cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic tissue expansion of the upper extremity

Endoscopic tissue expansion of the upper extremity has been facilitated by the use of balloon dissectors. These dissectors can be placed in fascial clefts and then inflated with either air or saline. Because of the natural tissue planes large pockets can be created rapidly with balloons that obviate the need for open dissection. Advantages such as immediate fill of expanders, more rapid completion of expansion, and less risk of extrusion are advantages of this new technique for tissue expansion of the upper extremity.
Action of N-isopropyl-alpha-(2-methylhydrazino)-p-toluamide hydrochloride (procarbazine hydrochloride) in the germ tissue of mice: dominant lethal effects.

A study was carried out on the effects of N-isopropyl-α-(2-methylhydrazino)-p-toluamide (procarbazine, Natulan®) in the dominant lethal test in the mouse. Male mice were dosed once and mated with fresh virgin females each week. The utilization of sperm, treated as spermatids or testicular sperm with 100–800 mg/kg, resulted in significant post-and pre-implantation death of embryos. Fertility was markedly reduced after the injection of 200 mg/kg of procarbazine and over. This is probably due to a cell killing effect, the most sensitive stages being differentiating spermatogonia, type A spermatogonia and resting primary spermatocytes. Total sterility was induced for several weeks with doses of 600 and 800 mg/kg. Up to 12 weeks after treatment the number of females with implants was still significantly lower than controls indicating a severe depletion of spermatogonial cells. The spectrum of effects correlates well with the drug's effect on nucleic acid and protein synthesis.
Identification of an essential glycoprotease in Staphylococcus aureus

The emergence of multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens is generating enormous public health concern, and highlights an urgent need for new, alternative agents for treating multi-drug-resistant pathogens. The gene products essential for bacterial growth in vitro and survival during infection constitute an initial set of protein targets for the development of antibacterial agents. In this study, we employed regulated gene expression approaches and demonstrated that a putative glycoprotease (Gcp) is required for staphylococcal growth in the culture. We found that Staphylococcus aureus becomes more sensitive to the Zn2+ ion under the downregulation of Gcp expression in vitro. Bioinformatic analyses demonstrated that Gcp is conserved in many Gram-positive pathogens and exists in a variety of Gram-negative pathogens. Our results indicate that Gcp is a potential novel target for the development of antimicrobials against S. aureus infection.
Statin therapy in patients with diastolic heart failure.

Background There is controversy regarding the potential effects of statin therapy on mortality in patients with heart failure. The present study analyzed the possible effects of statin therapy on morbidity and mortality in patients with diastolic heart failure over long-term follow-up. Hypothesis To evaluate potential effect of statin therapy on hospitalization rate and mortality in patients with diastolic heart failure. Methods Patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (≥50%), hospitalized for clinical symptoms of heart failure were evaluated. Patients on statin therapy started at or prior to their first heart failure admission represented group 1 and patients without statin therapy represented group 2. The effects of statins on hospitalization rates and mortality were assessed during a 5 year follow-up. Results A total of 270 patients (group 1 n = 81; group 2 n = 189) were followed over 5 years. Patients on statins demonstrated improved survival compared to patients without statin therapy (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45–0.95, P = .029). The survival benefit was maintained after adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, comorbidities, and other medications. There was no significant difference in the mean cardiovascular hospitalization rate (3.0 ± 3.2 vs 3.8 ± 4.7, P = .23) and in overall hospitalization rate (7.1 ± 6.3 vs 7.8 ± 7.7, P = .52) between groups 1 and 2, respectively. Conclusion Statin therapy appears to be associated with improved survival in patients with diastolic heart failure. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Manipulation of non-verbal interaction style and demographic embodiment to increase anthropomorphic computer character credibility

For years, people have sought more natural means of communicating with their computers. Many have suggested that interaction with a computer should be as easy as interacting with other people, taking advantage of the multimodal nature of human communication. While users should, in theory, gravitate to such anthropomorphic embodiments, quite the contrary has been experienced; users generally have been dissatisfied and abandoned their use. This suggests a disconnect between factors that make human-human communication engaging and those used by designers to support human-agent interaction. This paper discusses a set of empirical studies that attempted to replicate human-human non-verbal behavior. The focus revolved around behaviors that portray a credible facade, thereby helping embodied conversational agents (ECAs) to form a successful cooperative dyad with users. Based on a review of the non-verbal literature, a framework was created that identified trustworthy and credible non-verbal behaviors across five areas and formed design guidelines for character interaction. The design suggestions for those areas emanating from the facial region were experimentally supported but there was no concordant increase in perceived trust when bodily regions (posture, gesture) were added. In addition, in examining the importance of demographic elements in embodiment, it was found that users prefer to interact with characters that match their ethnicity and are young looking. There was no significant preference for gender. The implications of these results, as well as other interesting consequences are discussed.
Verification, validation, and accreditation: verification, validation, and accreditation of simulation models

