cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The critical control of progesterone levels and pregnancy by antiprogesterone.

Abstract Circulating plasma progesterone (P) has been quentitatively controlled in the rat “model” through highly specific binding by treatment with anti-P (A-P). Knowing the constant, which characterizes the binding of P to A-P in plasma, sequential assays of circulating A-P and A-P bound total P (Pt) revealed the levels of the biologically active unbound P (Pu). The studies showed that at different stages of gestation the mechanisms through which A-P reduces Pu and terminates pregnancy are the same. However, the doses of AP which effectively reduce Pu and also the critical levels of Pu at which pregnancy terminates are different. The moderate and transient physiologic P-withdrawal (Pw) at midterm permits the continuation of normal gestation, but pregnancy is terminated by a drastic and sustained reduction in Pu. In contrast, when Pu is only slightly and briefly reduced below physiologic levels, pregnancy continues and only retarded conceptus growth signals that Pw occurred. Apparently Pw has to be controlled and measured with “razor's-edge” precision to fully expose and define the regulatory significance of this steroid in the maintenance and termination of pregnancy. Short of this precision, the key regulator of the pregnant uterus will remain buried, as it has been during 40 years, in controversial findings.
Enterovirus infection in children attending two outpatient clinics in Zhejiang province, China

Enteroviruses are responsible for hand, foot, and mouth disease, and have caused many deaths in China during recent years. But the natural history of enterovirus infection in children, especially asymptomatic children, is not yet clear. From April 2011 to May 2012, 505 stool and throat swab samples of children attending outpatients clinics in two hospitals were collected weekly to test for Enterovirus 71, Coxsackievirus A16, and other enterovirus nucleic acids by real-time RT-PCR. Two hundred sixty-four patients were enterovirus positive, the positive rate was 52.3%, 27.5% (22/80) in children without a rash and 56.9% (242/425) in children with a rash. Coxsackievirus A16 positive rate of male (24%, 61/254) was higher than that of female (15.2%, 26/171) (χ2 = 4.87, P = 0.027). The highest positive rate of enterovirus infection was 63.5% in the 2-year-old age group. Comparing children with and without a rash, within the same age groups, no statistical difference was found (P > 0.05). The seasonal distribution of Enterovirus 71 had only one peak in May, but Coxsackievirus A16 had two peaks in April and October. In patients with a rash, the frequency of Enterovirus 71 was relatively high before July, and then that of Coxsackievirus A16 increased gradually. In the case of Enterovirus 71 and Coxsackievirus A16, stool specimens had a higher positive rate than throat swab specimens' (χ2 = 3.88, P = 0.05; χ2 = 15.13, P < 0.001). Enterovirus infection was more frequent in males 2–3 year-old children, with the implicated virus varying by season. Targeted prevention and control measures should be carried out. J. Med. Virol. 86:1602–1608, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The performance of photomultipliers exposed to helium

Abstract We report results of a study to determine how the performance of photomultipliers is affected by exposure to He. In our tests we monitor two 5 in. diameter EMI hemispherical photomultipliers while they are operated in He environments. Initially we observed He + afterpulses, at an approximately constant delay relative to the primary anode pulse. As the He gas pressure in the tubes increases however, strings of pulses typical of Townsend discharges occur. For the glass composition and geometry of the photomultipliers used in our tests, the internal gas concentration as a function of exposure to He is calculated using Fick's law for the permeation of solids by gases. The He permeation constant for the photomultiplier glass is obtained from a semiempirical formula developed by Altemose. We calculate the internal He concentration resulting from the He exposure which is observed to cause the regular occurrence of discharges and find that it is consistent with that required for production of discharges in the Townsend model. Guidelines are presented for using our results to estimate lifetimes of photomultiplier's of different geometries and glass types when operated in He environments.
TEMPERATURES FROM ROTATIONAL-VIBRATIONAL RAMAN Q-BRANCHES

Abstract An iterative, least-squares analysis scheme, based on the differential of the intensity, dI = dτ∂I/∂τ + dϱ ∂I/∂ϱ has been developed for obtaining the temperature θ = 1/τ and density ϱ from a set of rotational-vibrational Raman, Q-branch intensities. Spectral locations that cover the maximum variation in ∂I/∂τ were determined from a set of computed intensities and derivatives. The results for the Stokes (anti-Stokes) bands indicate for temperatures less than 2100K (2700K) that the maximum extent of ∂I/∂τ can be spanned by recording intensities only in the first two vibrational bands, v(1-0) and v(2-1) and, due to the multivalued nature of ∂I/∂τ, equally spaced values for ∂I/∂τ can be obtained only by programming the spectrometer to select an appropriate set of non-uniformly spaced passbands.
Power Measurements at High Voltages and Low Power Factors

