cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accelerating Computation of the Nonlinear Mass by an Order of Magnitude

Author(s): Krolewski, Alex; Slepian, Zachary | Abstract: The nonlinear mass is a characteristic scale in halo formation that has wide-ranging applications across cosmology. Naively, computing it requires repeated numerical integration to calculate the variance of the power spectrum on different scales and determine which scales exceed the threshold for nonlinear collapse. We accelerate this calculation by working in configuration space and approximating the correlation function as a polynomial at $r l= 5$ $h^{-1}$ Mpc. This enables an analytic rather than numerical solution, accurate across a variety of cosmologies to 0.1$-$1% (depending on redshift) and 10$-$20 times faster than the naive numerical method. We also present a further acceleration (40$-$80 times faster than the naive method) in which we determine the polynomial coefficients using a Taylor expansion in the cosmological parameters rather than re-fitting a polynomial to the correlation function. Our acceleration greatly reduces the cost of repeated calculation of the nonlinear mass. This will be useful for MCMC analyses to constrain cosmological parameters from the highly nonlinear regime, e.g. with data from upcoming surveys.
Fungal Highly Reducing Polyketide Synthases Biosynthesize Salicylaldehydes That Are Precursors to Epoxycyclohexenol Natural Products

Fungal highly reducing polyketide synthases (HRPKSs) are highly programmed multidomain enzymes that synthesize reduced polyketide structures. Recent reports indicated salicylaldehydes are synthesized by HRPKS biosynthetic gene clusters, which are unexpected based on known enzymology of HRPKSs. Using genome mining of a Trichoderma virens HRPKS gene cluster that encodes a number of redox enzymes, we uncover the strategy used by HRPKS pathways in the biosynthesis of aromatic products such as salicylaldehyde 4, which can be oxidatively modified to the epoxycyclohexanol natural product trichoxide 1. We show selective β-hydroxyl groups in the linear HRPKS product are individually reoxidized to β-ketones by short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase enzymes, which enabled intramolecular aldol condensation and aromatization. Our work expands the chemical space of natural products accessible through HRPKS pathways.
Seeking NSF funding opportunties: keynote address

NSF supports projects to improve education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through several programs in its Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate, as well as in its research directorates, including Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). This forum presents a description of some education-related programs in the EHR and CISE directorates, and enables participants to interact with the presenters concerning specific project ideas that could be appropriate for the various programs. We also plan to discuss the requirements and guidelines for the selected programs describe the review processes as well as strategies for writing competitive proposals.
Modulation of Short Wind Waves by Long Waves

The behavior of short surface waves (wavelength less than a meter or so) riding on longer wind waves or swell has sparked interest for several decades now. In the problem as posed here, the energetic waves near the peak of a wind-wave or swell spectrum are treated as a large-scale, slowly varying “medium” in which short gravity-capillary waves evolve. This “WKB approximation” should be well founded, since the time and space scales of the long and short waves are widely separated, and no reflections of the short waves occur. Short wave “packets” or “components” are examined independently as they evolve under the influence of slowly varying winds and currents, and later reassembled into a larger picture. Resonant non-linear exchanges are not explicitly included, although (for example) a “packet” might be regarded as a set of tightly coupled wavenumbers rather than as a pure sine-wave component.
Points of honor: short stories of the Great War by a US combat marine: by Thomas Boyd, edited and with an introduction by Steven Trout, Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama Press, 2018, xxxvi + 180 pp., $19.95 (paperback), ISBN-13: 978-0-8173-5911-9

F. Scott Fitzgerald was responsible for getting Thomas Boyd’s literary debut, the semi-autobiographical Through the Wheat, published in 1923 at a time when war-related writing was largely shunned. ...
Phoretic and internal transport of Raffaelea lauricola by different species of ambrosia beetle associated with avocado trees

Fungus farming ambrosia beetles carry their nutritional mutualistic fungi in specialized structures called mycetangia. Fungal propagules are also dispersed phoretically on the beetle’s exoskeleton. We determined the phoretic presence and abundance of Raffaelea lauricola, the causal agent of the laurel wilt disease in avocado, on five ambrosia beetle species: Xyleborus bispinatus, Xyleborus volvulus, Xyleborus affinis, Xyleborinus saxesenii and Xylosandrus crassiusculus. Beetles were captured while in flight, excavated from logs, and from logs placed in emergence chambers. Beetles collected by the three methods were assayed for the presence of internal (gut and mycetangium) and external (attached to the exoskeleton) colony forming units (CFUs) of R. lauricola. The pathogen was recovered from the exoskeleton of all beetle species. The collection method significantly influenced the frequency of pathogen recovery, and the abundance of both internal and phoretic R. lauricola was species-specific. Internal CFUs recovery was greater than phoretic recovery. Besides R. lauricola, other cycloheximide tolerant fungi, including mutualistic and entomopathogenic fungi, were isolated from the beetle’s exoskeleton. However, phoretic CFUs of R. lauricola were more prevalent and abundant than any other mutualistic phoretic fungi across the beetle species. Our results suggest that phoresy is a common mechanism of transportation of wood-inhabiting fungi and that phoretic transmission of R. lauricola may potentially contribute to the infection in avocado.
Emotion Knowledge and Theory of Mind among Chinese Preschoolers: A Curriculum-Based Approach

Research Findings: Although crucial in early childhood, social and emotional learning (SEL) was seldom integrated in preschool classrooms until recently. This study reports the implementation and e...
Oral Hsp90 inhibitor SNX-5422 attenuates SARS-CoV-2 replication and dampens inflammation in airway cells.