This paper discusses verification, validation, and accreditation of simulation models. The different approaches to deciding model validity are presented; how model verification and validation relate to the model development process are discussed; various validation techniques are defined; conceptual model validity, model verification, operational validity, and data validity are described; ways to document results are given; a recommended procedure is presented; and accreditation is briefly discussed.
PROGESTERONE IS ANDROGENIC

SEVERAL WORKERS have shown that ovaries transplanted into a large series of castrate males (rats and guinea pigs) have an androgenic effect in an occasional animal (i, i, 3). Hill (4, 5) has transplanted the ovaries of mice to the ear where they are subjected to a temperature several degrees lower than are abdominal ovaries. In this position, the ovaries apparently produce an androgenic substance. This work has been confirmed by Deansely (6) n i the rat. Hill noted an extensive luteinisation of the transplanted ovaries and Deansely has suggested that there may be a relation between thecal luteinisation and the masculinising action of the graft. Desclin (7), however, disagrees with this hypothesis. Papanicolaou (8, 9) has shown that ovaries in normal guinea pigs have an androgenic action when stimulated with the APL factor of pregnancy urine. He believes that this androgenic substance i s produced by the hypertrophied interstitial tissue of the ovaries.
Head injuries in children.

School nurses play a crucial role in injury prevention and initial treatment when injuries occur at school. The role of school nurses includes being knowledgeable about the management of head injuries, including assessment and initial treatment. The school nurse must be familiar with the outcomes of a head injury and know when further evaluation is indicated. Developing a head injury protocol in the school setting is one strategy to make sure that all involved are able to consistently and effectively respond to a head injury and prevent a possible negative outcome. The combination of a protocol, nursing judgment, and best practices can ensure that all means are used to take care of children when a head injury is sustained. These strategies will help to increase the safety of children at school. A systematic approach to the management of these types of injuries is essential for preventing possible complications. Language: en
Pregnancy subsequent to perinatal loss: parental anxiety and depression.

Twenty-five expectant couples who had experienced a perinatal loss within the previous 2 years were compared with 31 first-time expectant couples using the Trait Scale (A-Trait) of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Pregnancy Outcome Questionnaire (POQ). The POQ was designed for this study to examine the hypothesis that during the subsequent pregnancy, parents with a previous loss would exhibit anxiety that is specific to the pregnancy experience and not of a more generalized nature. The POQ significantly differentiated between the two groups of mothers (p<0.01); the A-Trait and BDI did not. Fathers in the two groups did not differ significantly on the BDI, A-Trait, or the POQ.
The investigational new drug application--who benefits?

The Investigational New Drug (IND) process was established to ensure that the FDA is informed of any new treatment before use in humans. The process is now used for approval rather than notification. The time from conception to approval for a new drug is estimated at over 15 years, of which two-thirds is devoted to pre-IND testing. In the meantime the patient is denied access to the investigational treatment. A centralized IND procedure, when the public are already protected by processes within academic centers of excellence, is redundant and costs lives.
Distinct Integrin-Dependent Signals Define Requirements for Lytic Granule Convergence and Polarization in Natural Killer Cells

Lytic granules in natural killer (NK) cells represent a dangerous cargo that is targeted for secretion to destroy diseased cells. The appropriate management of these organelles enables the mounting of a precise and valuable host defense. The process of NK cell adhesion to a target cell through engagement of the integrin LFA-1 (lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1) promotes lytic granule organization through complex cellular mechanics and a signaling pathway characterized by Zhang et al. in this issue of Science Signaling. A set of signaling molecules was defined for their ability to promote the polarization of NK cell lytic granules and the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) toward the interface with a target cell. A subset of these signaling molecules was also required for the convergence of lytic granules on the MTOC.
Effects of sex and reproductive experience on the number of orexin A-immunoreactive cells in the prairie vole brain.

Keywords: Hormones Hypothalamus Monogamy Neuropeptides Reproduction Reward a b s t r a c t Large populations of cells synthesizing the neuropeptide orexin (OX) exist in the caudal hypothalamus of all species examined and are implicated in physiological and behavioral processes including arousal, stress, anxiety and depression, reproduction, and goal-directed behaviors. Hypothalamic OX expression is sexually dimorphic in different directions in laboratory rats (F > M) and mice (M > F), suggesting different roles in male and female physiology and behavior that are species-specific. We here examined if the number of hypothalamic cells immunoreactive for orexin A (OXA) differs between male and female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a socially monogamous species that pairbonds after mating and in which both sexes care for offspring, and if reproductive experience influences their number of OXAimmunoreactive (OXA-ir) cells. It was found that the total number of OXA-ir cells did not differ between the sexes, but females had more OXA-ir cells than males in anterior levels of the caudal hypothalamus, while males had more OXA-ir cells posteriorly. Sexually experienced females sacrificed 12 days after the birth of their first litter, or one day after birth of a second litter, had more OXA-ir cells in anterior levels but not posterior levels of the caudal hypothalamus compared to females housed with a brother (incest avoidance prevents sibling mating). Male prairie voles showed no effect of reproductive experience but showed an unexpected effect of cohabitation duration regardless of mating. The sex difference in the distribution of OXA-ir cells, and their increased number in anterior levels of the caudal hypothalamus of reproductively experienced female prairie voles, may reflect a sex-specific mechanism involved in pairbonding, parenting, or lactation in this species.
Effects of Mentoring Programs on New Teacher Retention: A Literature Review

