cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
9 – Living Planet

Publisher Summary Life is the ultimate expression of natural variability. Through the course of the Earth system, organisms have evolved within kingdoms of differing biological complexity from bacteria to the plants and animals. The complexity of life is reflected over time and space by the biogeography of species. Antarctica also holds promise for identifying adaptations that could support extraterrestrial life. Despite the freezing temperatures and extreme seasonality, Antarctic marine life thrives in one of the richest ecosystems in the ocean. Furthermore, at each trophic level above the primary producers, food is consumed and allocated by animals for various life-sustaining functions. Predators and prey transfer biomass through the Earth system in a cascade of biological activities. At the base of this organic pyramid are the autotrophic organisms, which start the flow of food energy. These primary producers include plants, which photosynthesize basic sugars with light energy, as well as bacteria, which chemosynthesize sugars using chemical energy from sources, such as the 350oC hydrothermal vents in the deep sea. Finally, the shape of this pyramid indicates that available food energy, either in terms of biomass or the number of organisms, progressively decreases toward the higher trophic levels.
68. BRINGING FEEDBACK TO FRUITION: A FOCUSED INTERVENTION TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE RESIDENT FEEDBACK CULTURE

Background Residents value feedback as a way to understand and improve their performance, however most trainees receive inadequate feedback. In our institution, one third of senior residents (SR) and interns report receipt of peer-to-peer feedback. Barriers to effective feedback include time, inadequate peer training, unactionable feedback, discomfort and lack of a reciprocal conversation. Implementation of a standardized process that limits these barriers may provide residents with an improved feedback experience. Aim Statement (1) To improve the frequency of feedback from SR to interns by 50% by March 2020. (2) To improve the quality of feedback such that 70% of encounters are perceived as timely, specific, actionable, and personalized by March 2020. Interventions We identified key drivers and conducted sequential Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to improve the quantity and quality of peer-to-peer feedback. Interventions included (1) creation of intern learning objectives, (2) assessment of feedback, (3) SR orientation, and (4) bimonthly protected time to provide feedback. Measures The primary outcome measure was the percentage of feedback completed by interns and SR. A secondary outcome measure was the percentage of feedback that was perceived as at least very (4 out of 5 on a Likert Scale) timely, specific, actionable, and personalized. Results Surveys collected from June 2019 through Nov 2019 did not meet the 50% improvement goal for intern reported feedback frequency. SR reported feedback increased during one out of six rotations. However, after the first PDSA cycle, interns consistently perceived the feedback they received as very or extremely timely, specific, actionable, and personalized greater than 70% of the time (Fig 1). SR felt similarly about their delivered feedback, except they did not consistently feel that the feedback was actionable. Conclusions and Next Steps Implementation of a standardized feedback process did not result in increased feedback frequency but did effectively improve the quality of peer-to-peer feedback. Future steps include a PDSA cycle consisting of an on-demand educational video on effective feedback strategies for SR that may result in increased feedback frequency.
Non-lesional mesial temporal lobe epilepsy requires bilateral invasive evaluation

Abstract Purpose Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) usually responds well to surgical treatment, although in non-lesional cases up to 50% of patients experience seizure relapse. The possibility of bilateral independent seizure onset should be considered as a reason for epilepsy surgery failure. Methods In a cohort of 177 patients who underwent invasive presurgical evaluation with stereo-tactically placed electrodes in two level four epilepsy centers, 29 had non-lesional MTLE. Invasive evaluation results are described. Results Among 29 patients with non-lesional MRI and mesial temporal lobe seizure onset recorded during stereo-EEG (SEEG) evaluation, four patients with unilateral preimplantation hypothesis had independent bilateral mesial temporal seizures on SEEG despite of unilateral non-invasive evaluation data. Three of these patients were treated with bitemporal responsive neurostimulator system (RNS). Independent bilateral mesial temporal seizures have been confirmed on RNS ECoG (electrocorticography). The fourth patient underwent right anterior temporal lobectomy. Conclusion We propose that patients with non-lesional mesial temporal lobe epilepsy would benefit from bilateral invasive evaluation of mesial temporal structures to predict those patients who would be at most risk for surgical failure. Neurostimulaiton could be an initial treatment option for patients with independent bitemporal seizure onset.
Understanding the Needs and Values of Rehabilitation Therapists in Designing and Implementing Telehealth Solutions

The strengthening of community care and the development of co-managed telehealth systems are vital components in addressing growing critical healthcare issues encountered worldwide. The global COVID pandemic highlights the challenges in providing appropriate co-managed home-based care in a systemic and financially viable way at scale. It is important to understand the individual, institutional, and socio-technical opportunities and barriers potentially encountered when attempting to implement telehealth systems as part of a broader social healthcare network. As part of our work designing telehealth systems for home based physical rehabilitation, we conducted a survey and interviews with occupational and physical therapists to better understand the everyday individual and institutional reality within which our systems might ultimately be embedded. We describe the integrated personal, economic, and regulatory issues involved and propose guidelines to consider for designers of telehealth systems for home-based contexts.
Narrow-gap semiconducting behavior in antiferromagnetic Eu 11 InSb 9