Currently available SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics are targeted toward moderately to severely ill patients and require intravenous infusions, with limited options for exposed or infected patients with no or mild symptoms. Although vaccines have demonstrated protective efficacy, vaccine hesitancy and logistical distribution challenges will delay their ability to end the pandemic. Hence, there is a need for rapidly translatable, easy-to-administer-therapeutics that can prevent SARS-CoV-2 disease progression, when administered in the early stages of infection. We demonstrate that an orally bioavailable Hsp90 inhibitor, SNX-5422, currently in clinical trials as an anti-cancer therapeutic, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro at a high selectivity index. SNX-5422 treatment of human primary airway epithelial cells dampened expression of inflammatory pathways previously associated with poor SARS-CoV-2 disease outcomes. In addition, SNX-5422 interrupted expression of host factors demonstrated to be crucial for SARS-CoV-2 replication. Development of SNX-5422 as SARS-CoV-2-early-therapy will dampen disease severity, resulting in better clinical outcomes and reduced hospitalizations.
The pH of Smokeless Tobacco Determines Nicotine Buccal Absorption: Results of a Randomized Crossover Trial

Nicotine absorption rate influences tobacco products' addictiveness. For smokeless tobacco, nicotine buccal absorption is associated with its free-base form; the pH of smokeless tobacco defines the proportion of free-base (i.e., unprotonated) vs. protonated nicotine. This was the first study to compare nicotine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics after the use of commercial smokeless tobacco products that were experimentally manipulated to differ only in pH and percent free-base nicotine. Moist snuff users (N=40) completed four crossover visits and used a single 2g portion of Copenhagen Original Long Cut® amended to four pH levels: 5.0, 7.7, 8.2 and 8.6 (free-base nicotine 0.1, 32, 60, and 79%) for 30 minutes. Nicotine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were assessed for 4 hours post-use. Nicotine pharmacokinetics substantially depends on its free-base proportion, with more than four-fold increases in mean plasma nicotine maximum concentration and area under the curve over 240 minutes (3.9 to 16.7 ng/mL; 385 to 1810 ng∙min/mL, respectively, both p<0.001) from pH 5.0 to 8.6. The autonomic cardiovascular effects of smokeless tobacco use reflected percent free-base nicotine, with small (albeit significant) systematic increases in heart rate and blood pressure associated with free-base nicotine. Smokeless tobacco product pH and percent free-base nicotine play a major role in the rate and extent of nicotine absorption, determining product pharmacodynamic effects and abuse potential. Research and regulation of smokeless tobacco products should consider both total nicotine content and product pH. Further research may address the impact of modifying pH on the addictiveness of smokeless tobacco and associated use behaviors.
Crisis Negotiation Leadership

ABSTRACT Hostage and crisis situations create rapid and high stress responses from law enforcement agencies placing police leaders in the position of making critical decisions concerning tactical and negotiation efforts to affect the resolution of these incidents. This paper will examine the ethical issues involved in crisis leadership as they relate to the application of police resources to resolve hostage and crisis situations. This analysis reveals ethical challenges for police leaders making decisions to implement the best courses of action to produce the preferred outcomes.
A Survey of Mass and Level Gauging Techniques for Liquid Hydrogen

Generally, liquid level sensors are used to determine the liquid mass or head in tank filling, holding, and propellant utilization systems for rocket vehicles, and also In storage Inventory and research applications. The latter two applications are so varied that they will not be discussed further. Tank filling and holding to a predetermined liquid mass require a flow control system that is maintained by a liquid level sensor. The sensor may be a continuous-reading type or a rake of point sensors located in the vicinity of the required level Propellant utilization systems control the relative flows of the liquid pro-pellants so that, ideally, no propellant is left over at burnout. A liquid level sensing and control system monitors the liquid mass in each tank during outflow and corrects the relative propellant flows to obtain the desired result. The level sensor again may be either a continuous sensor or a rake of point sensors.
Characterization of the yeast low Km cAMP-phosphodiesterase with cAMP analogues: applications in mammalian cells that express the yeast PDE2 gene