Building upon previous literature reviews, this article highlights research and evaluation efforts regarding the effectiveness of mentoring programs for new teacher retention in the USA since 2005. Through the analysis of various mentoring program components, different research methods used, and major findings from these studies, we discuss the non‐linearity and complexity of both the mentoring process itself and the study of mentoring on new teacher retention. Based on our review, we offer recommendations for researchers and decision‐makers to enhance the quality of such studies and maximize the use of the findings in improving mentoring programs and enhancing teacher retention.
Prospective evaluation of cinefluoroscopy and chest radiography for Riata lead defects: implications for future lead screening

Introduction Lead insulation defects with externalization of the conductors exist in Riata defibrillator leads. Cinefluoroscopy is currently the gold standard to detect such defects. Prospective evaluation of alternative screening options such as chest radiography (CXR), which has been recommended by the FDA, is not well described.
The Protective Nature of Dodecanethiol Self‐Assembled Monolayers Deposited on Au for the Electropolymerization of 3‐Methylthiophene

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of dodecanethiol spontaneously deposited on Au were investigated as electrodes for the electropolymerization of 3-methylthiophene. The bare Au and SAM-Au electrodes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and spectroscopic ellipsometry in order to study their surface characteristics. The SAMs on Au showed a thickness of 15 ± 20 a and a densely packed nature that precluded dissolution of Au during the polymer growth in non-aqueous acidic solutions. The electrodeposition of poly-3-methylthiophene films on the bare and SAMAu electrodes was carried out by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The presence of the SAM on the electrode surface inhibited the first stages of polymerization of 3-methylthiophene, but after an induction time, compact and uniform films were obtained on the SAM-Au electrodes.
Acceleration of five-point red-black Gauss-Seidel in multigrid for Poisson equation

Abstract A new relaxation analysis and two acceleration schemes are proposed for the five-point red-black Gauss-Seidel smoothing in multigrid for solving a two-dimensional Poisson equation. For a multigrid V cycle, we discovered that underrelaxation is applicable to restriction half cycle and overrelaxation is applicable to interpolation half cycle. Numerical experiments using modified multigrid V cycle algorithms show that our simple acceleration schemes accelerate the convergence rate by as much as 34% with negligible cost. This result is contrary to the existing belief that SOR is not suitable for using as a smoother in multigrid for Poisson equation, because the gain in computational savings would not pay for the cost of implementing it. More important is the idea of employing different parameters to accelerate the reduction of low- and high-frequency errors separately. Our discovery offers a new way for SOR smoothing in multigrid.
Ultraviolet Photochemistry and ex Situ Ozonolysis of Alkanethiol Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold

The ultraviolet (UV)-photoinduced chemistry at low irradiances in O2 and the O3 thermal chemistry of alkanethiolate SAMs have been studied. At the low irradiances typical of low-pressure Hg lamps, UV photolytic generation of products soluble in polar solvents from hexadecanethiol (HDT) SAMs requires both O2 and irradiation below 200 nm. Significantly, exposure of HDT SAMs to ex situ generated O3 in the dark produced the same results as UV irradiation of HDT SAMs in the presence of O2. Both of these facts suggest a leading role for photogenerated O3 in the UV photochemistry of alkanethiol SAMs. Further, O3 was found to be at least an order of magnitude more effective than other active oxygen-containing species at generating labile products under the conditions employed. The products of reaction from either O3 exposure or UV irradiation in O2 appear to be oxidized sulfur headgroups, which are easily removed by subsequent rinsing in a polar solvent. The heterogeneous reaction of O3 with alkanethiols is remar...
Initial resolution of head position and skew uncertainty in control systems for flangeless tape drives

Tape drive operation with flangeless rollers in the tape path has been introduced in tape drives to extend the lifetime of drive and medium and to achieve nanometer positioning accuracy in track following by mitigating high-frequency lateral tape motion. However, the use of flangeless rollers requires dynamic-skew compensation to keep the head perpendicular to the direction of tape motion in the presence of large lateral tape excursions. Furthermore, a large uncertainty on the initial values of the tape-to-head skew and of the head lateral position must be resolved prior to track following for write/read operation. In this paper, we consider a control system for a two-degree-of-freedom head actuator using a dual synchronous servo channel to provide lateral position and tape-to-head skew feedback. The initial uncertainty on the tape-to-head skew and on the data band being spanned by the head at the beginning of drive operation is resolved by testing hypotheses related to different tape-to-head skew angles with an ad hoc metric obtained by the dual servo channel. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed method.
Late effects of cancer therapy on the central nervous system

