derived from fossil charcoal, has δ13C values enriched by ∼ 0.5‰ compared with the vitrinite, consistent with the results from combustion experiments using modern plant tissues. Vitrinite fractions have enriched δ15N values relative to inertinite fractions, which may reflect early diagenetic changes in woody tissues involving preferential loss of 14N, possibly due to bacterial activity during the peat-forming stage. Due to the within-sample variability in carbon isotopic composition reported here, it is suggested that chemostratigraphic studies based on Type III kerogen (including both dispersed organic matter and coals) carefully consider the associated effects of variability in maceral composition.
A Rugged 3 kMc/s, 40-Watt Transmitting Tetrode

A planar tetrode developed primarily for the amplification of r.f. power in the region of 3 kMc/s, is described. The valve comprises a rugged, thermally stable electrode structure capable of providing 40 watts of c.w. output power at 3 kMc/s with a gain of 7·5 dB. Some unusual design features of the valve and relevant performance data are presented.
Achieving Bayes MMSE performance in the sparse signal + Gaussian white noise model when the noise level is unknown

Recent work on Approximate Message Passing algorithms in compressed sensing focuses on `ideal' algorithms which at each iteration face a subproblem of recovering an unknown sparse signal in Gaussian white noise. The noise level in each subproblem changes from iteration to iteration in a way that depends on the underlying signal (which we don't know!). For such algorithms to be used in practice, it seems we need an estimator that achieves the MMSE when the noise level is unknown. In this paper we solve this problem using convex optimization, Stein Unbiased Risk Estimates and Huber Splines.
A germ cell origin of embryonic stem cells

Because embryonic stem (ES) cells are generally derived by the culture of inner cell mass (ICM) cells, they are often assumed to be the equivalent of ICM cells. However, various evidence indicates that ICM cells transition to a different cell type during ES-cell derivation. Historically, ES cells have been believed to most closely resemble pluripotent primitive ectoderm cells derived directly from the ICM. However, differences between ES cells and primitive ectoderm cells have caused developmental biologists to question whether ES cells really have an in vivo equivalent, or whether their properties merely reflect their tissue culture environment. Here, we review recent evidence that the closest in vivo equivalent of an ES cell is an early germ cell.
Interventional Treatment of Hypertension: A New Paradigm

Hypertension is thought to contribute to more than 7 million deaths worldwide each year and contributes to the development of atherosclerotic lesions that lead to myocardial infarction and stroke. While lifestyle modifications (diet, exercise, weight loss) and pharmacotherapy have been proven to be effective in the treatment of hypertension, as many as half of patients have uncontrolled BP and remain at risk for elevated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The main physiologic targets for interventional treatment include alteration of blood flow to the kidney, activation of the carotid baroreflex system, and modification of the renal sympathetic nervous system. The results of prior studies and new studies of interventional treatments of resistant hypertension are covered in this review.
Optical detection of buried explosive hazards: a longitudinal comparison of three types of imagery

Visual detection of soil disturbances is a surprisingly effective, but far from perfect way of detecting buried explosive threats such as landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This effort builds upon the few systematic studies of optical detection in this area. It investigates observer sensitivity to optical information produced by the burial of anti-tank and small anti-personnel landmines asking “How detectable are disturbed soil signatures captured in visible (VIS), shortwave infrared (SWIR), and thermal infrared (TIR), bands?” “Which band or bands are most effective for detection?” and “How well does each band support detection in the natural environment over time?” Using signal detection procedures this study presented young adults photographs showing soil disturbed by landmine burial or adjacent undisturbed surfaces with instructions to make decisions about the presence or absence of a disturbance. Stimuli spanned a six-week time period over which VIS, SWIR, and TIR imagery was collected. Results show that (a) signal strength persists surprisingly well over the observation period, (b) generally, SWIR and VIS show consistently strong performance for large anti-tank mines and SWIR shows the soil signature for the small, anti-personnel mine remarkably well. TIR lags the other two bands when using d’ to measure performance, but shows promising hit rates for anti-tank mine signatures under appropriate conditions. Generally, results show that the SWIR and VIS bands show most promise as a practical means of explosive hazards detection, although TIR can work effectively for large anti-tank mines under certain conditions. Limitations and implications for further research are discussed.
Inference about genetic correlations.

