cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Site Response in Las Vegas Valley, Nevada from NTS Explosions and Earthquake Data

We report site response in Las Vegas Valley (LVV) from historical recordings of Nevada Test Site (NTS) nuclear explosions and earthquake recordings from permanent and temporary seismic stations. Our data set significantly improves the spatial coverage of LVV over previous studies, especially in the northern, deeper parts of the basin. Site response at stations in LVV was measured for frequencies in the range 0.2–5.0 Hz using Standard Spectral Ratios (SSR) and Horizontal-Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVR). For the SSR measurements we used a reference site (approximately NEHRP B ``rock'' classification) located on Frenchman Mountain outside the basin. Site response at sedimentary sites is variable in LVV with average amplifications approaching a factor of 10 at some frequencies. We observed peaks in the site response curves at frequencies clustered near 0.6, 1.2 and 2.0 Hz, with some sites showing additional lower amplitude peaks at higher frequencies. The spatial pattern of site response is strongly correlated with the reported depth to basement for frequencies between 0.2 and 3.0 Hz, although the frequency of peak amplification does not show a similar correlation. For a few sites where we have geotechnical shear velocities, the amplification shows a correlation with the average upper 30-meter shear velocities, V 30. We performed two-dimensional finite difference simulations and reproduced the observed peak site amplifications at 0.6 and 1.2 Hz with a low velocity near-surface layer with shear velocities 600–750 m/s and a thickness of 100–200 m. These modeling results indicate that the amplitude and frequencies of site response peaks in LVV are strongly controlled by shallow velocity structure.
Kingship and Crown Finance under James VI and I, 1603-1625

This book rejects outright the stereotypical image of James VI and I as mindlessly extravagant and integrates crown finance with James's kingship. It offers both a fresh view of crown finance - one of the blackest elements in James's historical reputation - and a reconstruction of how the king who wrote on divine right monarchy operated his kingship in practice. Drawing on both his humanist education, particularly his reading of Xenophon's Cyropaedia, and his kingship in Scotland, James developed a clear, considered agenda for crown finance. He used it consciously to underwrite his novel position as the first king of "Great Britain" and to consolidate the Stuart dynasty outside of Scotland. This study analyses in detail how James fashioned and refashioned political regimes in England to further this agenda between 1603-25. JOHN CRAMSIE is Assistant Professor of British and Irish History at Union College, Schenectady, New York.
Na8[Zn4Ge8O18(OH)12]·2H2O: An interrupted-framework zincogermanate built from [GeO3(OH)] and [Ge2(OH)2] units

A new layered germanate, Na8[Zn4Ge8O18(OH)12]·2H2O, has been synthesized from an aqueous solution containing germanium dioxide, zinc acetate and sodium hydroxide. Room temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction data indicate an orthorhombic cell with a = 13.036(3) A, b = 8.7286(17) A, c = 12.938(3) A, space group Pbcn (no. 60), and Z = 4. Chains of orthogonal four-rings, consisting of corner-sharing [Ge2Zn2] units bridged at the zinc centers, are connected to form a new tetrahedral sheet structure containing bifurcated 10-membered rings and the unique building blocks, [GeOn(OH)4 − n] (n = 1, 2). The zincogermanate sheets are stacked along the c-axis and connected both by Na–O electrostatic interactions and a hydrogen bonding network composed of bound water molecules and terminal hydroxide anions.
Do Astronomical Journals Still Have Extensive Self-referencing?

Now that all the major astronomical journals are available online and search engines allow astronomers to find pertinent papers regardless of where they are published, do papers in those journals still have a strong tendency to reference papers in the same journals? Current statistics show that all the general astronomical journal papers still have 9% self-referencing, as they did 21 years ago. Equally disturbing is the large decrease (from 41.6% to 22.8%) in the past 21 years in citations to papers outside these eight major ones, even though the others can also be found in electronic searches.
Morphological and physiological survival of goldfish Mauthner axons isolated from their somata by spinal cord crush

Axon segments isolated from their somata degenerate within days or months depending on species and neuronal type. To better understand the time course of morphological and physiological changes associated with degeneration of axon segments of vertebrate central neurons, we have studied the goldfish Mauthner axon (M-axon) when it has been separated from its soma by spinal cord crush. M-axon segments survive morphologically for at least 77 days at 14°C. Cross-sectional areas of isolated M-axon segments (measured 25–30 mm caudal to the wound site at postoperative days 64 and 77) were greater than those of control axons at the same level. Sheath areas did not change. Electron microscopic observations at the same spinal cord location indicated no clear changes in the configuration or number of neurofilaments or any other organelle. M-axon segments studied morphologically after 87 postoperative days had all degenerated. Mauthner axon segments were capable of conducting action potentials and eliciting ipsilateral EMG responses. Repetitive firing of the M-axon segments elicited EMG responses that fatigued more easily and remained fatigued over a longer interval than did those of control axons. The long duration of M-axon segment survival is unusual in a vertebrate and may be due to the low temperature at which the experiments were conducted (14°C) and/or temperature-independent factors. The increased susceptibility to synaptic depression, which has not reported previously, may represent an early sign of the degenerative process.
Novel two-step laser ablation and ionization mass spectrometry (2S-LAIMS) of actor-spectator ice layers: probing chemical composition of D2O ice beneath a H2O ice layer.