Abstract The number of studies documenting the long-term morbidity of CNS treatment has increased dramatically in recent years. Cranial irradiation, in particular, has been associated with cognitive deficits and neuroanatomic pathology. Children who are treated at an early age and individuals who receive higher doses (2,400 cGy or greater) appear to be at greatest risk for these sequelae. Much more research on the pathogenesis of delayed injury following CNS treatment is needed. Although several compelling mechanisms have been proposed, little empirical evidence is available. This knowledge is essential to the identification of agents that may protect normal brain tissue from injury. Even less is known about the effects of age at time of treatment, type of treatment (radiation v chemotherapy), or dose of radiation in relation to delayed injury. Of utmost importance are studies that will establish the predictive relationship between brain injury and cognitive deficits. This would allow clinicians to predict patients who are at risk for cognitive impairment in order to institute appropriate preventive or remedial interventions.
Improved methods for quantification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA and hepatitis C virus RNA in blood using spin column technology and chemiluminescent assays of PCR products

The quantification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA or hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA has been facilitated by adapting a spin column procedure for sample preparation and the use of chemiluminescent detection of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products in microtiter plate format. All materials were commercially available and relatively inexpensive. By making a single dilution prior to amplification, concentrations of 500 copies to 2.5 million HIV-1 1 RNA copies per mL and 1,000 copies to 50 million HCV RNA copies per mL could be determined on 140-microL samples. Between-run imprecision employing the improved procedure for HIV-1 RNA was 23%. Correlation of HIV-1 RNA concentrations obtained using chemiluminescent detection with values obtained by colorimetric assay of PCR products was 0.98. Correlation of HCV RNA concentration determined by the spin column-chemiluminescent assay procedure with those obtained by branched DNA methodology was 0.91. Spin columns could be used with serum or plasma containing acid-citrate-dextrose or heparin anticoagulant, but heparinized samples required treatment with heparinase prior to amplification.
The Spectrum of Neutral Helium

Returning to my letter of December 6, I beg to supplement the same by a result of my last week's work, which seems to give the proposed theory a much stronger support than all probability estimates, for it represents in toto and orderly some empirical series of helium. In fact, guided by a few coherent items of my original table, I find that the whole diffuse series of singlets, denoted by 1PmD, is represented by
Identification of pyrene-degradation pathways: Bench-scale studies using Pseudomonas fluorescens 29L

This article summarizes the bench-scale studies to identify pyrene-degradation pathways using an environmental microbial isolate, Pseudomonas fluorescens 29L. Strain 29L was grown on 50 mg of pyrene per liter of mineral medium. At a pyrene biodegradation rate of 14.7 mg/L of medium/day, 82.38 percent of pyrene was degraded in six days. Naphthalene and phenanthrene accounted for 1.09 percent and 3.69 percent, respectively, of the carbon mass from pyrene in the late log phase. Substituted benzene compounds accounted for 26.10 percent of the carbon mass from pyrene in the late log phase. In the stationary phase, carboxylic acids accounted for 10.44 percent of the carbon mass from pyrene. Strain 29L mutants were used for enzyme assays. Pyrene is oxidized by monoxygenases and dioxygenases, and the oxidized ring is cleaved. These enzymes were induced in the presence of pyrene and their activities peaked in the late log phase. No gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase activity was detected in Strain 29L wild type (WT), whereas mutant M15 did not show any catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activity. This indicates the possibility of multiple branchings in the pyrene-biodegradation pathways. In conclusion, multiple degradative pathways are operating concurrently in this strain. The study shows the versatility of Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain 29L for pyrene degradation. It also emphasizes the need to study pyrene-degradation pathways in other microorganisms so as to enhance the bioremediation potential for the in situ treatment of pyrene-contaminated sites. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The use of sensory evoked potentials in toxicology

The rationale for studying sensory systems as an integral part of neurotoxicological examinations is presented. The role of evoked potentials in assessing brain dysfunction in general and sensory systems in particular is also presented. Four types of sensory evoked potentials (brainstem auditory evoked response, somatosensory evoked potentials, flash evoked potentials, and pattern reversal evoked potentials) are discussed in terms of their demonstrated contributions to neurotoxicology and clinical neurology. Research needed to allow these methods to achieve their full value for neurotoxicology is identified and briefly discussed.
Rate of a maintained operant as a function of temporal position within a session

McSweeney and her colleagues (e.g., McSweeney, Hatfield, & Allen, 1990) have demonstrated reliable, large magnitude rate changes in maintained operants within daily sessions under a wide variety of reinforcement schedules. The present paper examined the role of schedule of reinforcement, reinforcement rate, and total amount of food access in determining those within-session rate changes. When median rates across birds were considered, all procedures resulted in a brief period of an increasing rate, followed by a modest rate loss across the major portion of the session. However, not all individuals exhibited that pattern. When the amount of food access per session was limited by lower reinforcement rates, shorter sessions, or shorter reinforcement durations, the magnitude of the withinsession rate change was reduced from that occurring without those constraints. Additionally, under the conditions that produced strong within-session rate changes, the magnitude of the within-session rate loss was correlated with the bird’s body weight. These effects are consistent with what is typically labeledsatiation.
Cornual gestation: A systematic literature review and two case reports of a novel treatment regimen