In polygenic systems genetic correlations and the factors and specific genetic variances from genetic correlation matrices are often interpreted in terms of sets of genes common or specific to variables. While these inferences may indeed be true, a genetic correlation is not always sufficient evidence for the inferences. In some cases two variables with all genes in common can have low genetic correlations, and systems with only a few genes in common can have high genetic correlations. The assumptions about genic effects in polygenic systems and their effects on a genetic correlation are explicated and discussed. It is suggested that a distinction be made betweenbiological pleiotropism andstatistical pleiotropism to promote more accurate communication about the genetic associations among traits.
[The P wave, P-R interval, and Q-T ratio of the normal orthogonal electrocardiogram].

The shortcomings of electrocardiographic time measurements from single leads have been noted before. With the use of simultaneously recorded corrected, orthogonal leads it is possible to evaluate better the time phase relationships of the electrocardiogram. The present study involves a statistical analysis of measurements of the P-wave duration, P-R interval, P-R segment, Q-T duration, and Q-T ratio of a group of 133 normal subjects.
Forskolin and Methylxanthines Block the Increase in Intracellular pH During Meiosis in Xenopus laevis Oocytes

Xenopus oocytes, arrested in late prophase of the meiotic cell cycle, undergo nuclear membrane breakdown (Germinal Vesicle Breakdown, GVBD) in response to progesterone stimulation. During this prophase/M-phase transition the oocytes undergo an increase in their intracellular pH (pHi) from 7.3 to 7.7 in response to the steroid. This increase in pHi appears to be due to the activation of Na+/H+ antiporters in the oocyte plasma membrane. Several studies have shown that the pathway leading to GVBD is blocked by forskolin or methylxanthines which elevate cAMP levels within the oocyte. We have found that these same compounds also blocked the up-regulation of the Na+/H+ exchangers during oocyte meiotic maturation.
Labor Supply Decisions of Farm Families

Faced with changing economic opportunities, farm operators have increasingly been dividing their work time between self-employed farm work and the wage labor market--a situation that can be best described as multiple labor market participation. By 1969, the year in which the Rural Income Maintenance Experiment (RIME) began, over 54% of all farm operators in the United States had off-farm sources of income, primarily from wage work (U.S. Dep. Commerce). This figure had risen almost ten percentage points since the end of the previous decade. Wage market participation rates of the two samples in the RIME are quite similar to the national averages for farm operators with the respective levels of farm sales. Over 33% of the experiment's Iowa farm operators and 58% of the North Carolina operators held wage jobs at some time during the three experimental years. When the labor market activities of both husbands and wives are considered, in almost 50% of the Iowa farm families and 78% of the North Carolina families either the farm operator, his wife, or both held wage jobs. However, wage work provided only a secondary source of income: for families participating in both labor markets, only about 23% of all earned income in Iowa and 48% of that in North Carolina derived from wage work. These figures for the labor market activities of farm families clearly indicate that a study of their labor supply should focus on both the self-employment and the wage labor markets. Thus, this study analyzes the effects that an experimental negative income tax (NIT) program would have on farm family labor supply given multiple labor market opportunities. Theoretical considerations related to the study are presented, followed by a summary of the actual analysis. The final section of this paper discusses the main findings and places them in the perspective of the overall farm-related analysis conducted as part of the evaluation of the RIME.
Fast and high accuracy multiscale multigrid method with multiple coarse grid updating strategy for the 3D convection-diffusion equation

An improved multiscale multigrid method with multiple coarse grid updating strategy for a three dimensional convection-diffusion equation is presented. The novelty of the proposed method lies in a fine grid updating strategy arising from the idea of multiple coarse grid computation. The new fine grid updating strategy is able to replace the iterative refinement procedure in the existing multiscale multigrid method (Wang and Zhang, 2010) [16] to obtain high order solutions. Since the proposed method needs a fourth order compact scheme with unequal-meshsize grids, a 19 point fourth order compact difference scheme with unequal meshsize in different coordinate directions is also developed for the three dimensional convection-diffusion equation. Numerical results are given to compare the computed accuracy and the computational efficiency of the multiscale multigrid method with the multiple coarse grid updating strategy against the multiscale multigrid method with the iterative refinement procedure.
Isolated Sphenoid Sinusitis: Problems in Diagnosis and Therapy:

Isolated sphenoid sinusitis is relatively uncommon and may present with a variety of symptoms. Therefore, it is often misdiagnosed, or detected only when complications develop. As skull base surger...
Least Squares Estimation of Molecular Distance - Noise Abatement in Phylogenetic Reconstruction

Zuckerkandl and Pauling (1962, "Horizons in Biochemistry," pp. 189-225, Academic Press, New York) first noticed that the degree of sequence similarity between the proteins of different species could be used to estimate their phylogenetic relationship. Since then models have been developed to improve the accuracy of phylogenetic inferences based on amino acid or DNA sequences. Most of these models were designed to yield distance measures that are linear with time, on average. The reliability of phylogenetic reconstruction, however, depends on the variance of the distance measure in addition to its expectation. In this paper we show how the method of generalized least squares can be used to combine data types, each most informative at different points in time, into a single distance measure. This measure reconstructs phylogenies more accurately than existing non-likelihood distance measures. We illustrate the approach for a two-rate mutation model and demonstrate that its application provides more accurate phylogenetic reconstruction than do currently available analytical distance measures.
SYNTHESIS, REACTIVITY, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF RUTHENOCENES BEARING PENTAZINCATED CYCLOPENTADIENYL LIGANDS

Treatment of pentakis(chloromercurio)pentamethylruthenocene or decakis(chloromercurio)ruthenocene with dimethylzinc affords ruthenocenes containing pentazincated cyclopentadienyl ligands. The reactivity of the perzincated ruthenocenes is presented, along with insight into the structures of these species.
An ethno-epidemiological model for the study of trends in illicit drug use: reflections on the 'emergence' of crack injection

Abstract Public health, including the prevention of drug use, has long relied upon sentinel marker data obtained from national and regional tracking systems in order to forecast changes in patterns of drug abuse. More recently, these types of data have also played an important role in monitoring particular types of medical consequences associated with drug use, including the spread of HIV, HBV, HCV and other viral infections prevalent in IDU populations. While these types of data may provide an important sources of information about changes in drug use and its consequences, the limits of these sources of data have also become widely apparent. Based on a patchwork of institutionally-derived sources of data (e.g. emergency departments, drug treatment admissions, and law enforcement data on drug seizures and arrests), sentinel marker data typically fail to capture a number of "hidden populations" evidencing "hidden" drug-related risk behaviours. Many of these populations and behavioural practices only become apparent well after they have become diffused across regions and diverse drug user subpopulations, making prevention more difficult and more expensive. Furthermore, these systems cannot capture patterns of episodic use, such as those evidenced in crack injection. Ethnographic methods, including field-based community assessment, semi-structured qualitative interviews, and targeted observation of "natural" venues in which drugs are bought, sold, and used, have the potential to overcome some of the limitations from which "systems data" often suffer. Drawing on an ethno-epidemiological approach, our ongoing multi-site research on the use of injection as a mode of administration in the use of crack cocaine is a case in point, and illustrates the potential utility an ethnographic model for the identification and tracking of emergent and ongoing drug use practices.
Sex ratio in hybrids between Silene alba and Silene dioica : evidence for Y-linked restorers

Sex ratio in Silene alba is generally female biased, and the bias is influenced by Y-linked alleles that are polymorphic in natural populations. One interpretation of these alleles is that they enhance the production of males in female-biased populations, i.e. they are restorers. Two Silene species, S. alba and S. dioica, and their reciprocal hybrids were used to investigate the inheritance of sex ratio and the relationship between sex ratio and male fertility. Sex ratio was paternally inherited (i.e. Y-linked), but was also strongly influenced by the maternal parent through an interaction with the Y chromosome. These results corroborate previous work on the inheritance of sex ratio within S. alba, and suggest that sex ratio in S. alba and S. dioica has a similar genetic basis. Examination of the maternal by Y chromosome interaction revealed that the Y chromosome of each species produced a more severe female bias in crosses with females of the opposite species. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the alleles expressed in the maternal parent cause the female bias, while the Y-linked alleles tend to restore sex ratio toward equality.
On the presence of oscillation in the V-I curve of type II superconductors relationship to the flux-flow noise voltage