In this work, we report for the first time successful analysis of organic aromatic analytes imbedded in D2O ices by novel infrared (IR) laser ablation of a layered non-absorbing D2O ice (spectator) containing the analytes and an ablation-active IR-absorbing H2O ice layer (actor) without the analyte. With these studies we have opened up a new method for the in situ analysis of solids containing analytes when covered with an IR laser-absorbing layer that can be resonantly ablated. This soft ejection method takes advantage of the tenability of two-step infrared laser ablation and ultraviolet laser ionization mass spectrometry, previously demonstrated in this lab to study chemical reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cryogenic ices. The IR laser pulse tuned to resonantly excite only the upper H2O ice layer (actor) generates a shockwave upon impact. This shockwave penetrates the lower analyte-containing D2O ice layer (spectator, a non-absorbing ice that cannot be ablated directly with the wavelength of the IR laser employed) and is reflected back, ejecting the contents of the D2O layer into the vacuum where they are intersected by a UV laser for ionization and detection by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Thus, energy is transmitted from the laser-absorbing actor layer into the non-absorbing spectator layer resulting its ablation. We found that isotope cross-contamination between layers was negligible. We also did not see any evidence for thermal or collisional chemistry of PAH molecules with H2O molecules in the shockwave. We call this “shockwave mediated surface resonance enhanced subsurface ablation” technique as “two-step laser ablation and ionization mass spectrometry of actor-spectator ice layers.” This method has its roots in the well-established MALDI (matrix assisted laser desorption and ionization) method. Our method offers more flexibility to optimize both the processes—ablation and ionization. This new technique can thus be potentially employed to undertake in situ analysis of materials imbedded in diverse media, such as cryogenic ices, biological samples, tissues, minerals, etc., by covered with an IR-absorbing laser ablation medium and study the chemical composition and reaction pathways of the analyte in its natural surroundings.
Liturgy in the Broadest Sense

Theologians interested in postmodernism and contemporary culture have recently turned to liturgy as a resource. However, these scholars often overlook the rich tradition of philosophically and theologically sophisticated reflection on liturgy of the past few decades. The result is that essential features of liturgy are overlooked. These features include the authoritative nature of liturgy for theology, and the impossibility of fully expressing the content of liturgy in propositional theology. By turning to the work of liturgical theologians, including Alexander Schmemann, Aidan Kavanagh, and Geoffrey Wainwright, I suggest that the attempt to grapple with contemporary issues by appealing to liturgy will always be compromised unless liturgy is understood in a modest, not broad, sense. I argue that recent work by Catherine Pickstock and William Cavanaugh, among others, ignores the authoritative nature of liturgy. These recent enthusiasts of liturgy promote a ‘liturgical culture’, but in the process their work takes away what makes liturgy most potent.
Assembly of an APC-Cdh1-Substrate Complex Is Stimulated by Engagement of a Destruction Box

Summary The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) is a ubiquitin ligase that promotes the degradation of cell-cycle regulators. Cdh1p is an APC coactivator that directly binds APC substrates. A genetic screen in budding yeast identified residues within Cdh1p critical for its function. Cdh1p proteins containing mutations within the "C box" or the "IR" motif could bind substrate, but not the APC, whereas mutants that only bound the APC were not identified, suggesting an ordered assembly of the ternary APC-Cdh1p-substrate complex. Supporting this hypothesis, we found that substrate binding to wild-type Cdh1p enhanced its association with the APC in yeast cells. We used peptide competition assays to demonstrate that Cdh1p interacts directly with the D box and the KEN box, two motifs within APC substrates known to be required for APC-mediated degradation. Moreover, an intact D box domain within a substrate was required to stimulate the association between the Cdh1p-substrate complex and the APC.
Characteristics of Modal Coupling in Nonclassically Damped Systems Under Harmonic Excitation

The normal coordinates of a nonclassically damped system are coupled by nonzero off-diagonal elements of the modal damping matrix. The purpose of this paper is to study the characteristics of modal coupling, which is amenable to a complex representation. An analytical formulation is developed to facilitate the evaluation of modal coupling. Contrary to widely accepted beliefs, it is shown that enhancing the diagonal dominance of the modal damping matrix or increasing the frequency separation of the natural modes need not diminish the effect of modal coupling. The effect of modal coupling may even increase. It is demonstrated that, within the practical range of engineering applications, neither diagonal dominance of the modal damping matrix nor frequency separation of the natural modes would be sufficient for neglecting modal coupling.
The evolution of two west African populations.