Abstract Study objective To introduce a novel tubal-sparing regimen for the treatment of nonruptured cornual pregnancies. Design Case report and systematic review of the literature. Setting Tertiary Care University setting. Patients Two patients referred for care in our subspecialty clinic. Interventions Laparoscopic surgery, dilation and evacuation, and postoperative methotrexate injection. Systematic review of the literature. Measurements and main results Both medical and surgical treatments for cornual gestation exist; however, each is not without its shortcomings. Medical treatment is associated with failure rates that may result in uterine rupture and catastrophic hemorrhage. Surgical treatment that involves hysterectomy causes a loss of future childbearing capability. Surgical treatment that involves resection of the involved cornual region is associated with decreased fertility rates and increased rates of uterine rupture in future pregnancies. Our treatment regimen is safe and effective and conserves future fertility. Conclusion A cornual gestation is one of the most hazardous types of ectopic gestation. The diagnosis and treatment of such a pregnancy is challenging and constitutes an urgent medical situation. We herein introduce a novel regimen for the treatment of nonruptured cornual pregnancies. The existing treatment regimens are also systematically reviewed.
Hydroxyl free radical production during torsional phacoemulsification.

Purpose To quantitate free radical generation during phacoemulsification using an ultrasonic phacoemulsification device that includes a torsional mode and evaluate tip designs specific to the torsional mode. Setting Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA. Design Experimental study. Methods Experiments were performed using the Infiniti Vision System and OZil handpiece. Hydroxyl radical concentrations in the aspirated irrigation solution during torsional phacoemulsification were quantitated as nanomolar malondialdehyde (nM MDA) and determined spectrophotometrically using the deoxyribose assay. Results The mean free radical production during phacoemulsification with torsional modality at 100% amplitude was 30.1 nM MDA ± 5.1 (SD) using a 0.9 mm 45-degree Kelman tapered ABS tip. With other tip designs intended for use with the torsional modality, free radical production was further reduced when fitted with the 0.9 mm 45-degree Kelman mini-flared ABS tip (13.2 ± 5.6 nM MDA) or the 0.9 mm 45-degree OZil-12 mini-flared ABS tip (14.3 ± 6.7 nM MDA). Although the measurements resulting from the use of the latter 2 tips were not statistically significantly different ( P ≈ .25), they were different from those of the tapered tip ( P Conclusions The MDA concentration in the aspirated irrigation solution using the torsional modality was approximately one half that reported for the handpiece’s longitudinal modality in a previous study using the same bent-tip design (Kelman tapered, P Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Additional disclosure is found in the footnotes.
Measuring softness of inner female urethra Part I. Simple new device

A new device is described to measure clinically the softness of the female urethra. It is a rod-shaped urethral sound with a longitudinal groove along its surface. The sound is constructed in sizes 12 to 24 French. Each has one groove which is 2 mm wide and either 2, 2.5, or 3 mm deep. The groove is 11 cm long. When inserted into the filled female bladder per urethram, the groove will span the urethra from the bladder to the outside. If the urethral inner lining is soft and deformable, it will fill itself into the groove and prevent leakage of urine from the bladder along the groove to the outside. If the urethra is relatively rigid, urine will leak from the bladder. This instrument permits testing of women to determine urethral properties in preventing leakage when studied with a range of probe sizes.
The influence of nondisclosure on the mental health of urban African-American adolescents exposed to community violence.

African-American youth residing in urban poverty have been shown to be at increased risk for exposure to violence and internalizing symptoms, but there has been little investigation of moderating processes that might attenuate or exacerbate this association. The current study examined nondisclosure as a possible moderator of the association between community violence and internalizing symptoms with a sample of 152 low-income urban African-American early adolescents using hierarchical regression analyses. Results revealed that nondisclosure for relationship reasons (e.g., adults could not be trusted to provide needed support) moderated the association between exposure to community violence and internalizing symptoms. Unexpectedly, however, results of simple effects analyses revealed a stronger association between exposure to violence and internalizing symptoms for youth who disclosed more to adults. Although unexpected, this pattern builds upon prior research indicating that adult–child relationships are c...
Cubyl anion formation and an experimental determination of the acidity and C-H bond dissociation energy of cubane

Cubane (1) and its derivatives have been the subject of numerous investigations ever since Eaton’s synthesis of the parent compound in 1964.1,2 Kinetic measurements indicate that 1 is an unusually acidic alkane3 and that its carbon-hydrogen bond dissociation energy (BDE) is considerably greater than that for a typical tertiary C-H bond.4 The thermodynamic values for these quantities, however, are unknown. Cubane’s acidity along with the electron affinity of cubyl radical could be used to derive the homolytic C-H BDE via a thermodynamic cycle (eq 1).
Expression and structure of human SPARC transcripts : SPARC mRNA is expressed by human cells involved in extracellular matrix production and some of these cells show an unusual expression pattern