A description is given of the apparatus for the measurement of power as low as a fraction of a watt at power factors approaching zero and voltages as high as 175 kv. to neutral. A standard make of portable wattmeter was used having maximum ranges of 1.5 watts, 37.5, 75 and 150 volts and 20 per cent power factor. To this wattmeter was adapted a three-megohm water column resistance multiplier. In the original form of the wattmeter the origins of certain errors, due to capacitances chiefly, were studied and methods for their elimination were subsequently determined. Integrity tests were developed by which the values of error powers were obtained and used as guides in making subsequent adjustments for the reduction of such errors to zero. These integrity tests were checked by using the wattmeter for the measurement of known amounts of power. Reconnaissance studies were made of the voltage-corona power loss relations for rope laid copper, 0.91-in., lock wire smooth copper, 0.91-in. and concentric strand aluminum, 1.006-in. diameter transmission line conductors in rain and fair weather at differing degrees of humidity, temperatures, and barometric pressures, from ``initial'' to ``full'' corona formation. This class of studies was extended to corona loss values as offered by a wide variation of the ``surface roughness'' of conductors subjected to high voltages. The losses for a single brush were measured and the shielding effect of groups of brushes was studied. Losses to single strings of insulators under different conditions were determined.
Molecular Determinants of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Pathogenesis and Virulence in Young and Aged Mouse Models of Human Disease

SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) causes severe acute respiratory tract disease characterized by diffuse alveolar damage and hyaline membrane formation. This pathology often progresses to acute respiratory distress (such as acute respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS]) and atypical pneumonia in humans, with characteristic age-related mortality rates approaching 50% or more in immunosenescent populations. The molecular basis for the extreme virulence of SARS-CoV remains elusive. Since young and aged (1-year-old) mice do not develop severe clinical disease following infection with wild-type SARS-CoV, a mouse-adapted strain of SARS-CoV (called MA15) was developed and was shown to cause lethal infection in these animals. To understand the genetic contributions to the increased pathogenesis of MA15 in rodents, we used reverse genetics and evaluated the virulence of panels of derivative viruses encoding various combinations of mouse-adapted mutations. We found that mutations in the viral spike (S) glycoprotein and, to a much less rigorous extent, in the nsp9 nonstructural protein, were primarily associated with the acquisition of virulence in young animals. The mutations in S likely increase recognition of the mouse angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor not only in MA15 but also in two additional, independently isolated mouse-adapted SARS-CoVs. In contrast to the findings for young animals, mutations to revert to the wild-type sequence in nsp9 and the S glycoprotein were not sufficient to significantly attenuate the virus compared to other combinations of mouse-adapted mutations in 12-month-old mice. This panel of SARS-CoVs provides novel reagents that we have used to further our understanding of differential, age-related pathogenic mechanisms in mouse models of human disease.
The Preparation and Crystal Structures of η1-Derivatives of 2-Phenyl-1,2-azaboratabenzene

The reaction of potassium 2-phenyl-1,2-azaboratabenzene with Cp2ZrCl2 gave 5 in which the heterocyclic rings are η1-bound to zirconium.
The influence of fiber/matrix interface on the mechanical behavior of Nicalon SiC fiber reinforced glass-ceramic composites

Mechanical properties of unidirectional Nicalon SiC fiber reinforced Ca aluminosilicate (CAS/SiC) and Mg aluminosilicate (MAS/SiC) glass-ceramic composites were investigated by tensile testing and nondestructive laser-ultrasound technique. The Ba-stuffed MAS was either undoped or doped with 5% borosilicate glass. Degradation of elastic stiffness constant C{sub 11} in transverse direction due to interface damage was monitored in situ by measuring the laser- generated ultrasound wave velocity. The three composite materials show different characteristics of macroscopic deformation behavior, which is correlated strongly to interface degradation. A stronger reduction trend of the elastic constant C{sub 11} is associated with a larger degree of inelastic deformation. The fracture surfaces also reveal the close relation between fiber pullout length and interfacial characteristics. Interfaces of these composites were studied by TEM; their influence on inhibiting and deflecting matrix cracks is discussed.
The Topology and Evolution of the Bastille Day Flare

On 1998 July 14, a class M3 flare occurred at 12:55 UT in AR 8270 near disk center. Kitt Peak line-of-sight magnetograms show that the flare occurred in a δ spot. Mees vector magnetograms show a strong shear localized near a portion of the closed neutral line around the parasitic polarity of the δ spot. Observations of the flare in 171, 195, and 1600 A have been obtained by TRACE, with 40 s temporal and 05 spatial resolutions. They reveal that small-scale preflare loops above the sheared region expanded and disappeared for more than 1 hr before flare maximum. During the flare, bright loops anchored in bright ribbons form and grow. This occurs while large-scale dimmings, associated with large expanding loops, develop on both sides of the active region. This suggests that the flare was eruptive and was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME). Magnetic field extrapolations reveal the presence of a null point in the corona, with its associated "spine" field line, and its "fan" surface surrounding the parasitic polarity. We show that while the whole event occurs, the intersections of the "fan" and the "spine" with the photosphere brighten and move continuously. The interpretation of the event shows that the magnetic evolution of the eruptive flare is strongly coupled with its surrounding complex topology. We discuss evidence supporting a "magnetic breakout" process for triggering this eruptive flare. We finally conclude that multipolar fields cannot be neglected in the study and modeling of the origin of CMEs in the corona.
On the gas dynamics of laser-pulse sputtering of polymethylmethacrylate