The identification of genetically coherent populations is essential for understanding human evolution. Among the culturally uniform ethnic groups of west Africa, there are two geographically distinct populations with high frequencies of sickle-cell hemoglobin (HbS). Although the HbS mutation in each group is found on distinguishable chromosomes 11, these populations have been assumed to be parts of a single population. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in these populations demonstrated that the two populations identified by alternative chromosomes 11 bearing HbS have distinct distributions of mitochondrial genotypes, i.e., they are maternally separate. These studies also showed that, contrary to expectation, the mtDNA of some individuals is heteroplasmic. For nuclear loci, a comparison of the frequency of alternative alleles established that these populations are genetically distinct. Both the mitochondrial and nuclear data indicate that these populations have been separate for approximately 50,000 years. Although HbS in the two populations is usually attributed to recent, independent mutations, the duration of the separation and the observed geographic distribution of the population allow for the possibility of an ancient origin of HbS. Assuming an ancient mutation and considering the known biogeography, we suggest that HbS protected selected populations from malaria in rain forest refuges during the most recent ice age.
Probabilistic musculoskeletal modeling of the knee: A preliminary examination of an ACL-reconstruction

In this study, a detailed uncertainty analysis was performed to place probability limits on model predictions for both uninjured and ACL-reconstructed joints. We investigated the effect of uncertainty in connective tissue intrinsic properties on the predicted kinematics and kinetics of the human joint under combined quadriceps and external loading observed during the load acceptance phase of the gait cycle. Our findings indicated that, on average, the ACL-reconstruction procedure using a patellar tendon graft increased the tibiofemoral joint adduction and internal rotation angles over the load acceptance phase. Our findings highlight one of the main features of the current construct; that is, model predictions are described in terms of their probabilistic properties. In the context of surgical evaluations, such properties define the level of likelihood that a given intervention can recover normal joint function.
Heat kernel bounds, ancient κ solutions and the Poincaré conjecture

Abstract We establish certain Gaussian type upper bound for the heat kernel of the conjugate heat equation associated with 3-dimensional ancient κ solutions to the Ricci flow. As an application, using the W entropy associated with the heat kernel, we give a different and much shorter proof of Perelman's classification of backward limits of these ancient solutions. The method is partly motivated by Cao (2007) [1] and Sesum (2006) [27] . The current paper or Chow and Lu (2004) [6] combined with Chen and Zhu (2006) [4] and Zhang (2009) [31] lead to a simplified proof of the Poincare conjecture without using reduced distance and reduced volume.
Water use of Vitis vinifera grapes in Washington

Abstract A long-term research project was initiated in 1983 on a 1.2 ha trickle-irrigated Vitis vinifera vineyard to address water management of White Riesling (WR), Chenin blanc (CB), and Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) grapes in central Washington. Six large drainage lysimeters, two per cultivar, were installed to monitor crop water use. Each lysimeter contained two vines. Vines were balance pruned and shoot-thinned to achieve an equivalent crop level of about 15 Mg/ha of grapes. Analyses showed that published crop coefficients (ET o ) for mature grapes greatly overestimate water use early and late in the season for Washington conditions although peak crop coefficients of about 0.8-0.9 were similar. Annual crop water use for all three cultivars ranged from 130 mm for one-year-old vines in 1985 to as much as 540 mm for mature vines in 1990. The average crop water use for small, young vines (1985–1986) was about 146 mm/yr, and from 1987–1990 for mature plants it was about 417 mm/yr for all three cultivars.
Stereoretentive Pd-catalysed Stille cross-coupling reactions of secondary alkyl azastannatranes and aryl halides

A general method for the stereoretentive Pd-catalysed cross-coupling of secondary alkyl azastannatranes and aryl electrophiles is described. This work constitutes the first example of a stereoretentive cross-coupling reaction using an unactivated, isolable, optically active organometallic nucleophile.
Molecular cloning, characterization, and expression analysis of two class II chitinase genes from the strawberry plant

Abstract Plant chitinases are pathogenesis-related proteins, which are believed to be involved in plant defense responses to pathogen infection. We have cloned, sequenced, partially characterized, and analyzed the expression patterns of two strawberry class II chitinase genes, designated FaChi2-1 and FaChi2-2. Nucleotide sequence data indicated that FaChi2-1 and FaChi2-2 contain two and three exons, respectively. The splice junctions in these genes were confirmed by sequence analyses of corresponding cDNA clones. The translation products of both genes showed high degrees of homology to other class II chitinases. Genomic Southern blot analysis indicated that each chitinase gene represents a multigene family. The transcription start sites of the two genes were determined by primer extension analysis. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that both genes are constitutively expressed in strawberry leaves. Expression of these genes in strawberry plants inoculated with Colletotrichum fragariae or Colletotrichum acutatum, two important strawberry fungal pathogens, was examined at different time points using real-time PCR. FaChi2-1 showed a rapid induction, which occurred within 2–6 h post-inoculation. Induction of FaChi2-2 occurred slower, at 24–48 h post-inoculation.
Experiments on a Helix Buncher Tube