A mouse SPARC cDNA clone was used to elucidate the expression of SPARC mRNA in normal diploid human cells as well as in tumor cells. Among 40 cell lines examined, 19 showed expression. The mRNA transcribed by the majority of the expressors are 2.1 kb with a trace amount of 3 kb. However, three cell types, undifferentiated basal keratinocytes, their differentiated derivatives, and breast adenocarcinoma cells, showed an expression pattern distinct from the typical one, having abundant 3-kb mRNA but no detectable 2.1-kb mRNA. The mRNA was translated and the product secreted. This expression pattern was not observed before in human cells and was not found in tumor cells of keratinocytes, squamous carcinoma cells, or many other adenocarcinoma cells. We showed by Northern hybridization that the SPARC-expressing melanocytic melanoma cell lines produced laminin, a component of extracellular matrix. Other cell types expressing the SPARC mRNA were also reported to synthesize extracellular matrix components. Thus, our results indicate an association between SPARC gene expression and production of extracellular matrix. However, the opposite is not true since non-SPARC-producers may or may not produce extracellular matrix. For example, A431 cell line, which does not express SPARC mRNA, is known to produce extracellular matrix components while the normal diploid melanocytes and undifferentiated embryonal carcinoma cells, which do not express SPARC mRNA, do not produce extracellular matrix component.
The effects of magnesium pemoline, caffeine and picrotoxin on a food reinforced discrimination task

The effects of several doses of magnesium pemoline, caffeine, and picrotoxin on the acquisition of a food-reinforced light-dark discrimination task in the T-maze were compared. Both magnesium pemoline and caffeine facilitated the acquisition of the task at appropriate doses. The picrotoxin-treated animals were incapacitated except at the lowest dose administered.
The turnover of deoxyuridine triphosphate during the HeLa cell cycle.

Abstract The synthesis and breakdown of deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) was studied to determine whether a dUTP pool is present at any stage of the HeLa cell cycle. Although cell extracts were found to be capable of phosphorylating dUMP to dUTP, only minimal quantities of intracellular dUMP, dUDP or dUTP could be detected. When thymidylate synthetase was blocked with FUdR the dUMP pool increased but no substantial increase in dUDP or dUTP was seen. A powerful and specific dUTP nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase, EC3.6.1.23) which hydrolyses dUTP to dUMP and PPi was detected. The activity of this enzyme as well as that of the dUTP synthesizing enzymes was low in G1, rose through S and G2 and reached a maximum just prior to cell division. Pulsing experiments with [5-3H]UdR and [14C]TdR suggest that the size of the dUTP pool is 1% of the dTTP pool.
Solution-phenomena in the Pecos basin in New Mexico

The drainage-basin of the Pecos River in New Mexico is a broad asymmetric trough extending from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains southward into Texas (see Fig. 1). It is bounded on the east by the westward facing escarpment of the High Plains and on the west by the crests of the Guadalupe, Sacramento and Sierra Blanca mountains, and a poorly defined divide extending northward through Gallinas Mountain and Pedernal Mountain to Glorieta Mesa. Most of the basin is formed by extensive upland erosion-surfaces that slope gently toward the river. The valley proper, through much of its length, is relatively narrow and is bounded by steep marginal bluffs, but in some sections, notably between Acme and Lakewood (the Roswell artesian basin) and between Carlsbad and Black River, it is considerably expanded and the lowlands adjoining the river extend from 3 to 16 miles back from the river.
Response of the plasma to the size of an anode electrode biased near the plasma potential

As the size of a positively biased electrode increases, the nature of the interface formed between the electrode and the host plasma undergoes a transition from an electron-rich structure (electron sheath) to an intermediate structure containing both ion and electron rich regions (double layer) and ultimately forms an electron-depleted structure (ion sheath). In this study, measurements are performed to further test how the size of an electron-collecting electrode impacts the plasma discharge the electrode is immersed in. This is accomplished using a segmented disk electrode in which individual segments are individually biased to change the effective surface area of the anode. Measurements of bulk plasma parameters such as the collected current density, plasma potential, electron density, electron temperature and optical emission are made as both the size and the bias placed on the electrode are varied. Abrupt transitions in the plasma parameters resulting from changing the electrode surface area are identified in both argon and helium discharges and are compared to the interface transitions predicted by global current balance [S. D. Baalrud, N. Hershkowitz, and B. Longmier, Phys. Plasmas 14, 042109 (2007)]. While the size-dependent transitions in argon agree, the size-dependent transitions observed in helium systematically occur at lower electrode sizes than those nominally derived from prediction. The discrepancy in helium is anticipated to be caused by the finite size of the interface that increases the effective area offered to the plasma for electron loss to the electrode.
Acellular cadaveric dermis (Alloderm) for ventricular coverage after a gunshot wound