Abstract The recently observed oscillations on the V-I curves in the vicinity of fields corresponding to the peak in I c are suggested to be flux-flow noise voltages usually observed in type II superconductors and should be analyzed accordingly.
Understanding the Optical Band Shape: Coumarin-153 Steady-State Spectroscopy

We have developed a band-shape analysis of optical transitions in polarizable chromophores characterized by large magnitudes of the transition dipole (intense transitions). The model is tested on steady-state spectra of the coumarin-153 optical dye, employing an explicit solvent description accounting for dipole moment, quadrupole moment, and polarizability of the solvent molecules. The calculations are performed for solvents ranging from nondipolar to strongly dipolar. The solvent dependence of both the experimental Stokes shift and the spectral width is satisfactorily reproduced over the whole polarity range. The optical width is shown to demonstrate a qualitatively different solvent dependence for absorption and emission. The solvent-induced absorption width increases with solvent polarity, whereas the solvent-induced emission width passes through a maximum. This is a result of non-Gaussian statistics of the energy gap fluctuations in polarizable/electronically delocalized chromophores. The total (i.e....
Can agricultural fungicides accelerate the discovery of human antifungal drugs

Twelve drugs from four chemical classes are currently available for treatment of systemic fungal infections in humans. By contrast, more than 100 structurally distinct compounds from over 30 chemical classes have been developed as agricultural fungicides, and these fungicides target many modes of action not represented among human antifungal drugs. In this article we introduce the diverse aspects of agricultural fungicides and compare them with human antifungal drugs. We propose that the information gained from the development of agricultural fungicides can be applied to the discovery of new mechanisms of action and new antifungal agents for the management of human fungal infections.
Theory and Comparison of Reduced Order Models of Induction Machines

Three methods of deriving linearized, reduced order models of induction machines are presented and compared. The first is the familiar method of neglecting stator transients (p?terms). Although the development of the second method is similar to the first, it yields a model with substantially different dynamic characteristics. In the third method, only the fast components of the stator flux linkages are neglected in the solution of the slower rotor variables rather than neglecting the rate of change of stator flux linkages (p?terms). This refinement markedly improves the accuracy of the resulting reduced order model. The improvement is demonstrated by comparison of the response characteristics predicted by the three reduced models with that predicted by the complete or detailed model.
Effects of response experience and concurrent hypothalamic stimulation on electrically elicited behavior

Rats that received specific drinking experience during electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus (ESLH) were tested to see if the type of behavior to be induced by subsequent ESLH could be influenced. The results indicated that the initial behaviors evoked by ESLH are not affected by a previous contiguity between stimulation and response. Although electrically induced behaviors are sensitive to internal states and external stimuli, these factors have a minimal effect on the type of behavior that initially emerges.
Thin film dilute ferromagnetic semiconductors Sb 2 − x Cr x Te 3 with a Curie temperature up to 190 K

Thin film semiconductors ${\mathrm{Sb}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Cr}}_{x}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ $(0\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.59)$ based on tetradymite-type structure of ${\mathrm{Sb}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ have been prepared on the (0001) sapphire substrates by low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy. The films display ferromagnetism with the Curie temperature increasing nearly linearly with the content of Cr incorporated in the lattice. The highest Curie temperature reached so far is $190\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ in a ${\mathrm{Sb}}_{1.41}{\mathrm{Cr}}_{0.59}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ film. Structural studies, magnetic characterization, and transport measurements indicate the robust nature of the magnetic state that has its easy axis of magnetization perpendicular to the plane of the film. The structures thus represent diluted magnetic semiconductors with a high Curie temperature and highly anisotropic properties.
Quantum cryptographic entangling probe implementation