ABSTRACT A tube employing travelling-wave synchronous bunching has been investigated experimentally at large signal levels. The experimental tube contained a klystron buncher, a short helix buncher, and a catcher gap. The a.c. current conversion induced by the helix was measured and compared with that induced by the klystron gap. In the ballistic region good agreement with theory was obtained. In the space-charge region the current conversion by the helix was somewhat less than theoretical. Measurement of the large signal gap coefficient of the catcher gap together with the current conversion by the helix indicate an efficiency of 60% should be obtainable. An operating efficiency of 43 % was measured in the tube studied even though the output circuit efficiency was only 77%. Thus 56% of the d.c. beam energy was converted into r.f. energy. The terminated travelling-wave synchronous buncher is characterized by a low power gain so that it is necessary to resort to resonance in order to obtain high power gains.
Temperatures and ethanol effects on the properties of extruded modified starch

Abstract Temperature and blowing agent are major factors influencing the properties of extruded foam materials. This study was conducted to determine the influence of temperature and alcohol content on selected properties and molecular weight of acetylated starch foam. Starch acetate, with degree of substitution of three, was prepared from 70% amylose corn starch and extruded with either 16 or 18% (db) ethanol in a single screw extruder at either 120 or 160°C. Unit and solid densities, specific mechanical energy, compressibility, spring index, water absorption and water solubility indices, glass transition temperature, molecular degradation and degree of substitution (DS) of the starch were measured. The samples extruded at 120°C had lower spring indices and water absorption indices (WAI), but higher compressibility and unit density than acetylated starch extruded at 160°C. The samples extruded with 16% ethanol content on a dry basis had lower spring indices and higher WSI than samples extruded with 18% alcohol. The extruded samples had lower solid density, WSI and WAI as compared to non-extruded acetylated starch. A slight decrease in the average molecular weight was recorded as a result of the extrusion processing. The samples extruded at 160°C had high spring indices and low unit densities and thus were more suitable for use as a loose-fill packaging material.
Should all patients with chronic kidney disease take a statin

Some patients should take a statin, particularly those not yet on dialysis who have low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels higher than 100 mg/dL. However, relatively few studies have addressed this question.
A comparison of marketing approaches used by high-tech firms: 1985 versus 2001

Abstract The authors present a follow-up to a study conducted in 1985 that investigates the use of marketing approaches used by high-tech firms. The firms were surveyed to determine if their use of marketing approaches has changed. The 2001 study confirms the emergence of Web-based marketing approaches as of particular importance to high-tech firms. The findings should serve as a reference for practitioners to assess their marketing efforts and to evaluate the change in tactics used to market high-tech firms.
The genetic structure of the incompatibility factors of Schizophyllum commune: the resolution of class 3 B factors.

Recombinant B factors were recovered from crosses of class Ixclass III B factors. Factors of class III are constituted of two loci, but intrafactor recombination occurs at a low frequency. Bα of class III B factors differs in its properties from Bα of class I, but Bβ is identical with Bβ of class I. The Bα locus has at least two alleles.
Classification of lunar satellite orbits

Classification of lunar satellite orbits perturbed by earth and by nonsphericity of lunar gravitational field
Ictal Adiponectin Levels in Episodic Migraineurs: A Randomized Pilot Trial

Objective To assess ictal adiponectin (ADP) levels before and after acute abortive treatment in women episodic migraineurs. Methods Peripheral blood specimens were collected from women episodic migraineurs before and after acute abortive treatment with sumatriptan/naproxen sodium vs placebo. Univariate and multivariate models were utilized to examine the relationship between serum total ADP (T-ADP), ADP oligomers (high molecular weight [HMW], middle molecular weight, and low molecular weight [LMW]-ADP), and ADP ratio levels and pain severity. Paired t-tests and random intercept longitudinal models were utilized to assess the mean changes in T-ADP, ADP oligomers, and ratios over time in treatment responders and nonresponders. Results Twenty participants (11 responders, 9 nonresponders) have been studied to date. In all participants, increases in the HMW : LMW ADP ratio were associated with an increase in pain severity. For every 1 point increase in the HMW : LMW ratio, pain severity increased by 0.22 (Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.07, 0.37; P = .004). In contrast, for every 0.25 μg/mL increase in LMW-ADP, pain severity decreased by 0.20 (CI: −0.41, −0.002; P = .047). In treatment responders, T-ADP levels were reduced at 30 minutes (12.52 ± 3.4; P = .03), 60 minutes (12.32 ± 3.2; P = .017), and 120 minutes (12.65 ± 3.2; P = .016) after treatment as compared with onset (13.48 ± 3.8). Additionally, in responders, the HMW : LMW ratio level was greater at pain onset (3.70 ± 1.9 μg/mL) as compared with nonresponders (2.29 ± 0.71 μg/mL), P = .050. Responders also showed a decrease in the HMW : LMW ratio at 60 minutes (2.37 ± 1.1; P = .002) and 120 minutes (2.76 ± 1.4; P = .02) after treatment as compared with onset (3.70 ± 1.9). These changes in responders remained significant after adjusting for covariates, including measured body mass index (m-BMI). Although nonresponders showed no significant changes in unadjusted T-ADP or ADP oligomer or ratio levels, the HMW : LMW ratio was increased in nonresponders after adjustments (P = .025). Conclusion In this pilot study of women episodic migraineurs, the HMW : LMW ADP ratio level was associated with migraine severity and predictive of acute treatment response. ADP and the HMW : LMW ratio of ADP represent potential novel biomarkers and drug targets for episodic migraine.
Differential Roles of PKC-θ in the Regulation of Intracellular Calcium Concentration in Primary T Cells