Abstract The laser-pulse sputtering of polymers should have two limiting cases. In the one there is ongoing release of particles from the target surface, the particles then form a Knudsen layer (KL), and there is finally an unsteady adiabatic expansion (UAE) (‘effusion’ model). In the other limit, bond-breakage occurs rapidly over a characteristic depth and the resulting gaslike particles then flow out directly in a UAE without a formal KL (‘outflow’ model). To test these idealized gas-dynamic descriptions, we discuss experiments in which ∼ 20 ns excimer laser pulses are incident on polymethylmethacrylate in air at 193 or 248 nm and the release process is photographed with a ∼ 1 ns probe pulse. The results not only give explicit support to the gas-dynamic description of the problem, but also indicate that the KL-UAE model is more appropriate. For example, only this model accommodates the observation that the release process continues for ∼ 6 μs, which is ∼ 500 times the laser pulse length.
Excited-State Dynamics of (Organophosphine)gold(I) Pyrenyl Isomers

Ultrafast dynamics of isomeric (tricyclohexylphosphine)gold(I) pyrenyl complexes have been measured in chloroform and cyclohexane at room temperature. Internal conversion from an upper excited sing...
Corporate communication: the American picture

Explores corporate communication as a global business practice and as an academic field of study. Presents the strategic nature of corporate communication, current practices, forces shaping it and its key functions. Discusses the issues of meeting the challenge of the future.
Measurement of nicotine in household dust

An analytical method of measuring nicotine in house dust was optimized and associations among three secondhand smoking exposure markers were evaluated, i.e., nicotine concentrations of both house dust and indoor air, and the self-reported number of cigarettes smoked daily in a household. We obtained seven house dust samples from self-reported nonsmoking homes and 30 samples from smoking homes along with the information on indoor air nicotine concentrations and the number of cigarettes smoked daily from an asthma cohort study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment. House dust nicotine was analyzed by isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Using our optimized method, the median concentration of nicotine in the dust of self-reported nonsmoking homes was 11.7 ng/mg while that of smoking homes was 43.4 ng/mg. We found a substantially positive association (r=0.67, P<0.0001) between house dust nicotine concentrations and the numbers of cigarettes smoked daily. Optimized analytical methods showed a feasibility to detect nicotine in house dust. Our results indicated that the measurement of nicotine in house dust can be used potentially as a marker of longer term SHS exposure.
Development of a high-performance liquid chromatography assay method and characterization of adenosine diphosphate-ribosylarginine hydrolase in skeletal muscle

Abstract A new HPLC assay method for the enzyme that cleaves the bond between ADP-ribose and arginine was developed by using ADP-ribose-4-dimethylaminoazo-benzene-4-sulfonyl arginine methyl ester (ADP-R-DABS-AME) as a substrate analog. Because of the difference of hydrophobicity, ADP-R-DABS-AME and DABS-AME elute as well-separated peaks on the C-18 reversed-phase HPLC column, which is monitored at 475 nm. Because ADP-R-DABS-AME gives two peaks of α and β anomers on the C-18 HPLC column, the stereospecificity of ADP-ribosylarginine hydrolase can be easily determined. By using this new assay method, the existence of ADP-ribosylarginine hydrolase was identified in cultured chicken muscle cells. This enzyme activity was also found in rat and rabbit skeletal muscle. The muscle hydrolase cleaves the α anomer of ADP-R-DABS-AME specifically and requires magnesium and dithiothreitol for its full activation. By using this HPLC assay method, ADP-ribosylarginine hydrolase activity was also found in the crude extracts from the rat heart, liver, kidney, and brain.
Identification and Characterization of Carboxyl Ester Hydrolase as a Phospholipid Hydrolyzing Enzyme of Zymogen Granule Membranes from Rat Exocrine Pancreas

Abstract Salt-washed (0.6 M NaCl) zymogen granule membranes (ZGM) of rat pancreatic acinar cells were utilized to identify and characterize membrane protein(s) responsible for phospholipase and lysophospholipase activities. Five major bands were identified in salt-washed ZGM by Coomassie Brilliant Blue. A 70-kDa protein with enzymatic activity was retained in significant quantities after several washes with 0.6 M NaCl but could be displaced from ZGM by 2 M NaCl or by 100 mg/ml heparin. By contrast, GP2, an integral membrane protein, was not displaced under these conditions. These findings suggest that the enzyme is a peripheral membrane protein of ZGM. Renaturation of ZGM proteins following electrophoresis revealed that the 70-kDa protein possessed phospholipase activity. Identification of the 70-kDa protein as a membrane-associated carboxyl ester hydrolase was based upon: (a) the use of a specific polyclonal antiserum, (b) N-terminal sequence, (c) twodimensional gel analysis, (d) enzymatic characterization, and (e) co-localization to an area of a non-reducing gel containing significant phospholipase activity. Other ZGM proteins, namely GP2 and GP3, could not be demonstrated to possess phospholipase activity under the experimental conditions employed. Our finding that carboxyl ester hydrolase from ZGM exhibits PLA1 and lysophospholipase activities represents the first identification and characterization of a protein responsible for phospholipase activity in secretory granule membranes.
Enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy for an adolescent with purging disorder: a case report.