For a general entangling probe attacking the BB84 protocol in quantum key distrobution, I show that the simplest quantum circuit representing the optimal entangling probe, and yielding the maximum information gain on the pre-privacy-amplified key, consisting of a single CNOT gate in which the control qubit consists of two polarization-basis states of the signal, the target qubit consists of two probe-photon polarization basis states, and the initial state of the probe is set by the error rate induced by the probe. A method is determined for measuring the appropriate correlated state of the probe. Finally, a possible implementation of the entangling probe is described. the device is a simple special-purpose quantum cryptography.
Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Despite recent advances in novel therapies, the prognosis for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) remains poor. Progress in understanding the biology of cancer has led to the development of personalized therapy targeted at blocking defective signaling pathways of cancer cells. These drugs aim to act selectively to reduce the adverse effects associated with systemic therapy. Cetuximab (Erbitux®), an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR)-targeted agent, is the only approved targeted therapy for patients with SCCHN. However, resistance to EGFR therapy remains a major obstacle to achieving a positive clinical outcome with cetuximab. Other therapies that offer better clinical outcomes in patients with advanced SCCHN are urgently needed. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, which is downstream of EGFR, has also been implicated in SCCHN development and progression, and therefore, targeting this pathway offers another rational treatment approach. This review discusses the potential role of PI3K pathway inhibitors in the treatment of patients with advanced SCCHN, both alone and in combination with other therapies.
Electronic perturbation investigations into excitation and ionization in the millisecond pulsed glow discharge plasma

Abstract This study employed a power perturbation method to examine the energy transfer processes at different locations within the afterpeak regime of a millisecond pulsed glow discharge plasma. Brief power perturbation pulses were applied during the afterpeak regime altering the environment of the collapsing plasma. Responses of several transitions to the power perturbations were measured via atomic emission and absorption spectroscopic methods at various distances from the surface of the cathode. The experimental data provide further insight into the energy transfer processes that occur at different spatial locations and in different temporal regimes of these pulsed glow discharge plasmas. Although the enhancement of the large population of metastable argon atoms is again confirmed, the mechanism responsible for this enhancement remains unclear. The most likely possibility involves some form of ion–electron recombination followed by radiative relaxation of the resulting species. The metastable argon atoms subsequently Penning ionize sputtered copper atoms which then appear to undergo a similar ion–electron recombination process yielding variable degrees of observable afterpeak emission for copper atom transitions. The kinetic information of these processes was approximated from the corresponding relaxation time. The electron thermalization time allowing for recombination with ions was found to be ∼25 μs after the discharge power termination.
Drawdown Analysis of Slopes by Numerical Method

A numerical procedure is used to analyze slopes subjected to transient free surface seepage. The procedure combines a finite element scheme with a method of slope-stability analysis. The finite element scheme allows computations of time dependent locations of free surface, and the stability analysis method permits computation of factor of safety. The final results are plotted in terms of charts expressed through a number of nondimensional quantities. It is found that the value of the lowest factor of safety by the proposed procedure is approximately equal to that from the conventional assumption of sudden drawdown. The procedure can be found to be more economical if the designer can adopt drawdown ratios less than unity. The numerical procedures can provide an improved understanding of the behavior of slopes during transient drawdown conditions.
Dogmatic Slumbers: American Business and Health Policy

For more than a decade students of health policy have predicted a revolution waged by corporate purchasers of health care who would rise in demand of public policy cures for increasing and burdensome health care costs. This forecast has been largely disappointed, however, as the business sector has remained oddly diffident in its demands for health policy reform. There are three reasons for business's reticence--the economic stakes of the corporate sector in health reform are uncertain, organizational encumbrances hamper business activism in this arena, and ideological convictions make business wary of governmental solutions. Although business is sometimes said to manipulate the policy process for its own material ends, in the health sphere the most likely road to reform may reverse this image: a newly activist federal government may have to mobilize business support for reforms that advance both corporate interests and larger social goals.
On Picard–Vessiot extensions with group PGL3

Let F be a differential field of characteristic zero with algebraically closed field of constants. We provide an explicit description of the twisted Lie algebras of PGL3-equivariant derivations on the coordinate rings of F -irreducible PGL3-torsors in terms of nine-dimensional central simple algebras over F . We use this to construct a Picard–Vessiot extension which is the function field of a non-trivial torsor and which is a generic extension for PGL3.
Global financing and long-term technical assistance for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: scaling up access to treatment.