Activation of T lymphocytes requires protein kinase C theta (PKC-theta) and an appropriately elevated free intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). Here, we show that phorbol 12 myristate 13-acetate (PMA) inhibited Ca2+ influx in wild-type but not PKC-theta-/- T cells, suggesting that PKC-theta plays a role in PMA-mediated inhibition of Ca2+ influx. In contrast, T cell receptor (TCR) crosslinking in the same PKC-theta-/- T cells did result in significantly decreased [Ca2+]i compared to wild-type T cells, suggesting a positive role for PKC-theta in TCR-mediated Ca2+ mobilization. In PKC-theta-/- mice, peripheral mature T cells, but not developing thymocytes, displayed significantly decreased TCR-induced Ca2+ influx and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) translocation upon sub-optimal TCR crosslinking. The decreased intracellular free Ca2+ was due to changes in Ca2+ influx but not efflux, as observed in extracellular and intracellular Ca2+ mobilization studies. However, these differences in Ca2+ influx and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) translocation disappeared with increasing intensity of TCR crosslinking. The enhancing effect of PKC-theta on Ca2+ influx is not only dependent on the strength of TCR crosslinking but also on the developmental stage of T cells. The underlying mechanism involved phospholipase Cgamma1 activation and inositol triphosphate production. Furthermore, knockdown of endogenous PKC-theta expression in Jurkat cells resulted in significant inhibition of TCR-induced activation of NFAT, as evidenced from NFAT reporter studies. Forced expression of a constitutively active form of calcineurin in PKC-theta-/- Jurkat cells could readily overcome the above inhibition. Thus, PKC-theta can both positively and negatively regulate the Ca2+ influx that is critical for NFAT activity.
Signal-to-noise ratio comparison of encoding methods for hyperpolarized noble gas MRI

Some non-Fourier encoding methods such as wavelet and direct encoding use spatially localized bases. The spatial localization feature of these methods enables optimized encoding for improved spatial and temporal resolution during dynamically adaptive MR imaging. These spatially localized bases, however, have inherently reduced image signal-to-noise ratio compared with Fourier or Hadamad encoding for proton imaging. Hyperpolarized noble gases, on the other hand, have quite different MR properties compared to proton, primarily the nonrenewability of the signal. It could be expected, therefore, that the characteristics of image SNR with respect to encoding method will also be very different from hyperpolarized noble gas MRI compared to proton MRI. In this article, hyperpolarized noble gas image SNRs of different encoding methods are compared theoretically using a matrix description of the encoding process. It is shown that image SNR for hyperpolarized noble gas imaging is maximized for any orthonormal encoding method. Methods are then proposed for designing RF pulses to achieve normalized encoding profiles using Fourier, Hadamard, wavelet, and direct encoding methods for hyperpolarized noble gases. Theoretical results are confirmed with hyperpolarized noble gas MRI experiments.
Free-space and fiber-optic polarimeters

Optical polarimeters that measure the state of polarization (SOP) of fully or partially polarized monochromatic or quasi-monochromatic light traveling in free space or guided by optical fibers are briefly reviewed. Fast detection of the SOP, as described by the four Stokes parameters, has important applications for optical sensing, monitoring, and coherent light-wave communication systems.
Temperature and spatial dependence of the magnetization near a surface of a ferromagnet

Abstract The temperature and spatial dependence of the magnetization in a semi-infinite, single tight-binding band model ferromagnet is calculated. It is assumed that the spatial dependence of the magnetization arises primarily because of the downward shift of the ‘atomic’ energy level in the surface layer. This shift was found to occur in Ni in a previous calculation. The effects of the surface are approximated by considering a plane of defects in an otherwise translationally invariant metal. The surface layer is furthermore assumed to be paramagnetic as was previously suggested to be the case for Ni. It is demonstrated that the range of the magnetic disturbance arising from the surface increases with temperature and that the deviation in the magnetization of a given layer from the bulk magnetization is a damped oscillatory function of the distance of the layer from the surface. while the present theory assumes a highly over simplified model for the band structure and it is, therefore, not reasonable to apply these calculations directly to real metals, the results found here are qualitatively consistent with experiments on Ni.
Ethnic Differences in Estimates of Gains Made by Community College Students.