Objective To present a case report detailing the use of an enhanced form of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). The treatment was provided to an adolescent with an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) diagnosis, and included a focus on the additional maintaining mechanisms of mood intolerance and interpersonal problems. Case This case began as an unsuccessful attempt at family therapy, where the underlying dysfunction exacerbated symptoms and demoralized the family. The therapist subsequently chose to utilize an enhanced version of CBT to simultaneously address the patient's symptoms and try to effect change across multiple domains. A description of the patient's eating disorder pathology, the 29-session treatment, and outcome, are provided. Conclusion This case study illustrates that it is possible to successfully use enhanced CBT with developmentally appropriate adaptations in the treatment of a young patient with an EDNOS diagnosis, as suggested by Cooper and Stewart (2008). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Comparison of effectiveness of group interventions for depression in women

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured cognitive-behavioral group intervention designed by Verona Gordon to reduce depression in women. An experimental three group pretest and posttest design was used. Women were randomly assigned to the structured and support groups. The structured group was found to be significantly more effective in reducing depression, hopelessness, anxiety, and improving self-esteem than either the support or untreated control groups.
Mission investing and the philanthropic toolbox

This article explores the growing field of mission investing among foundations in the United States, understood as a relatively new tool in the philanthropic toolbox. We define the field of mission...
Jimsonweed intoxication in adolescents and young adults

• Seventy-three jimsonweed exposures reported to a regional poison center over a five-year period were reviewed. The ingestors' mean age was 17.3 years (range, 11 to 28 years). The most common route of exposure was oral, and the circumstance was drug abuse or experimentation in the majority of the cases. Although 11 callers remained at home, 59 required medical care in an emergency department or were admitted to the hospital. Treatment consisted of gastrointestinal decontamination, supportive care, and physostigmine salicylate administration. Almost 40% of the medically treated patients received physostigmine for severe hallucinations. One of the 59 medically treated patients had seizures develop. Calls to the poison center regarding jimsonweed differed from other calls in several respects. Jimsonweed abuse is a potentially serious form of substance abuse in adolescents and young adults. ( AJDC 1984;138:737-739)
Function of Lymphocytes and Monocytes in Silicosis

The function of lymphocytes and monocytes was compared in a group of 18 ex-sandblasters with silicosis and 19 control subjects. Previously noted depressed lymphocytic proliferation in response to low concentrations of concanavalin A (ConA) in subjects with silicosis was not due to factors in the serum nor correctable by supplementation with allogeneic lymphocytes. Monocytes from the peripheral blood of the subjects with silicosis responded less to a chemotactic stimulus (zymosan-activated serum) than did monocytes from normal laboratory personnel; however, there was no difference in monocytic chemotaxix when groups of similar age were compared. There was a significant correlation between age and the monocytic response to chemotactic stimuli in the studied population (laboratory personnel, silicotic subjects, and age-matched control subjects). Overall, our data suggest subtle effects of silica on selected T-lymphocytic populations involved with responsiveness to the mitogen, concanavalin A, but no effects on monocytic function. Monocytic chemotaxis is unaffected by exposure to silica but is inversely related to age.
Impact of Tourism Development on the Economy and Health of Third World Nations

International tourism has quickly become one of the most important economic industries in the world.’+ In the 1950s and 1960s, the most popular destinations for tourists from developed nations were other developed nations. However, as international travel gained popularity, tourists became more “savvy” and more cost-conscious, and they began malung “intercultural” excursions to underdeveloped regions of the wor1d.h tourists searched for adventure and bargains, destinations began to include Mica, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. In 1987, theThrd World’s market share of international tourist spending amounted to 29.10/0;5 that figure is steadily increasing. Table 1 illustrates the economic importance and social impact that tourism has had worldwide. It is equally important to understand who is investing in tourism development and who is profiting. As many economically poor and resource rich countries struggle under the burden of onerous foreign debts, tourism development is seen as a panacea for economic woes. Foreign lenders agree with, and encourage, this belief by providing capital for tourism development.’ As tourism around the world has grown, there has been a concomitant rise in researchers’ interest in studying the economic, political and social costs and benefits of tourism development for native and guest alike. Unfortunately, one area in which reporting remains biased is the impact of tourism development on health. Indeed, if health and tourism issues are addressed at all it is usually in reference to tourists’ health problems (e.g., travelers’ diarrhea, malaria).”’The majority of studies on natives’ health focus almost exclusively on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The literature has few, if any, systematic studies that document the impact of
Endovascular coil embolization of segmental arteries prevents paraplegia after subsequent thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair: An experimental model