Firearm injuries of the left ventricle are often fatal. Successful outcome depends on the rapid identification of all injuries and development of a well-organised, effective treatment plan. We report the case of a patient that sustained multiple thoracoabdominal gunshot wounds, one causing a cardiac injury, which was successfully repaired using Alloderm (human acellular tissue matrix, LifeCell Corp., Brachburg, NJ). The placement of Alloderm on the cardiac wound provided a biologic reinforcement of the ventricular injury, helping to decrease the incidence of a late rupture or aneurismal dilatation of a severely weakened area. The institution from which this report originates does not require institutional review board approval for publication of retrospective reports.
Low energy antiproton nuclear absorption cross sections.

We have studied the absorption cross section of antiprotons on Al, Cu, and Pb for T = 131.6 and 193.6 MeV. These results are compared with predictions of an optical model fitted to antiproton elastic scattering data on these nuclei and are in agreement with these predictions. The cross sections have an exponential dependence on the mass number A with an exponent of approximately 0.61.
Altruism by Job Sector: Can Public Sector Employees Lead the Way in Rebuilding Social Capital?

The face of public service continues to evolve as government copes with increasingly complex societal problems and changing means of service delivery. Public managers are now challenged to oversee programs that cut across sectors and organizational boundaries, and people carrying out the government’s work can be found across all sectors—government, nonprofit, and for-profit. Unlike those in previous generations, younger individuals see opportunities to engage in public service in nonprofit and for-profit organizations, which has undoubtedly affected the ability of government agencies to recruit and retain those with public service values. Have opportunities to engage in public service across sectors made differences between public, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations irrelevant? Are public and nonprofit employees any different from those in for-profit organizations, especially when it comes to public service values? Understanding why individuals engage in public service is arguably more important than ever as social capital and civic engagement decline. This article draws upon the “other-oriented” aspect of public service and builds upon the work of Brewer (Brewer, Gene A. 2 003. Building social capital: Civic attitudes and behavior of public servants. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 13 (1):5–26.) and Houston (Houston, David J. 2 006. “Walking the walk” of public service motivation: Public employees and charitable gifts of time, blood, and money. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 16 (1):67–86.; Houston, David J. 2 008. Behavior in the public square. In Motivation in public management: The call of public service, eds. James L. P erry and Annie Hondeghem, 177–99. Oxford, UK: Oxford Univ. Press.) to examine the impact of sector on one area of prosocial behavior: volunteering. This article employs data from the September Volunteer Supplement of the 2011 Current Population Survey to examine how both formal and informal volunteering varies across sectors—public, nonprofit, and for-profit—as well as across levels of government—federal, state, and local. This study finds that government and nonprofit sector employees tend to volunteer more than their for-profit sector counterparts, but there are important nuances when taking work schedule, levels of government, and additional measures of volunteering into account. The face of public service continues to evolve as government copes with increasingly complex societal problems and changing means of service delivery. Public managers are now challenged to manage programs that cut across sectors and organizational
On the billing vulnerabilities of SIP-based VoIP systems

For commercial VoIP services, billing is crucial to both service providers and their subscribers. One of the most basic requirements of any billing function is that it must be accurate and trustworthy. A reliable VoIP billing mechanism should only charge VoIP subscribers for the calls they have really made and for the durations they have called. Existing VoIP billing is based on the underlying VoIP signaling and media transport protocols. Hence, vulnerabilities in VoIP signaling and media transports can be exploited to compromise the trustworthiness of the billing of VoIP systems. In this paper, we analyze several deployed SIP-based VoIP systems, and present three types of billing attacks: call establishment hijacking, call termination hijacking and call forward hijacking. These billing attacks can result in charges on the calls the subscribers have not made or overcharges on the VoIP calls the subscribers have made. Such billing attacks essentially cause inconsistencies between what the VoIP subscribers have received and what the VoIP service provider has provided, which would create hard to resolve disputes between the VoIP subscribers and service providers. Our empirical results show that VoIP subscribers of Vonage, AT&T and Gizmo are vulnerable to these billing attacks.
Hypercholesterolemia Induces Angiogenesis and Accelerates Growth of Breast Tumors in Vivo