The essential interactions between cAMP and the yeast low Km cAMP-phosphodiesterase have been analyzed using cAMP analogues and phosphodiesterase inhibitors. cAMP specificity is conferred by hydrogen bonding at the N-6 and N-7 positions. In contrast to the other yeast phosphodiesterase, (Rp)-adenosine 3',5'-monophosphorothioate is not hydrolyzed. Eleven standard phosphodiesterase inhibitors were not highly effective. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells that express the yeast cAMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE2) gene, cAMP levels cannot be raised by cholera toxin. cAMP analogues that are efficiently hydrolyzed by the yeast cAMP-phosphodiesterase had no effect on the growth of CHO cells that express the PDE2 gene, even though they block the growth and alter the morphology of control cells. cAMP analogues that are not hydrolyzed by the yeast enzyme inhibited the growth and changed the morphology of both control and PDE2 expressing CHO cells. We have developed a method for creating cell lines in which cAMP levels can be reduced by expression of an exogenous cAMP-phosphodiesterase gene. By employing cAMP analogues that are not hydrolyzed by this phosphodiesterase, the inhibitory effects of the enzyme can be bypassed.
A throughput-driven task creation and mapping for network processors

Network processors are programmable devices that can process packets at a high speed. A network processor is typified by multi-threading and heterogeneous multiprocessing, which usually requires programmers to manually create multiple tasks and map these tasks onto different processing elements. This paper addresses the problem of automating task creation and mapping of network applications onto the underlying hardware to maximize their throughput. We propose a throughput cost model to guide the task creation and mapping with the objective of both minimizing the number of stages in the processing pipeline and maximizing the average throughput of the slowest task simultaneously. The average throughput is modeled by taking communication cost, computation cost, memory access latency and synchronization cost into account. We envision that programmers write small functions for network applications, such that we use grouping and duplication to construct tasks from the functions. The optimal solution of creating tasks from m functions and mapping them to n processors is an NP-hard problem. Therefore, we present a practical and efficient heuristic algorithm with an O((n+m)m) complexity and show that the obtained solutions produce excellent performance for typical network applications. The entire framework has been implemented in the Open Research Compiler (ORC) adapted to compile network applications written in a domain-specific dataflow language. Experimental results show that the code produced by our compiler can achieve the 100% throughput on the OC-48 input line rate. OC-48 is a fiber optic connection that can handle a 2.488Gbps connection speeds, which is what our targeted hardware was designed for. We also demonstrate the importance of good creation and mapping choices on achieving high throughput. Furthermore, we show that reducing communication cost and efficient resource management are the most important factors for maximizing throughput on the Intel IXP network processors.
Insights into Stabilization of the 99TcVO Core for Synthesis of 99TcVO Compounds

Synthesis of technetium-99 (99Tc; t1/2: 2.1 105 years, max: 253 keV) materials is of importance in studies of the nuclear fuel cycle where Tc is a major fission product (6percent thermal yield from 235U and 239Pu), in understanding radioactive tank waste composition, and in identifying 99mTc compounds for nuclear medicine imaging. One of the most useful synthetic starting materials, (NBu4)TcOCl4, is susceptible to disproportionation in water to form TcO4 and TcIV species, especially TcO2 2H2O. This unwanted reaction is especially problematic when working with ligands bearing hard donor atoms, such as oxygen, where the stability with the soft TcV=O3+ core may be low. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are such ligands. They possess defect sites with four hard oxygen atoms and show low (ca. 108) stability constants with transition metals. Tc complexes of POMs are molecular-level models for Tc metal oxide solid-state materials and can provide information on coordination and redox environments of metal oxides that stabilize low-valent Tc. In order to synthesize pure Tc POM complexes [TcVO(1-P2W17O61)]7 (TcVO-1) and [TcVO(2-P2W17O61)]7 (TcVO-2) from (NBu4)TcOCl4, we have identified strategies that minimize formation of TcIV species and optimize the formation of pure TcV species. The parameters that we consider are the amount of ethylene glycol,more » which is employed as a transfer ligand to prevent hydrolysis of (NBu4)TcOCl4, and the precipitating agent. The TcIV species that contaminates the non-optimized syntheses is likely a TcIV -oxido-bridged dimer [TcIV-(-O)2-TcIV]. We also employ a novel procedure where the 2 ligand is photoactivated and reduced (in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor) to subsequently reduce TcVIIO4 to an isolatable TcVO-2 product that is remarkably free of TcIV.« less
Sticky prices and purchasing power parity deviations: Empirical implications

Abstract This note tests one implication of the hypothesis that purchasing power parity (PPP) deviations are partly caused by different pricing behavior in goods and asset markets. Cross-country regressions of the variance of PPP deviations on the variance of money supply innovations support the hypothesis.
Global Warming: More Common Than Tragic

Global warming is indeed a difficult international environmental problem to address: it has tragedy of the commons characteristics, and problems of time horizons and uncertainty. But previous efforts at international cooperation on other environmental issues such as ozone depletion suggest that international cooperation should be possible–though difficult–on climate change. Cooperation on issues that involve long time horizons suggests that the present generation is not calculating utility quite so narrowly as game theorists posit. Experience also suggests that successful cooperation on climate change will start with measures so small as to seem inconsequential, but will set in place an institutional and scientific process that will ultimately result in much more significant cooperative efforts. Rather than representing a tragedy, the Kyoto Protocol (or something much like it) could represent the beginnings of a process in which current generations take the first steps at collective action that dramatically improve the lives of future generations. Those who are concerned about the weakness of the Kyoto Protocol should first focus on persuading the United States to join-since this is the best way to let the process work and avoid a tragedy of the commons.
Towards a New History of European Law: New Wine in Old Bottles ?