Objectives To test a strategy for minimizing ischemic spinal cord injury after extensive thoracoabdominal aneurysm (TAAA) repair, we occluded a small number of segmental arteries (SAs) endovascularly 1 week before simulated aneurysm repair in an experimental model. Methods Thirty juvenile Yorkshire pigs (25.2 ± 1.7 kg) were randomized into 3 groups. All SAs, both intercostal and lumbar, were killed by a combination of surgical ligation of the lumbar SAs and occlusion of intercostal SAs with thoracic endovascular stent grafting. Seven to 10 days before this simulated TAAA replacement, SAs in the lower thoracic/upper lumbar region were occluded using embolization coils: 1.5 ± 0.5 SAs in group 1 (T13/L1), and 4.5 ± 0.5 SAs in group 2 (T11-L3). No SAs were coiled in the controls. Hind limb function was evaluated blindly from daily videotapes using a modified Tarlov score (0 = paraplegia, 9 = full recovery). After death, each segment of spinal cord was graded histologically using the 9-point Kleinman score (0 = normal, 8 = complete necrosis). Results Hind limb function remained normal after coil embolization. After simulated TAAA repair, paraplegia occurred in 6 of 10 control pigs, but in only 2 of 10 pigs in group 1; no pigs in group 2 had a spinal cord injury. Tarlov scores were significantly better in group 2 (control vs group 1, P = .06; control vs group 2, P = .0002; group 1 vs group 2, P = .05). A dramatic reduction in histologic damage, most prominently in the coiled region, was seen when SAs were embolized before simulated TAAA repair. Conclusions Endovascular coiling of 2 to 4 SAs prevented paraplegia in an experimental model of extensive hybrid TAAA repair, and helped protect the spinal cord from ischemic histopathologic injury. A clinical trial in a selected patient population at high risk for postoperative spinal cord injury may be appropriate.
Mapping of the 5′-2-Deoxyribose-5-phosphate Lyase Active Site in DNA Polymerase β by Mass Spectrometry *

The mechanism of the 5'-2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate lyase reaction catalyzed by mammalian DNA beta-polymerase (beta-pol) was investigated using a cross-linking methodology in combination with mass spectrometric analyses. The approach included proteolysis of the covalently cross-linked protein-DNA complex with trypsin, followed by isolation, peptide mapping, and mass spectrometric and tandem mass spectrometric analyses. The 8-kDa domain of beta-pol was covalently cross-linked to a 5'-2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate-containing DNA substrate by sodium borohydride reduction. Using tandem mass spectrometry, the location of the DNA adduct on the 8-kDa domain was unequivocally determined to be at the Lys(72) residue. No additional amino acid residues were found as minor cross-linked species. These data allow assignment of Lys(72) as the sole Schiff base nucleophile in the 8-kDa domain of beta-pol. These results provide the first direct evidence in support of a catalytic mechanism involving nucleophilic attack by Lys(72) at the abasic site.
Another Look at Sylow's Third Theorem

This result is among the arsenal of tools that every first year algebra student obtains. A group where the order of every element is a power of p is called a p-group; a p-Sylow subgroup of G is a p-subgroup of G of maximal order p". The idea of Sylow's proof, which was originally stated in terms of permutation groups, is to look at the size of the equivalence classes obtained when all p-Sylow subgroups of G are conjugated by the elements of a fixed p-Sylow subgroup of G. The existence of a p-Sylow subgroup was needed for the proof of the third Sylow theorem, although the conclusion of the theorem certainly implies that there are p-Sylow subgroups. Using the Sylow results, Frobenius, in 1895 [1], proved a generalization: The number of subgroups of G of order ps is congruent to 1 modulo p whenever 1 < s < n. Most current texts show the existence of a p-Sylow subgroup and prove Sylow's third theorem using arguments that involve a group acting on a set. This method of proof for the existence of a p-Sylow subgroup was due to Miller between 1910 and 1915 [8, 9], but, according to Jacobson [9, p. 83], was "forgotten until it was rediscovered" in 1959 by Wielandt [14]. Krull [7] showed how Wielandt's method could be used to obtain Frobenius' generalization, and Gallagher, in 1967 [2], simplified the argument to one that depends upon the order of G rather than the group itself. Illustrating the combinatorics of finite group actions is part of the motivation to use this method of proof both to demonstrate the existence of p-Sylow subgroups in a finite group and to determine their number. In this note we offer another method to prove these results. Our combinatorial tool will be Mobius inversion on the lattice of subgroups of a finite group. We will see that an application of this method will easily lead to Frobenius' theorem, in fact, a generalization of it. Of course, part of the reason for presenting this proof is to highlight the method.
Characterization of the Damage on the Back Side of Silicon Wafers

Gettering represents a standard procedure to remove harmful impurities from device active regions of a silicon wafer. An affordable technique for the creation of a defect free (denuded) zone is the introduction of gettering sites on the wafer back side via mechanical damage (i.e. lapping). However, optimizing the extrinsic gettering process requires a technique to quantify the extent of damage introduced through a typical back-side damaging step. Here, we present results from a study using triple axis x-ray diffraction. We characterized the level of damage present in wafers subjected to different lapping conditions. By comparing reciprocal space maps from samples that had undergone different lapping steps, we concluded that all the as-lapped samples showed similar levels of damage in terms of both strain variations and lattice tilts. However, the integrated diffuse scattering intensities decreased from medium to soft t.-double-soft lapping, which confirmed that the double soft lapping introduced the least damage. Typically, the damage step introduced a symmetrical distribution of both lattice strain and lattice tilts (mosaicity) in the surface layer. KOH etching was employed to determine the depth of the damaged layer. In all cases the as-lapped samples had integrated intensities two orders of magnitude greater than those of the etched samples. Analysis of the residual damage present in the lapped samples after chemical etching confirmed that the more aggressive lapping conditions introduced damage of greater depth.
Extracting Roadway Background Image: Mode-Based Approach