Obesity and metabolic syndrome are linked to an increased prevalence of breast cancer among postmenopausal women. A common feature of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and a Western diet rich in saturated fat is a high level of circulating cholesterol. Epidemiological reports investigating the relationship between high circulating cholesterol levels, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and breast cancer are conflicting. Here, we modeled this complex condition in a well-controlled, preclinical animal model using innovative isocaloric diets. Female severe combined immunodeficient mice were fed a low-fat/no-cholesterol diet and then randomized to four isocaloric diet groups: low-fat/no-cholesterol diet, with or without ezetimibe (cholesterol-lowering drug), and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet, with or without ezetimibe. Mice were implanted orthotopically with MDA-MB-231 cells. Breast tumors from animals fed the high-fat/high-cholesterol diet exhibited the fastest progression. Significant differences in serum cholesterol level between groups were achieved and maintained throughout the study; however, no differences were observed in intratumoral cholesterol levels. To determine the mechanism of cholesterol-induced tumor progression, we analyzed tumor proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis and found a significantly greater percentage of proliferating cells from mice fed the high-fat/high-cholesterol diet. Tumors from hypercholesterolemic animals displayed significantly less apoptosis compared with the other groups. Tumors from high-fat/high-cholesterol mice had significantly higher microvessel density compared with tumors from the other groups. These results demonstrate that hypercholesterolemia induces angiogenesis and accelerates breast tumor growth in vivo.
A high-temperature study of the stoichiometry, phase behavior, vaporization characteristics, and thermodynamic properties of the cerium + oxygen system

The lanthanum + oxygen system has been studied by investigating the vaporization behavior of the sesquioxide phase as a function of temperature and composition, employing mass effusion and mass-spectrometric techniques. The partial pressures of LaO(g) over the sesquioxide phase were measured in the presence of tungsten (1933 to 2408 K) and in the presence of rhenium (1778 to 2427 K). The former were greater by 40 to 80 per cent. The congruently vaporizing composition begins to depart from stoichiometry with increasing temperature and at 2400 K reaches values of La2O2.980 ± 0.002 in tungsten and La2O2.998 ± 0.002 in rhenium, demonstrating a slight reducing effect of rhenium and a measurably greater reducing effect of tungsten. The following thermochemical quantities were determined: Δ G f o ( LaO , g , T ) / cal mol − 1 = − 36940 − 11.73 T / K , Δ H f o ( LaO , g , 0 ) = − ( 28.6 ± 1.0 ) kcal mol − 1 , and D ( LaO , g , 0 ) = ( 189.9 ± 1.0 ) kcal mol − 1 . The partial pressures of La(g) and LaO(g) over the liquid metal + sesquioxide were measured over the temperature range 1516 to 1904 K. The composition of the sesquioxide phase at the lower phase boundary was determined as a function of temperature from 1660 to 1925 K and appeared to depart from the stoichiometric value above 1400 K. At 1925 K the sesquioxide was reduced to La2O2.82. The standard Gibbs free energy of formation of the substichiometric oxide at the lower phase boundary was evaluated as a function of temperature; a calculated value of — 282.9 kcal mol−1, corresponding to the composition La2O2.83, is about 16 kcal mol−1 less negative than that of the stoichiometric sesquioxide. The standard Gibbs free energy change for the isomolecular reaction, La(g) + YO(g) = LaO(g) + Y(g), was redetermined and compared with the dissociation energies of the monoxides evaluated from the thermochemical data.
On Iconicity and Hierarchy

Buku karya Verhaar ini adalah kajian tentang ikonisasi atau teori tanda. Dalam buku ini dikatakan bahwa iconicity dapat dipahami sebagai bagian atau properti dari sign. Berkenaan dengan persoalan ini, maka buku ini bersangkut paut dengan kajian tentang semantik ataupun semiotika.
Proposed Architecture for the Combinatorial Problems Resolution Based on BDI Agents in Ubiquitous Environments

The objective of global optimality versus the cost that this implies is an unresolved issue by researchers. Classical problems such as Travel Salesman Problem (TSP) or Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) and it’s derivatives, relate to combinatorial optimization problems that arise on an everyday basis for a group of people that would like to have the solution to such problems as soon as possible. Thus, the idea that such problems purely operational, would be solved by heuristics in devices makes sense, due to the interest of normal use for sellers or car's drivers. Within the framework of what we may call ubiquitous distributed computing, this paper proposes an BDI architecture that supports the resolution of problems in complex combinatorial mobile devices across heuristics or metaheuristics embedded in the devices themselves and working from a set of data from a central server using agents for coordination and collaboration.
Partition Filter Set for Power-Efficient Packet Classification

Ternary Content-Addressable Memory (TCAM) has been widely used for high-performance multi-dimensional packet classification. High power consumption limits the use of TCAM for large filter sets. TCAM power consumption is proportional to the number of TCAM entries enabled for search. Dividing TCAM into many blocks and enabling only a few blocks for search has been proposed to reduce the power consumption dramatically. However, it is quite challenging to design efficient algorithms to partition a set of multi-dimensional filters into many subsets (a subset is placed in one TCAM block). The efficiency of the algorithm is evaluated in three aspects: the maximum number of TCAM blocks that need to be enabled for a single search, the storage utilization of TCAM blocks, and the time and space complexity of the partition algorithm. In this paper, we developed a simple but efficient partition algorithm based on the Hilbert curve. The algorithm reduces TCAM power consumption by a factor of ten on average. The TCAM storage utilization is over 99%. The algorithm takes O(n log n) time and O(n) space.