Part of a Special Issue on the New Legal History, this article compares the expansion of rights, institutional changes and judicial empowerment in the EU with that of nineteenth century American legal practices.
Technology advancement and trends in power electronics

Power electronics play a significantly important role in global industrialization and energy conservation trends of the 21/sup st/ century. The premier role of power electronics is inevitable in the energy and motion control systems of highly automated industries. The environmental pollution problems of fossil fuels and safety problems of nuclear plants are now major concerns in our society. Due to increasing cost of energy and environmental problems, energy conservation by improved utilization efficiency with widespread applications of power electronics is inevitable. This article presents the technology advancement and performance improvement in power electronics.
Separating Dependency from Constituency in a Tree Rewriting System

In this paper we present a new tree-rewriting formalism called Link-Sharing Tree Adjoining Grammar (LSTAG) which is a variant of synchronous TAGs. Using LSTAG we define an approach towards coordination where linguistic dependency is distinguished from the notion of constituency. Such an approach towards coordination that explicitly distinguishes dependencies from constituency gives a better formal understanding of its representation when compared to previous approaches that use tree-rewriting systems which conflate the two issues.
Turbulent transport in stellar radiation zones: Causes and effects

We briefly review the instabilities which are the most likely to generate turbulent transport of chemicals and of angular momentum in radiative stellar interiors, namely the shear instabilities due to differential rotation. Estimates are given for the turbulent diffusivity, and it is examined how a meridional circulation can cause such differential rotation.
Safe Water Evaluations in the Peruvian Amazon

Although fresh water is an abundant resource in the Peruvian Amazon, the contamination renders it unsafe for human consumption. Many villages have little means to purify their water nor understand why it is warranted. An engineering group from the University of Alabama facilitated by Nature and Culture International, visited the Amazonian village of Ayacucho to perform an evaluation of the residents’ attitudes, quality of water sources in the immediate area and an existing water treatment system. A better understanding of the village’s concerns and issues was gained despite the language barrier. Results indicate that the local water sources are contaminated and that the water treatment is reducing these contaminants.
Observer weighting of interaural delays in source and echo clicks

A correlational analysis was used to assess the relative weight given to the interaural differences of time (IDTs) of source and echo clicks for echo delays ranging from 1–256 ms. In three different experimental conditions, listeners were instructed to discriminate the IDT of the source, the IDT of the echo, or the difference between the IDTs of the source and echo. The IDT of the target click was chosen randomly and independently from trial-to-trial from a Gaussian distribution (μ=0 μs, σ=100 μs). The IDT of the nontarget click was either fixed at 0 μs or varied in the same manner as the IDT of the target. The data show that for echo delays of 8 ms or less, greater weight was given to the IDT of the source than to that of the echo in all experimental conditions. For echo delays from 16–64 ms, the IDT of the echo was weighted slightly more than that of the source and the weights accounted for a greater proportion of the responses when the echo was the target, indicating that the binaural information in th...
A change of mind

Evolutionary psychology argues that the human mind is a collection of special-purpose circuits designed by natural selection to solve the problems of survival and reproduction that were recurrent in the lives of our ancestors — problems such as finding food, picking habitats, attracting mates and navigating the social world.In Adapting Minds, the philosopher David Buller aims to show that evolutionary psychology is “wrong in almost every detail”.
The Long Journey Ahead: Journalism Education in Central Asia

The idea that the media should be a support to the regime in power remains firmly entrenched in Central Asia.
Tuning the ground state of BaFe2As2: Phase diagrams and empirical trends

We present a brief review of the phase diagrams of the transition metal, electron-doped BaFe2As2systems and a comparison between them. This article also reviews the phase diagrams of hole- and isoelectronic-doped BaFe2As2, as well as BaFe2As2under pressure. Empirical rules on the conditions necessary to induce superconductivity in this material are outlined. Evidence for multiple Lifshitz transitions in Co-doped BaFe2As2 and possible connections to superconductivity are also discussed.
Dissociation of Rab3A by Ca 2+ /calmodulin from different kinds of synaptosomal membranes