Traffic monitoring cameras are widely installed on streets and freeways in U.S. metropolitan areas. Video images captured from these video cameras can be used to extract many valuable traffic parameters through video image processing. A popular way to capture traffic data is to compare the current traffic images with the background image, which contains no vehicles or other moving objects, just background such as pavement. Once the moving vehicle images are separated from the background image, measurements of their number, speed, and so on can be obtained. Typically, background images are extracted from a video stream through image processing because it may be hard to find a frame without any vehicles for normal traffic streams on urban streets. This paper introduces a new method that can quickly extract the background image from traffic video streams for both freeways and intersections in a variety of prevailing traffic conditions. This method has been tested with field data, and the results are promising.
THE FORMATION OF PHOTOREVERSIBLE CYCLOBUTANE‐TYPE PYRIMIDINE DIMERS IN ULTRAVIOLET‐IRRADIATED POTATO VIRUS X*

— Photoreversible cyclobutane-type pyrimidine dimers were found in 32P-labeled RN A isolated from intact potato virus X irradiated with 254 nm light. The number of dimers was correlated with the biological infectivity of the ultraviolet-treated virus. Assuming that incorporated 32P is homogeneously distributed in the viral RNA chain, it can be calculated that about 5·7±1·7 dimers are present in each strand of virus per lethal biological hit.
High mobility group box I (HMGB1) release from tumor cells after treatment : Implications for development of targeted chemoimmunotherapy

We have recently demonstrated that cytolysis of human melanoma cells by immune effectors (both NK and T cells) is associated with release of the nuclear chromatin protein, high mobility group box I (HMGB1). Extracellular HMGB1 mediates a number of important functions including endothelial cell activation, stromagenesis, recruitment and activation of innate immune cells, and also dendritic cell maturation that, in the setting of cancer, lead to a chronic inflammatory response. This reparative inflammatory response promotes tumor cell survival, expansion, and metastases. Release of HMGB1 after chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity has not been well characterized. We measured the release of HMGB1 after chemotherapy or immune cytolysis and demonstrated that this did not correlate with conventional markers of apoptosis and necrosis in several human colorectal, pancreatic, and melanoma tumor cell lines. Rather, we observed that tumor cells incubated with the platinating agent oxaliplatin, retained HMGB1 within the nucleus for significantly longer periods than other agents used at comparable cytotoxic concentrations or even with potent cytolytic cells. Thus, release of HMGB1 from dying tumor cells treated with chemotherapy or cells with lymphokine activated killer cell activity is not dependent solely on the mode of cell death. Sequestration of the damage associated molecular pattern molecule, HMGB1, may play a role in the clinical efficacy of platinating agents and suggests this as a superior agent for coupling with immunotherapeutic strategies, possibly enhancing their effectiveness.
The development of the auroral substorm.

Abstract A working model of simultaneous auroral activity over the entire polar region is presented in terms of the auroral substorm. The substorm has two characteristic phases, an expansive phase and a recovery phase. Each phase is divided into three stages, and characteristic auroral displays over the entire polar region during each stage are described in detail. Further, all the major features seen at a single station are combined into a consistent picture of large-scale auroral activity.
Beware Wilbur Smith's Gaboon adder: Purple prose, propaganda and politics in South Africa

(1994). Beware Wilbur Smith's Gaboon adder: Purple prose, propaganda and politics in South Africa. Journal of Contemporary African Studies: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 151-178.
The response in vitro of human lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin and to antigens after fractionation on discontinuous density gradients of albumin.

Abstract Quantitative in vitro assays of antigen recognition, as measured by specific uptake of labeled antigen, and cellular proliferation, as measured by incorporation of 3 H-thymidine into a 10% TCA-precipitable fraction, taken to be protein and DNA, were used to study the immunologic function of lymphocytes derived from human tissues. In addition, some of these lymphoid cells were separated on discontinuous gradients of BSA and the morphology and functions of each fraction studied. The principal findings were as follows: 1. 1. Lymphocytes from human tonsils, thymus, spleen, and bone marrow, derived from children previously immunized with tetanus toxoid, took up 125 I-labeled tetanus toxoid. This specific uptake was quantitatively greater and qualitatively different from the uptake of control proteins, and could be inhibited by unlabeled antigen, specific antibody, and low temperature, but not by inhibitors of cellular metabolism. 2. 2. Lymphocytes from human tonsils and thymus proliferated in response to PHA, tetanus toxoid, and allogeneic cells. 3. 3. Suspensions of tonsillar and thymic lymphocytes centrifuged in discontinuous gradients of BSA separated into at least three populations. The first was enriched with large and medium-sized lymphoblasts and underwent spontaneous mitotic activity. The second contained more than 95% small lymphocytes and consistently proliferated in response to PHA, tetanus toxoid, and, when tested, allogeneic cells. The third contained somewhat more dense, small lymphocytes and responded poorly to mitogenic stimuli. In the case of tonsillar tissue, this third population contained cells that took up most antigens. In the case of thymic tissue, these cells constituted 50–75% of the total cell number and responded weakly or not at all in the tests employed. It is concluded that within human lymphoid organs there exist functionally heterogeneous populations of cells. Moreover, this phenomenon may be studied effectively by separating cells in discontinuous gradients of BSA.
Evaluation of Marking Techniques to Estimate Population Size and First‐Year Survival of Colorado Squawfish