This study examined whether community college students of differing ethnic backgrounds report differential perceptions of growth and development as a function of their community college experience. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted on survey data from the Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire (J. Friedlander, C. R. Pace, & P. W. Lehman, 1990). A national sample of 15,263 community college students was used. The ethnic groups under investigation were African‐American, Hispanic, White, and Asian. Tukey‐Kramer tests revealed several statistically significant differences among ethnic groups. However, effect size and omega square analyses suggest that these differences were small in magnitude.
Yeast Phospholipase C Is Required for Normal Acetyl-CoA Homeostasis and Global Histone Acetylation

Phospholipase C (Plc1p) is required for the initial step of inositol polyphosphate (InsP) synthesis, and yeast cells with deletion of the PLC1 gene are completely devoid of any InsPs and display aberrations in transcriptional regulation. Here we show that Plc1p is required for a normal level of histone acetylation; plc1Δ cells that do not synthesize any InsPs display decreased acetylation of bulk histones and global hypoacetylation of chromatin histones. In accordance with the role of Plc1p in supporting histone acetylation, plc1Δ mutation is synthetically lethal with mutations in several subunits of SAGA and NuA4 histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complexes. Conversely, the growth rate, sensitivity to multiple stresses, and the transcriptional defects of plc1Δ cells are partially suppressed by deletion of histone deacetylase HDA1. The histone hypoacetylation in plc1Δ cells is due to the defect in degradation of repressor Mth1p, and consequently lower expression of HXT genes and reduced conversion of glucose to acetyl-CoA, a substrate for HATs. The histone acetylation and transcriptional defects can be partially suppressed and the overall fitness improved in plc1Δ cells by increasing the cellular concentration of acetyl-CoA. Together, our data indicate that Plc1p and InsPs are required for normal acetyl-CoA homeostasis, which, in turn, regulates global histone acetylation.
Hollow-Cathode Source Design for High Resolution Spectroscopic Studies with Small Samples

A series of hollow-cathode tubes has evolved from the original Schuler type, for use at low temperature with valuable small samples (~10 mg). In the final tube assembly the light emerges with a divergence of f:3 through a 35-mm window. The cathode, of Al or Mg (or possibly Be) is clamp-sealed to the tube to be easily removable, yet in direct contact with liquid air. The tube has been used with a static rare gas supply as well as a conventional circulating system. Several quickly interchangeable sources have been used to make relative measurements of isotope shift with an uncertainty of about 2 middot; 10−8.
SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY IN THE SERVICE SECTOR: A POSTAL CASE STUDY

This is a case study of workforce scheduling in the U.S. postal system. We use it to analyze the benefits of scheduling flexibility at postal distribution systems, which can come from several sources. We focus on the additional flexibility deriving from increasing the proportion of part-time employees, as well as from increasing the cross-training of part-time employees. These two dimensions of scheduling flexibility are decision points of particular interest to the postal management. We used a large-scale simulation model of the dynamic functioning of the postal distribution system in conjunction with a staff-scheduling model to obtain insights into policy issues of interest. Our results show that the operating environment at a distribution station affects cost and customer service performance, and that gains from greater scheduling flexibility are situationally dependent. The benefit of cross-training part-time workers is modest over the range of levels considered realistic for distribution stations. Our overall recommendation is for postal managers to increase the proportion of part-time employees, allowing more efficient matching of resources with the varying demands for mail delivery on different routes. For the range of conditions we modeled, cost reductions from more part-time workers average over six percent when capacity utilization is low. Customer service improvements are even larger, and range between 20 and 43% when capacity utilization is high. Improvements at the upper end of the range are achieved when demand variability is also at its highest.
I bask in dreams of suicide: Mental illness, poetry, and women

A consistent research finding in creativity research has been the tendency of poets—especially female poets—to suffer from mental illness. We explore (a) Why poets? and (b) Why female poets? We pos...
Modulation and mechanisms of electroretinogram recovery after short-term retinal ischemic injury

This study examines whether electroretinogram recovery after short-term (15- or 20-min) ischemia is enhanced by agents (catalase and dextromethorphan) that are known to enhance recovery after longer (60–75-min) periods of ischemia. Under both light-adapted and dark-adapted conditions, Dutch rabbits were exposed to two sequential sets of short-term ischemia, each followed by 60 min of reperfusion during which the electroretinogram was monitored. Catalase or dextromethorphan was administered intravenously before the second reperfusion period. Control experiments showed that electroretinogram recovery curves from sequential ischemic episodes were similar, and neither intravenous catalase nor dextromethorphan increased the rate or magnitude of electroretinogram recovery. This negative result suggests that the mechanisms of injury or recovery after short-term retinal ischemia may be different from those operating after 60–75 min of ischemia.
The disciplinary experiences of mentally disordered inmates

Inmates who can be characterized as disturbed-disruptive present difficult problems for both custodial and mental health staff. This study compares the disciplinary experiences of inmates referred to mental health units at two prisons to those of nonreferred inmates. It is found that referred inmates have higher infraction rates and that they are more likely to engage in rule violations that reflect symptomatic behavior. It is also observed that disciplinary dispositions for referred inmates occasionally invoke the assistance of mental health staff, and that these actions are often combined with the imposition of punishment. In addition, the data suggest that under some conditions punitive responses to infractions by emotionally disturbed inmates may lead to an escalation of disruptive behavior. These findings indicate that within prison settings pathology and disruptiveness are interrelated. They also suggest that disciplinary committees operate primarily under a legalistic model, which incorporates some...
Improving inter-spatial and inter-temporal comparability of national accounts