In the previous study, we have shown that Rab3A is dissociated from synaptosomal membranes by Ca2+/calmodulin complex. In this study, we further fractionated the synaptosomal membranes by gradient centrifugation and determined the localization and translocation behavior of Rab3A by Ca2+/calmodulin in the different membrane fractions. Two different membrane pools, light and heavy membrane fractions, were obtained from synaptosomal membranes by self-generating gradient of lodixanol. Rab3A, Rab5, synaptophysin, and synaptobrevin were found to be distributed in the two membrane fractions. When the ratio of Rab3A/synaptophysin was compared in the two membrane fractions, it was found that the value of the ratio in the light fraction was higher than that in the heavy one. To examine whether the dissociation of Rab3A by Ca2+/calmodulin depends on the different fractions of synaptosomal membranes, Ca2+/camodulin was added to the membranes. When the extents of Rab3A dissociation by Ca2+/calmodulin were examined among from unfractionated synaptosomal membrane, fractionated light and heavy membranes, Rab3A was dissociated from all the membrane. The extents of Rab3A dissociation from the two fractionated membrane pools by Ca2+/calmodulin were similar, whereas Rab3A was more easily dissociated by Ca2+/ CAM from unfractionated synaptosomal membranes than from fractionated membranes. The results suggest that additional factor(s) is present on the synaptosomal membrane and involved in the dissociation of Rab3A induced by Ca2+/CaM.
MULTIPLE CRITERIA OF TREATMENT OUTCOME

Abstract The interrelations of a variety of outcome measures are reported for a series of 65 consecutive admissions to a milieu therapy inpatient psychiatric unit. Correlations between various outcome variables were found to be suprisingly low, except when the variables were derived from the same time and the same evaluator-patient relationship. Findings were interpreted as reflecting the fact that no single criterion of ‘outcome’ is sufficient, and that a more differentiated view of the impact of treatments must be considered.
The application of reliability-based techniques to Technical Specifications

Abstract As required by 10 CRF 50.36, plant Technical Specifications (TS) for power reactors are to include: (1) safety limits and limiting safety system settings, (2) limiting conditions of operation (LCO), (3) surveillance requirements (SR), (4) design features, and (5) administrative controls. Purportedly to make the Technical Specifications process (which operating license applicants are required to utilize) more effective and efficient, the NRC developed and required, on a forward-fit basis, the use of Standard Technical Specifications (STS) since 1975. In part, and in attempting to comply with the elements contained within TS, engineering judgment, codes and standards requirements, and manufacturer's recommendations are used as the basis for establishing testing and surveillance policies specified in the SR element of TS. However, situations have arisen which indicate that test and surveillance intervals that are either too short or too long could, through different mechanisms, be adverse to safety. On August 3, 1983, an interoffice and interdisciplinary Executive Directors Office (EDO) Task Group of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission was formed to address some of these concerns. Their findings, documented in NUREG-1024, resulted in a directive wherein Brookhaven National Laboratory was charted to conduct the needed research to firmly anchor future TSs, TS changes, and reviews of TSs to a probabilistic risk basis. To scope out the project several issues were identified to evaluate the safety implications of technical specifications. In increasing order of importance, they are: • - What are the possible approaches for evaluating technical specifications? • - What are the possible measures of technical specification performance? • - What technical specifications aspects (attributes) need to be evaluated? • - What are the possible objectives of technical specifications? This paper describes the development of the program and some of its early findings.
Implications of a comparative assessment of exemplary and novice elementary teachers

This study points to the fact that it would be practical to compare and assess the instructional strategies of exemplary and novice elementary science teachers using a set of criteria derived from published teacher effectiveness studies. According to this study there are differences ranging from significant to null between the instructional behaviors of exemplary and novice teachers, and it indicates that it may not be appropriate to rely entirely upon the findings of individual teacher effectiveness studies to prepare effective preservice teachers. Science teacher educators need to focus more directly on the differences in instructional strategies between the exemplary and novice teachers and inquire further into determining the causes for the differences. Hurd (1982) reported that about half of the elementary teachers studied believe that their preservice education failed to prepare them to teach science in real classrooms. If what separates exemplary teachers from novices can be clearly identified, then the science teacher educator’s task of preparing effective preservice teachers will be an easier one. Then it would be also possible to develop effective preservice science teacher education programs more congruent with exemplary science teaching practices and augment the existing science teacher education knowledge base through further research.
FDA regulation of clinical high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) devices

In the U. S., medical devices are regulated under the authority of the 1976 Medical Device Amendments to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, with the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health having primary responsibility. The Act defines several regulatory paths to market depending on the complexity of the device and indications for use. For most high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) devices the premarket submissions include both pre-clinical and clinical data. Pre-clinical testing generally comprises ultrasound power measurements and field characterization, in vitro and in vivo temperature measurements, thermal computational modeling, and demonstrating the accuracy for targeting the region of interest and monitoring treatment progress. Protocols for clinical trials are developed by the device sponsor in conjunction with FDA medical and scientific staff. Currently there are no recognized guidance or standards documents for HIFU testing that could be used in the regulatory review process, but such work is underway within the International Electrotechnical Commission.
Contributions of Histochemistry to the Development of the Proteolytic Enzyme Detection System in Diagnostic Medicine