Abstract Three marking methods-tattoo ink injected with a dental inoculator, an elastic polymer injected by syringe, and fin clipping—were tested to determine a suitable technique for estimating population size, survival, and movement of age-0 Colorado squawfish Ptychocheilus lucius. Laboratory tests indicated that all three marks were retained at sufficient rates (>97%) to make population estimates over a 21-d period. However, fish marked with tattoo ink had higher mortality (10%) than fish marked with elastic polymer (< 1%) or with a fin clip (0%). Fish marked with the elastic polymer had higher retention (85%) than those marked with fin clips (34%) or tattoo ink (26%) after 142 d. No differences in vulnerability to predation were observed among fish with the three marks or between marked and unmarked fish. A field test of the elastic polymer showed that it was easy to use, caused low mortality (5% for fish held overnight in live-cages), and produced marks that were readily visible, Mark–recapture metho...
Xylem-specific and tension stress-responsive coexpression of KORRIGAN endoglucanase and three secondary wall-associated cellulose synthase genes in aspen trees

In nature, angiosperm trees develop tension wood on the upper side of their leaning trunks and drooping branches. Development of tension wood is one of the straightening mechanisms by which trees counteract leaning or bending of stem and resume upward growth. Tension wood is characterized by the development of a highly crystalline cellulose-enriched gelatinous layer next to the lumen of the tension wood fibers. Thus experimental induction of tension wood provides a system to understand the process of cellulose biosynthesis in trees. Since KORRIGAN endoglucanases (KOR) appear to play an important role in cellulose biosynthesis in Arabidopsis, we cloned PtrKOR, a full-length KOR cDNA from aspen xylem. Using RT-PCR, in situ hybridization, and tissue-print assays, we show that PtrKOR gene expression is significantly elevated on the upper side of the bent aspen stem in response to tension stress while KOR expression is significantly suppressed on the opposite side experiencing compression stress. Moreover, three previously reported aspen cellulose synthase genes, namely, PtrCesA1, PtrCesA2, and PtrCesA3 that are closely associated with secondary cell wall development in the xylem cells exhibited similar tension stress-responsive behavior. Our results suggest that coexpression of these four proteins is important for the biosynthesis of highly crystalline cellulose typically present in tension wood fibers. Their simultaneous genetic manipulation may lead to industrially relevant improvement of cellulose in transgenic crops and trees.
Simultaneous optimization and heat integration with process simulators

Abstract Strategies are presented for performing maximum heat integration of process streams simultaneously with flowsheet optimization in sequential process si The strategies have been implemented on FLOWTRAN, using infeasible path optimization methods. Two formulations for performing the heat integration are compared in terms of reliability and computational efficiency. Results on complex process flowsheets show that this approach leads to higher profit by producing substantial savings in raw material consumption throu
Some Semiconductive Properties of Dilute Binary Solid Solutions of Bismuth in Tellurium and Tellurium in Bismuth

IN connexion with my previous remarks on the bismuth–tellurium photo-voltaic sandwich layer1 it has been of interest to investigate the presence of semiconductive properties of bismuth and tellurium alone, as well as of the binary solute solutions of bismuth in tellurium and tellurium in bismuth.
The Hemodynamic and Respiratory Effects of Diazepam (Valium

Diazepam, 5–10 rag, was given intravenously to treat anxiety occurring during cardiac catheterization in 15 patients. Anxiety was effectively relieved in 11 patients. Hemodynamic and ventilatory parameters were assessed before, and ten and 30 minutes after diazepam. The cardiac index decreased significantly in only three patients, each of whom had a control cardiac index in the high-normal range. No significant changes occurred in patients whose control cardiac indexes were below normal. Systolic blood pressure decreased by more than 10 mm Hg in eight patients. Pulmonary arterial pressure, heart rate, stroke volume and pulmonary and systemic resistance did not change significantly. Hypoventilation occurred in all patients. Ten minutes after diazepam minute ventilation had decreased by 28 per cent and tidal volume by 23 per cent. Paco2 increased by 5 mm Hg and Pao2 decreased by 10 mm Hg. The observed changes in blood pressure and ventilation were without clinical correlates and did not require therapy.
Large a polynomial-time nuclear vector replacement algorithm for automated NMR resonance assignments