Thomas Hwang and Salmaan Keshavjee argue that a market-based strategy combined with long-term in-country technical assistance should be used to scale-up access to the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
Analysis of Chlamydia pneumoniae Growth in Cells by Reverse Transcription-PCR Targeted to Bacterial Gene Transcripts

Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular bacterium and has a unique development cycle consisting of an elementary body (EB) and reticular body (RB). EBs survive in extracellular environments as well as infect susceptible host cells. However, EBs display no measurable metabolic activity. In contrast, RBs are metabolically active and can replicate in a host cell but are noninfectious. Therefore, analysis of C. pneumoniae growth in infected cells by conventional bacterial culture may not permit sufficient information about growth of the bacteria in cells. In this study, therefore, we examined the usefulness of the reverse transcription (RT)-PCR method for analysis of bacterial transcripts to evaluate C. pneumoniae growth in HEp-2 cells because the levels of bacterial gene transcripts are known to show the metabolic activity of bacteria. The transcripts for the C. pneumoniae hsp60 gene and 16S rRNA in the cells were easily detected just after infection, followed by a marked increase. In contrast, pyk and omcB transcripts slowly increased after a latent period. The hydrocortisone treatment of C. pneumoniae-infected cells induced an increase of all bacterial transcripts tested compared with the control group. The treatment of the infected cells with the antibiotic minocycline showed a selective inhibition of bacterial gene transcripts, even though the complete inhibition of EB production determined by the bacterial culture assay was evident. These results indicate that the determination of bacterial gene transcripts by RT-PCR might be a powerful method to analyze in detail growth of C. pneumoniae in host cells, particularly altered bacterial growth caused by agents such as antimicrobials.
Oral Contraceptive Steroids as Promoters of Hepatocarcinogenesis in Female Sprague-Dawley Rats

A number of reports have described the occurrence of liver cell adenomas in women using oral contraceptives. Circum stantial evidence derived from human and early experimental animal data, together with the recent report of Taper [Cancer (Phila.), 42: 462-467, 1978], suggests that oral contraceptive steroids may be liver tumor promoters. The objective of this study was to determine whether the feeding of two commonly used oral contraceptive steroids, mestranol and norethynodrel, can promote diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-initiated hepatocarcinogenesis. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were partially hepatectomized and intubated with either water or DEN (5 mg/kg body weight) 24 hr later. Twenty-four hr after carcinogen treatment, the animals were separated into seven groups (15 rats/group). The treatment groups were as follows: DEN â€”Â» mestranol, DEN â€”>norethynodrel, DEN â€”Â» mestranol plus norethynodrel, DEN -> 0.05% phA©nobarbital, DEN -Â»basal diet, H?O â€”>phA©nobarbital,and H2O â€”Â» mestranol plus nor ethynodrel. Steroid consumption was mestranol = 0.02 to 0.03 mg/kg body weight/day and norethynodrel = 0.5 to 0.75 mg/ kg/day. These doses are equivalent to 10 to 15 times the human dose. Five animals from each group were killed after 4 months and ten after 9 months. Histochemically detectable yglutamyl transpeptidase positive foci, together with hematoxylin and eosin-detectable lesions and y-glutamyl transpeptidase enzyme activity were scored in each liver. At both kill times, DEN-initiated animals fed diets containing mestranol, mestranol plus norethynodrel and phA©nobarbitalhad significantly greater numbers of y-glutamyl transpeptidase foci (p < 0.05) than did the controls. In addition, DEN-initiated animals fed diets con taining mestranol or mestranol plus norethynodrel had greater numbers of basophilic foci than did animals in the other groups. These results suggest that the oral contraceptive steroid mes tranol is a promoter of the appearance of putative precursor lesions of hepatocarcinogenesis.
Consequences of a Cosmological Phase Transition at the TeV Scale