Although the place of enzyme-catalyzed reactions in clinical biochemistry has proven to be of diagnostic value since the late 1950s (16,17), it is only within the last 6 years that methods for determining the activity of proteases have been introduced into the clinical laboratory. Proteolytic enzymes are assuming increasing significance in biological regulation. An understanding of their physiological and pathological roles has come from both biochemical and histochemical standpoints. Proteases, unlike most hydrolases, the general class of enzymes to which they belong, are highly specific and precisely controlled. Furthermore, when this precise control of proteolysis breaks down, the consequences are usually serious. It has long been recognized by physiological chemists that many disease states represent abnormalities of protein synthesis or degradation resulting from disturbances in the activity of proteases or their inhibitors. First attempts at assaying for specific proteases by preparing synthetic substrates were made by Fruton and Bergmann in the 1930s. They found that crude preparations from bovine spleen and partly purified preparations of pepsin and trypsin could hydrolyze small synthetic substrate molecules with free amines. The task for assaying protease activity was greatly simplified when in 1950, Neurath and Schwert demonstrated that amino acid esters were very sensitive substrates. Such substrates were used by Sherry and Troll (58) and associates in the mid-1950s to study clotting and fibrinolytic enzymes. It was Gomori, in 1954, who used chloroacetyl-/3-naphthylamine with ammonia to obtain glycine and D,L-alanyl-/3-naphthyl-
Vitamin a and Carcinogenesis

In 1930 Sugiura and Benedict (1) reviewed the literature on vitamin A and carcinogenesis and published their own observations, which indicated that the prolonged feeding of a diet deficient in vitamin A has no apparent influence on tumor genesis in rats. The claims of Fujimaki and his associates (2) that carcinoma of the fore-stomach develops in rats on rations deficient in vitamin A were not confirmed. In 1932 a paper appeared by Clifford Kuh (3), entitled A Study of Vitamin A in Relation to Experimental Cancer, in which he claims that inhibition to tumor growth in mice can be obtained by administering to animals with transplantable tumors massive doses of vitamin A. The Twort mouse carcinoma was used. Of 102 implantations studied, 25 regressed and 26 failed to grow. Of those, however, that grew, none showed any retardation of tumor growth on daily doses of 26 to 500 vitamin A units. When, however, the daily dose was increased to 1,000 to 3,700 units, several mice showed a marked flattening of the curve of tumor growth, which differed in shape from the curve of spontaneous regression. From these results Kuh concluded that vitamin A is effectual in its influence on tumor inhibition but that it must be furnished in massive doses; in other words, at least several hundred times that required for optimum physiological function of the normal animal organism in which tumor growth is absent. In view of the high percentage of spontaneous regressions and the inadequate number of animals employed by Kuh, the problem of the possible relation of vitamin A to inhibition of tumor growth seemed to require further investigation.
Dynamics and mechanics below the glass transition: The non-equilibrium state

Abstract There is much interest in the dynamics of glass-forming systems above the glass transition temperature. However, in many applications the behavior of the systems needs to be understood in the glass-transition T g range and particularly in the non-equilibrium state. We present a set of empirical observations for the dynamics of material behaviors near to, but below the glass transition for polymer glass formers and outline a “minimal” set of requirements that might be expected of computer simulations in the non-equilibrium glass near to T g . The survey includes the kinetics and nonlinearity of the structural (volume or enthalpy) recovery of the glass and its impact on the mechanical response (physical aging). These are presented with the thought that computer simulations may well be able to provide insights to the origins of an extremely complicated set of experimental observations. Additionally, we present some results of glass formation of simple liquids constrained to nanometer size pores with the expectation that such experiments may be readily simulated because of the small number of molecules in such pores.
Rapid, precise, computer-controlled measurement of x-y coordinates

An experimental x-y measurement system is described that was designed for the high-speed, high-precision measurements required in integrated circuit manufacturing and for optical measurement applications in which a sufficiently large data base is required for statistical process analysis. The technology for this experimental system differs considerably from that of conventional optical measuring systems in current use and utilizes a computer for data acquisition, manipulation and evaluation. The system, utilizing the edge detection principle, presently operates at a measuring speed of 2.5 cm/s. An analysis gives both the short-term and the long-term precision of the system. The standard deviation for the short-term precision 0.038 µm.
Parauronema virginianum n. g., n. sp., a Marine Hymenostome Ciliate

SYNOPSIS. Parauronema virginianum n. g., n. sp., a marine hymenostome ciliate is described from the Virginia coast. Structural studies were made on specimens treated with the Chatton-Lwoff silver impregnation technic and on animals observed with the phase microscope. Particular attention was given to the buccal ciliature and its importance to generic assignment in the order Hymenostomatida.
Ruthenium-Catalyzed Regiospecific Borylation of Methyl C−H Bonds