Abstract The inter-spatial indices of prices and outputs generated by the UN International Comparison Program (ICP) are not always consistent with the inter-temporal indices compiled by national statistical offices. This paper discussed the issues involved and describes what the World Bank is doing about them. Although the inconsistencies are due to a combination of factors ranging from intractable index number problems, problems associated with compiling inter-temporal indices and those related to measurement of inter-spatial indices, the paper concentrates on concepts and practices of ICP. The paper documents the discrepancies in available data and argues that some of the discrepancies are unavoidable as time-to-time indices of outputs are obtained from series where prices are fixed and quantities vary while the place-to-place indices in ICP benchmark data involve changes both in prices and quantities over time; that others will be reduced as the methods, practices and country coverage of ICP become stable; and that the bulk of the discrepancy results from lack of coordination in the way data are collected for national accounts. Consumer Price Index (CPI) and ICP. The paper concludes that the inconsistencies would be reduced and the remaining discrepancies better understood if there is harmonization and improvement of statistical work related to national accounts. CPI and ICP, and outlines a number of steps in this direction.
Fast LCNN ICA for unsupervised hyperspectral image classifier

Since in remote sensing each pixel could have its own unique radiation source s including man-made objects associated with different spectral reflectance matrix A, we could not average over neighborhood pixels. Instead, we solve pixel-by-pixel independent classes analysis (ica) without pixel average by Lagrange Constraint of the data measurement model and Gibbs' equal a priori probability assumption based on Shannon's Entropy H(s) with probability normalization condition for an arbitrary number of M classes that is bounded by the spectral data components N. We formulate the Fast Lagrangian method to maximize the Shannon entropy with the equality constraints in order to achieve O(N) numerical complexity contrary to the O(N2) numerical complexity associated with the solution of the inverse problem required in the classical Lagrangian formulation. Trivial equal probability solution with uniformly distributed class vector s is avoided by introducing additional set of the inequality constraints. The unknown spectral reflectance matrix A is estimated blindly in non-parameterized form minimizing an LMS energy function. We apply the Riemannian metric to the gradient learning for reproducing the biological Hebbian rule in terms of a full rank vector outer product formula and demonstrate faster convergence than standard Euclidean gradient. Since the proposed Fast Lagrangian method has O(N) numerical complexity we have achieved a real time hyperspectral remote sensing capability as platform moves, samples and processes. A FPGA firmware implementation for massive pixel parallel algorithm has been fired for patent.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A high order mixed vector finite element method for solving the time dependent Maxwell equations on unstructured grids

We present a mixed vector finite element method for solving the time dependent coupled Ampere and Faraday laws of Maxwell's equations on unstructured hexahedral grids that employs high order discretization in both space and time. The method is of arbitrary order accuracy in space and up to 4th order accurate in time, making it well suited for electrically large problems where grid anisotropy and numerical dispersion have plagued other methods. In addition, the method correctly models both the jump discontinuities and the divergence-free properties of the electric and magnetic fields, is charge and energy conserving, conditionally stable, and free of spurious modes. Several computational experiments are performed to demonstrate the accuracy, efficiency and benefits of the method.
Association between acrochordons and colonic polyps

Fifty-four male and female patients with suspected colonic disease were examined for the presence of acrochordons prior to colonoscopy. Thirty-five of these patients (65%) had skin tags and twenty-six (48%) were found to have colonic polyps. In this study patients with acrochordons were significantly (p
Designed self-organization for molecular optoelectronics

The convergence of terahertz spectroscopy and single molecule experimentation offer significant promise of enhancement in sensitivity and selectivity in molecular recognition, identification and quantitation germane to military and security applications. This presentation reports the results of experiments which address fundamental barriers to the integration of large, patterned bio-compatible molecular opto-electronic systems with silicon based microelectronic systems. The central thrust of this approach is sequential epitaxy on surface bound single stranded DNA one-dimensional substrates. The challenge of producing highly structured macromolecular substrates, which are necessary in order to implement molecular nanolithography, has been addressed by combining "designer" synthetic DNA with biosynthetically derived plasmid components. By design, these one dimensional templates are composed of domains which contain sites which are recognized, and therefore addressable by either complementary DNA sequences and/or selected enzymes. Such design is necessary in order to access the nominal 2 nm linewidth potential resolution of nanolithography on these one-dimensional substrates. The recognition and binding properties of DNA ensure that the lithographic process is intrinsically self-organizing, and therefore self-aligning, a necessity for assembly processes at the requisite resolution. Another requirement of this molecular epitaxy approach is that the substrate must be immobilized. The challenge of robust surface immobilization is being addressed via the production of the equivalent of molecular tube sockets. In this application, multi-valent core-shell fluorescent quantum dots provide a mechanism to prepare surface attachment sites with a pre-determined 1:1 attachment site : substrate (DNA) molecule ratio.
Parallelism and concurrency control performance in distributed database machines