High-throughput NMR structural biology can play an important role in structural genomics. We report an automated procedure for high-throughput NMR resonance assignment for a protein of known structure, or of an homologous structure. These assignments are a prerequisite for probing protein-protein interactions, protein-ligand binding, and dynamics by NMR. Assignments are also the starting point for structure determination and refinement. A new algorithm, called Nuclear Vector Replacement (NVR) is introduced to compute assignments that optimally correlate experimentally-measured NH residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) to a given a priori whole-protein 3D structural model. The algorithm requires only uniform 15N-labelling of the protein, and processes unassigned HN-15N HSQC spectra, HN-15N RDCs, and sparse HN-HN NOE's dNNs), all of which can be acquired in a fraction of the time needed to record the traditional suite of experiments used to perform resonance assignments. NVR runs in minutes and efficiently assigns the (HN,15N) backbone resonances as well as the dNNs of the 3D \nfif-NOESY spectrum, in O(n3) time. The algorithm is demonstrated on NMR data from a 76-residue protein, human ubiquitin, matched to four structures, including one mutant (homolog), determined either by X-ray crystallography or by different NMR experiments (without RDCs). NVR achieves an average assignment accuracy of over 90%. We further demonstrate the feasibility of our algorithm for different and larger proteins, using NMR data for hen lysozyme (129 residues, 98% accuracy) and streptococcal protein G (56 residues, 95% accuracy), matched to a variety of 3D structural models. Finally, we extend NVR to a second application, 3D structural homology detection, and demonstrate that NVR is able to identify structural homologies between proteins with remote amino acid sequences using a database of structural models.
Can the United States Correct Itself

Can the United States correct itself? Is the balance of forces such that, short of undergoing a major economic and political crisis, the United States can chart a significantly different course? Domestically this would mean a return to New Deal politics and internationally a return to genuine constructive multilateralism. The answer is negative: growing social inequality, political and corporate unaccountability are structurally entrenched, and public forums to address them hardly exist. A case in point is the military-industrial complex as a major source of distortion in the American economy and politics. Privileging military contracts means that the US economy has become uncompetitive.
Nonlinear guided-wave grating phenomena

We review a number of nonlinear guided-wave effects using gratings in indium antimonide planar structures. In particular, we report on the experimental demonstrations of guided-wave optical bistability and limiting in an input distributed coupler; butterfly bistability of an input-output grating-coupler combination; all-optical tuning of a distributed feedback reflector; and enhancement of bistability effects by the use of a counter-propagating feedback beam.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Characteristics of two wheat germ agglutinin-resistant variants of B16 mouse melanoma cells with reduced tumorigenicity.

Abstract Two variants of B16 mouse melanoma cells, selected for their resistance to toxic levels of wheat germ agglutinin isolectin 1 (WGA-1) in serum-free medium, showed by chromosome analysis that they are still mouse cell-lines, continue to produce melanin, and are less tumorigenic in mice than the parent B16 cells. The variants showed a marked decrease in cell agglutination with the wheat germ lectin and a slight increse in cell agglutination with concanavalin A. The binding of 125I-labeled wheat germ agglutinin to the two variant lines was likewise decreased over a 103-fold range of lectin concentrations. Terminal sialyl residues were critical in WGA-1 binding to the wild-type cells. The binding data indicated a decrease in high-affinity binding as well as a decrease in the total number of binding sites in the variants. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by affinity staining with 125I-wheat germ agglutinin, showed alterations in the what germ agglutinin-binding glycoproteins in the variants compared to those of the parent cell line. However, lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination revealed a similar cell-surface protein pattern among the three cell lines. Radioactive glycoproteins secreted or shed by the three cell lines grown in the presence of [3H]glucosamine in serum-free medium were fractionated on the basis of their interaction with WGA-Sepharose (2 mg/mL). The WGA-bound glycoproteins from the two variants had molecular weights of 92,000, 56,000, and 42,000. None of these components was detected in the parent cell-line. A major WGA-binding glycoprotein, which accounted for 37% of the total [3H]glucosamine incorporated, was isolated from the spent medium of the parent mouse melanoma cell-line. This glycoprotein was apparently absent in the WGA-1-resistant variants.
Gestaltungsspielräume bei Cloud Computing Investitionen

Im Rahmen des IT-Portfoliomanagements soll die Gesamtheit der zur Verfugung stehenden IT-Investitionen so koordiniert werden, dass die Unternehmensziele bestmoglich erreicht werden. Durch Cloud Computing als neue Bereitstellungsform fur IT-Leistungen existieren dabei verschiedene Handlungsspielraume, uber die bei der Planung solcher IT-Investitionen entschieden werden muss. Je nach deren Ausgestaltung andern sich realisierbare Potenziale von Cloud Computing, aber auch Auszahlungsstruktur und Risiken. Eine optimierte Gestaltung von Cloud Computing Investitionen ist nur moglich, wenn die Auswirkungen der jeweiligen Entscheidungen bezuglich der Handlungsspielraume bekannt sind. Diese werden untersucht, strukturiert und in einen Entscheidungsprozess zur Bewertung von Cloud Computing Investitionen eingeordnet.