We report the regiospecific, ruthenium-catalyzed borylation of saturated terminal C−H bonds. Alkylboronates were obtained in 78−98% yields. The borylations of alkanes, trialkylamines, protected alcohols, and fluoroalkanes occurred regiospecifically at the methyl group that is least sterically hindered. In contrast to most organometallic C−H activation, the reactions of alkanes occurred in higher yields than the reactions of arenes. Reactions were conducted that probed steric and electronic effects on the alkyl borylation. These reactions showed that the borylation occurred preferentially at the methyl group that is least sterically hindered and most electron-deficient. Ruthenium compounds containing boryl ligands were synthesized, and one was characterized by X-ray crystallography. One of these compounds contained a rare bridging boryl ligand and served as a catalyst precursor for the borylation of octane.
Global approach to multivariate correlation analysis of brain positron emission tomographic images

In this paper, we propose a multivariate correlation analysis of PET brain images. PET images provide the means to understand the functionality of brain. By examining the correlations between the PET images and external variables, such as emotional or psychosensory experiences, it is possible to determine which parts of the brain are related to the given external variables. So far, most correlation analyses have concentrated on one variable at a time. However, this type of univariate approach rapidly becomes impractical as the number of external variables increases because the analysis produces an overwhelming amount of data. In this paper, we extend the correlation analysis to multiple variables. The technique makes it possible to analyze a large number of variables and shows the importance of each variable.
Characterization of a major aromatic DNA adduct detected in human breast tissues.

A bulky DNA adduct (Spot 1) was previously detected in normal adjacent breast tissues of 41% (36/87) of women with breast cancer and in none (0/29) of the noncancer controls by (32)P-postlabeling. To characterize this adduct, it was chromatographically compared with DNA adduct profiles generated in several in vitro and in vivo experimental systems. First, MCF-7 cells were exposed to a number of chemical carcinogens, that is, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), 4-OH-B[a]P, 9-OH-B[a]P, 11-OH-B[a]P, B[a]P-trans-4,5-dihydrodiol, 1-nitropyrene, 6-nitrochrysene, dibenzo[a,l]pyrene, benzo[c]phenanthrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, 3-methylcholanthrene, and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine. Spot 1 was detected as a minor adduct in cells treated with B[a]P but not other compounds. Second, to determine whether Spot 1 is derived from lipid peroxidation products or estrogen metabolites, it was compared with adduct profiles of cells or DNAs exposed to 17beta-estradiol, 4-hydroxy estradiol, 4-hydroxynonenal, or oxidized oat oil. Spot 1 was not detectable in these samples. In addition, Spot 1 did not comigrate with the 1,N(2)-ethenodeoxyguanosine adduct standard. Third, to explore the mechanism of Spot 1 formation, it was compared with adduct profiles detected in DNA or mononucleotides reacted with BPDE, 1-OH-7,8-dihydrodiol of B[a]P, and 3-OH-7,8-dihydrodiol of B[a]P as well as in rats orally treated with B[a]P. Spot 1 comigrated with a minor adduct in BPDE-treated DNA during anion exchange rechromatography but these two adducts were separated by partition chromatography. Spot 1 also behaved in a manner that was very similar to that of the polar B[a]P adducts detected in rat liver, but the two adducts were separated by HPLC. Fourth, Spot 1 was compared with CD1 mice exposed to 7H-benzo[c]fluorene (B[c]F). Spot 1 from some patients comigrated with a major adduct induced by B[c]F. Finally, we found that the presence of Spot 1 in human breast tissues was not related to smoking status but, rather, with CYP1A1 MspI polymorphism. The CYP1A1 mutant carriers had a significantly higher frequency of this adduct than did the wild-type genotypes. Furthermore, individuals with Spot 1 had a significantly higher staining intensity for BPDE-PAH adducts in their tissue sections than those without it. These results demonstrate that this major bulky DNA adduct detected in human breast tissues is related to PAH exposure.
Behavioral incentives to promote exercise compliance in cocaine-dependent women

long time to complete, making it difficult to examine whether behavioral or pharmacological manipulations could be used to decrease choices deemed impulsive. The rapid delay-discounting procedure used in this experiment was successful at obtaining orderly discounting functions in a relatively short period of time, making this procedure potentially useful for examining effects of behavioral and pharmacological treatments on delay discounting. Financial support: This research was supported by grant R01DA-027666 to KBF from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Forty Years of Women’s and Gender Studies: A View from the Trenches

This article looks at women’s history and women’s studies with a focus on their institutionalization at non-elite U. S. universities. The fortieth anniversary of women’s studies has prompted many reviews of the field, with most tracing the intellectual trajectory of key scholarly concepts. The present study takes a structural approach to determine how effectively women’s studies has been implanted in institutions of higher education. Personal recollections as a graduate student and as a faculty member and administrator at three regional comprehensive universities, as well as a small study of thirteen universities in the mid-west Mid American Conference universities, suggest the complexities of institutionalizing women’s studies in non-elite organizations. Despite the apparent success of women’s studies in the U.S., the lack of structural integrity in most programs makes them vulnerable during periods of systematic higher education retrenchment.
Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development: Implications for Nurse Assistance of Children's Learning