While several distributed (or 'shared nothing') database machines exist in the form of prototypes or commercial products, and a number of distributed concurrency control algorithms are available, the effect of parallelism on concurrency control performance has received little attention. This paper examines the interplay between parallelism and transaction performance in a distributed database machine context. Four alternative concurrency control algorithms are considered, including two-phase locking, wound-wait, basic timestamp ordering, and optimistic concurrency control. Issues addressed include how performance scales as a function of machine size and the degree to which partitioning the database for intra-transaction parallelism improves performance for the different algorithms. We examine performance from several perspectives, including response time, throughput, and speedup, and we do so over a fairly wide range of system loads. We also examine the performance impact of certain important overhead factors (e.g., communication and process initiation costs) on the four alternative concurrency control algorithms.
Properties Development During Curing of Low Dielectric-Constant Spin-On Glasses

Variations in the electrical and mechanical properties of silsesquioxane spin-on glass thin films are examined as a function of curing time and temperature. Particular attention is paid to the trade-off between producing low dielectric constant films, suitable for advanced microelectronic interconnection structures, and mechanically stable films,able to withstand semiconductor wafer fabrication processes. Two critical aspects of the mechanical stability of spin-on glasses are shown to be: the positive thermal expansion mismatch with silicon-leading to tensile film stresses; and reactivity with water-leading to susceptibility to stress-corrosion cracking.
Tumor Angiogenesis in the Absence of Fibronectin or Its Cognate Integrin Receptors

Binding of α5β1 and αvβ3/β5 integrin receptors on the endothelium to their fibronectin substrate in the extracellular matrix has been targeted as a possible means of blocking tumor angiogenesis and tumor growth. However, clinical trials of blocking antibodies and peptides have been disappointing despite promising preclinical results, leading to questions about the mechanism of the inhibitors and the reasons for their failure. Here, using tissue-specific and inducible genetics to delete the α5 and αv receptors in the endothelium or their fibronectin substrate, either in the endothelium or globally, we show that both are dispensable for tumor growth, in transplanted tumors as well as spontaneous and angiogenesis-dependent RIP-Tag-driven pancreatic adenocarcinomas. In the nearly complete absence of fibronectin, no differences in vascular density or the deposition of basement membrane laminins, ColIV, Nid1, Nid2, or the TGFβ binding matrix proteins, fibrillin-1 and -2, could be observed. Our results reveal that fibronectin and the endothelial fibronectin receptor subunits, α5 and αv, are dispensable for tumor angiogenesis, suggesting that the inhibition of angiogenesis induced by antibodies or small molecules may occur through a dominant negative effect, rather than a simple functional block.
Relations between the milnor and quillen K-theory of fields

There is a product structure defined on KY(F) in such a way that if xcK”(F), y E KY(F) then xy E K~~j(F). With this added structure we get a ring which is called the Milnor ring of F. All the definitions are strictly algebraic and the theory evolved bears a strong relation with both the Witt ring and Galois cohomology [4]. For any ring A we can define the infinite general linear group GL(A) and its classifying space BGL(A). For n? 1 Quillen defines the group K:(A) as the nth homotopy group of the space BGL(A)+, derived from BGL(A) by the plus construction. For n = 0 take @(A) as the standard group Ko(A) defined in [5]. For n = 1, 2 it is known that KY(F) s@(F) for any field F [3]. On the other hand if n is an odd integer greater than one and if F is a finite field, then KY(F) is trivial while K:(F) is cyclic. We can define the Quillen K-ring analagously (31.
The Effect of Gold Nanorods on Cell-Mediated Collagen Remodeling

Cardiac fibroblasts, the noncontractile cells of the heart, contribute to myocardial maintenance through the deposition, degradation, and organization of collagen. Adding polyelectrolyte-coated gold nanorods to three-dimensional constructs composed of collagen and cardiac fibroblasts reduced contraction and altered the expression of mRNAs encoding β-actin, α-smooth muscle actin, and collagen type I. These data show that nanomaterials can modulate cell-mediated matrix remodeling and suggest that the targeted delivery of nanomaterials can be applied for antifibrotic therapies.
Tuned maker fringing in the second harmonic generation occurring near the transverse a-exciton of naphthalene

Abstract Second harmonic and two-photon fluorescence excitation profiles are presented for 2ω ≈ ω T (transverse a -exciton frequency), and under conditions of near perfect index-matching. Tuned (frequency) Maker fringing in SHG profiles is reported for the first time. The conditions under which the semiclassical non-linear susceptibility theory can account for the fringing and excitation profiles are defined.
The future use of in vitro data in risk assessment to set human exposure standards: challenging problems and familiar solutions.

BackgroundThe vision of a National Research Council (NRC) committee (the Committee on Toxicity Testing and Assessment of Environmental Agents) for future toxicity testing involves the testing of hu...