A finite vacuum energy density implies the existence of a UV scale for gravitational modes. This gives a phenomenological scale to the dynamical equations governing the cosmological expansion that must satisfy constraints consistent with quantum measurability and spatial flatness. Examination of these constraints for the observed dark energy density establishes a time interval from the transition to the present, suggesting major modifications from the thermal equations of state far from Planck density scales. The assumption that a phase transition initiates the radiation dominated epoch is shown under several scenarios to be able to produce fluctuations to the CMB of the order observed. Quantum measurability constraints (eg. uncertainly relations) define cosmological scales bounded by luminal expansion rates. It is shown that the dark energy can consistently be interpreted as being due to the vacuum energy of collective gravitational modes which manifest as the zero-point motions of coherent Planck scale mass units prior to the UV scale onset of gravitational quantum de-coherence for the cosmology. A cosmological model with multiple scales, one of which replaces an apparent cosmological “constant”, is shown to reproduce standard cosmology during intermediate times, while making the exploration of the early and late time cosmology more accessible.
A Taxonomy of Relationships

This paper presents a theory of the determinants of relationships that leads to a taxonomy of relationships. In this taxonomy one class of relationships, attachments,- includes relationships that are maintained by the incorporation of an image of the other into an emotional system associated with feelings of security. A second class of relationships, affiliations, includes relationships that are maintained by a sense of alliance based on common interest. It is proposed that the theory underlying the taxonomy explains several of the ways in which relationships differ.
Parent safety perceptions of child walking routes

Walking rates to school remain low for U.S. children in large part due to parent concern for child safety. Little research exists that identifies which features of streets and intersection lead parents to feel that walking is unsafe for their children. In this study, parent volunteers conducted an audit of streets and intersections leading to seven elementary schools in a suburban school district. Parents were most likely to feel concern about streets that lacked sidewalks or had sidewalks with obstructions. Wheelchair-accessible routes were seen as appropriate for walking children. Parents expressed concern over safety at intersections, particularly those involving large streets; traffic controls did not mollify their concern. These results support the use of appropriate behavior models for assessing walking choices, highlight the importance of well-maintained sidewalks and age-appropriate crossings for young families, and demonstrate the importance of including the public in street audits.
BDSM practitioners’ understandings of their initial attraction to BDSM sexuality: essentialist and constructionist narratives

The purpose of this research was to explore essentialist and constructionist accounts within BDSM (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism) practitioners' stories about their first attraction to this sexuality. Whereas prior research has examined the ‘coming out stories’ of other sexual minorities (lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals and polyamorous individuals), little scholarly attention has been paid to narratives of initial interest in BDSM. A total of 144 women and 128 men who self-identified as being involved in BDSM responded to a questionnaire that included the open-ended item ‘What first attracted you to BDSM? Please describe the reasons why you first became interested in BDSM as a sexual practice or orientation’. Using thematic analysis, we identified two mutually exclusive explanations for initial BDSM interests: (1) BDSM interests are an intrinsic part of the self and (2) BDSM interests developed because of external influences. Analyses revealed very ...
Rural Public Libraries' Role in Community Economic Development

Rural public libraries have tremendous potential to play an active role in community economic development. Libraries are a natural choice for facilitating economic development activities in rural communities short of resources commonly available in more heavily populated areas. This article is based on semistructured interviews with librarians and community development officials in five rural communities. The results of the investigation indicate that those libraries had success in community economic development. Additionally, the study suggests that rural public libraries may become critical community economic development resources if rural librarians cultivate stronger, more integral relationships with community developers and other community agencies.
Impedance analysis of MDCK cells measured by electric cell-substrate impedance sensing

Transepithelial impedance of Madin-Darby canine kidney cell layers is measured by a new instrumental method, referred to as electric cell-substrate impedance sensing. In this method, cells are cultured on small evaporated gold electrodes, and the impedance is measured in the frequency range 20–50,000 Hz by a small probing current. A model for impedance analysis of epithelial cells measured by this method is developed. The model considers three different pathways for the current flowing from the electrode through the cell layer: (1) in through the basal and out through the apical membrane, (2) in through the lateral and out through the apical membrane, and (3) between the cells through the paracellular space. By comparing model calculation with experimental impedance data, several morphological and cellular parameters can be determined: (1) the resistivity of the cell layer, (2) the average distance between the basal cell surface and substratum, and (3) the capacitance of apical, basal, and lateral cell membranes. This model is used to analyze impedance changes on removal of Ca2+ from confluent Mardin-Darby canine kidney cell layers. The method shows that reduction of Ca2+ concentration causes junction resistance between cells to drop and the distance between the basal cell surface and substratum to increase.