Vygotsky's general theoretical framework of cognitive development is reviewed, including his concept of the zone of proximal development: the region of potential mastery lying between the level at which the child has the ability for independent performance and the level at which the child can master the task only with adult collaboration. Examples of the use of Vygotskian theory in nursing practice are provided.
Global Tobacco Control Diffusion: The Case of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Objectives. We analyzed demographic and social network variables associated with the timing of ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).Methods. We compiled a 2-mode data set that recorded country participation in FCTC negotiations, as well as the number of individuals per country per year who joined an online tobacco control network. We used logistic regression analysis of these 2 data sets along with geographic location to determine whether exposure to prior FCTC adoptions was associated with a country's likelihood of adoption.Results. In the logistic regression analysis, higher income and more nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in the Framework Convention Alliance (a network dedicated to the FCTC) were associated with being among the earliest adopters (for income, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.55; for NGOs, AOR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.26, 2.17) or among early adopters (for income, AOR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.09, 1.84; for NGOs, AOR = 1.23;...
Infrarenal aortic occlusion: Does it threaten renal perfusion or function?

Proximal propagation of aortic thrombus with resultant impaired renal perfusion has been considered a significant risk of untreated infrarenal aortic occlusion. To investigate this question, we studied 52 patients surviving 1 year or more after surgical interruption of the infrarenal aorta in the course of treatment of aortic graft infection. Blood pressure, renal function, and renal artery anatomy were studied before and after aortic interruption. Preoperatively, 20 patients (38.4%) had treated hypertension, and 11 (21.2%) had impaired renal function (creatinine greater than 1.3 mg/dl). In 46 patients (88.4%) with angiography before aortic interruption, 31 (67.4%) had normal renal arteries, whereas 15 (32.6%) demonstrated renal artery stenosis of less than or equal to 50% (N = 10) or greater than 50% (N = 9). Concomitant renal revascularization (N = 3) or nephrectomy (N = 1) were rare. All patients were monitored after surgery for a mean period of 39.2 months. Thirty-three (63.5%) remain alive and well; 19 (36.5%) have died of causes not related (N = 15) or indirectly related (N = 4) to the original graft infection. Forty-eight patients (92.3%) had late assessment of their blood pressure (N = 44, mean follow-up of 31.0 months) and/or renal function (creatinine) (N = 42, mean follow-up of 26.1 months). Follow-up aortography in 21 patients (40.4%, mean interval of 27.7 months) demonstrated no instance of suprarenal propagation of aortic thrombus. During follow-up 41 patients (78.8%) had no change in either their blood pressure or serum creatinine. Seven patients (13.5%) developed worsening hypertension (N = 3) or a rising creatinine (N = 4).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
On the calculation of internal forces in mechanically stressed polyatomic molecules.

We discuss how to define and to compute internal forces in a molecule subjected to mechanical stress. Because of the inherently many-body character of intramolecular interactions, internal forces cannot be uniquely defined without specifying a set of internal coordinates used to describe the molecular structure. When such a set is comprised of 3N − 6 interactomic distances (N being the number of atoms) and includes the bond lengths of interest, we show that the associated forces, while satisfying the equation F = ∂V/∂R (where R is the bond length, F is the internal force in this bond, and V is the potential energy of the molecule), can be determined from the molecular geometry alone. We illustrate these ideas using several toy models ranging from small molecules to a graphene sheet and show that the magnitude of the internal force in a bond is not necessarily a good predictor of its strength in response to mechanical loading. At the same time, analysis of internal forces reveals interesting phenomena such as the force multiplication effect, where weak external forces may, e.g., be used to break strong bonds, and offers insight into the catch-bond phenomenon where chemical reactivity is suppressed through application of a force.
TGFβ2 in corneal morphogenesis during mouse embryonic development

Abstract To examine the roles of TGFβ isoforms on corneal morphogenesis, the eyes of mice that lack TGFβs were analyzed at different developmental stages for cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis, and for expression patterns of keratin 12, lumican, keratocan and collagen I. Among the three Tgfb−/− mice, only Tgfb2−/− mice have abnormal ocular morphogenesis characterized by thin corneal stroma, absence of corneal endothelium, fusion of cornea to lens (a Peters'-like anomaly phenotype), and accumulation of hyaline cells in vitreous. In Tgfb2−/− mice, fewer keratocytes were found in stroma that has a decreased accumulation of ECM; for example, lumican, keratocan and collagen I were greatly diminished. The absence of TGFβ2 did not compromise cell proliferation, nor enhance apoptosis. The thinner stroma resulting from decreased ECM synthesis may account for the decreased cell number in the stroma of Tgfb2 null mice. Keratin 12 expression was not altered in Tgfb2−/− mice, implicating normal corneal type epithelial differentiation. Delayed appearance of macrophages in ocular tissues was observed in Tgfb2−/− mice. Malfunctioning macrophages may account for accumulation of cell mass in vitreous of Tgfb2 null mice.