Here we investigate the thermodynamic and electronic properties of ${\mathrm{Eu}}_{11}\mathrm{In}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{9}$ single crystals. Electrical transport data show that ${\mathrm{Eu}}_{11}\mathrm{In}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{9}$ has a semiconducting ground state with a relatively narrow band gap of 320 meV. Magnetic susceptibility data reveal antiferromagnetic order at low temperatures, whereas ferromagnetic interactions dominate at high temperature. Specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, and electrical resistivity measurements reveal three phase transitions at ${T}_{N1}=9.3$ K, ${T}_{N2}=8.3$ K, and ${T}_{N3}=4.3$ K. Unlike ${\mathrm{Eu}}_{5}{\mathrm{In}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{6}$, a related europium-containing Zintl compound, no colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) is observed in ${\mathrm{Eu}}_{11}\mathrm{In}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{9}$. We attribute the absence of CMR to the smaller carrier density and the larger distance between Eu ions and In-Sb polyhedra in ${\mathrm{Eu}}_{11}\mathrm{In}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{9}$. Our results indicate that ${\mathrm{Eu}}_{11}\mathrm{In}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{9}$ has potential applications as a thermoelectric material through doping or as a long-wavelength detector due to its narrow gap.
Implementation of a "Cases and Conundrums" Conference Among Early Career Internal Medicine Clinicians.

Isolation among primary care clinicians impacts diagnostic accuracy, clinical confidence, and joy in work. In residency training programs, formal case conferences are foundational to the collaborative learning experience; however, in modern outpatient practice, informal discussions of challenging
The Application of Enrichment Clusters to Teachers' Classroom Practices.

This study investigated the impact of providing one type of gifted education pedagogy, enrichment clusters, to the entire population of two urban elementary schools. Enrichment clusters provided a ...
A Performance Study of Two-Phase I/O

Massively parallel computers are increasingly being used to solve large, I/O intensive applications in many different fields. For such applications, the I/O subsystem represents a significant obstacle in the way of achieving good performance. While massively parallel architectures do, in general, provide parallel I/O hardware, this alone is not sufficient to guarantee good performance. The problem is that in many applications each processor initiates many small I/O requests rather than fewer larger requests, resulting in significant performance penalties due to the high latency associated with I/O. However, it is often the case that in the aggregate the I/O requests are significantly fewer and larger. Two-phase I/O is a technique that captures and exploits this aggregate information to recombine I/O requests such that fewer and larger requests are generated, reducing latency and improving performance. In this paper, we describe our efforts to obtain high performance using two-phase I/O. In particular, we describe our first implementation which produced a sustained bandwidth of 78 MBytes per second, and discuss the steps taken to increase this bandwidth to 420 MBytes per second.
Enabling Multi-packet Transmission and Reception: An Adaptive MAC Protocol for MANETs

To increase network capacity, advanced physical layer (PHY) techniques have been developed to support new transmission paradigm where one node could send different packets concurrently to multiple receivers (multi-packet transmission: MPT) or receive packets concurrently from multiple senders (multi-packet reception: MPR). To exploit and support them for high performance, new type of medium access control (MAC) protocol is needed. Especially, MPT or MPR requirements are dynamic according to traffic conditions. In this paper, an adaptive MAC approach (AMPTR) is proposed to enable dynamic MPT or MPR requirements for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The proposal includes two main parts: access coordination and data transmission. The access coordination process comprises channel access contention and coordination to make handshakes for multiple concurrent transmissions. Once channel access coordination is completed, multiple transmissions can then be carried out concurrently, where frame aggregation is used for network capacity and throughput improvement and accordingly block acknowledgement is employed for efficiently reporting multiple packet reception status. We evaluate the performance of AMPTR through simulations, and show that the AMPTR scheme has much higher network throughput and smaller packet delivery delay than currently widely used multiple access preventing schemes.
Intergenic Transcription Is Not Required in Th2 Cells to Maintain Histone Acetylation and Transcriptional Permissiveness at the Il4-Il13 Locus

Noncoding RNA transcripts mapping to intergenic regions of the Il4 - Il13 locus have been detected in Th2 cells harboring transcriptionally permissive Il4 and Il13 genes but not in Th1 cells where these genes are repressed. This correlation has given rise to the idea that intergenic transcription may be involved in maintaining the “open” chromatin structure of the Il4 - Il13 locus in Th2 cells. We present evidence from real-time RT-PCR, nuclear run on, chromatin immunoprecipitation and 5,6-dichlorobenzimidazole 1-β-d-ribofuranoside-mediated transcriptional inhibition analyses that argue against this hypothesis. Instead, our results are consistent with an alternative role for intergenic transcription in the maintenance of transcriptional silence in Th1-primed cells.
Immune Infiltration and Prostate Cancer

It is becoming increasingly clear that inflammation influences prostate cancer (PCa) development and that immune cells are among the primary drivers of this effect. This information has launched numerous clinical trials testing immunotherapy drugs in PCa patients. The results of these studies are promising but have yet to generate a complete response. Importantly, the precise immune profile that determines clinical outcome remains unresolved. Individual immune cell types are divided into various functional subsets whose effects on tumor development may differ depending on their particular phenotype and functional status, which is often shaped by the tumor microenvironment. Thus, this review aims to examine the current knowledge regarding the role of inflammation and specific immune cell types in mediating PCa progression to assist in directing and optimizing immunotherapy targets, regimens, and responses and to uncover areas in which further research is needed. Finally, a summary of ongoing immunotherapy clinical trials in PCa is provided.
Inhibition of Nav1.7 channels by methyl eugenol as a mechanism underlying its antinociceptive and anesthetic actions.

Inhibition of Na v 1.7 channels by methyl eugenol as a mechanism underlying its antinociceptive and anesthetic actions
Repair of Ultraviolet Light-Induced Damage to the Deoxyribonucleic Acid of Neurospora crassa

A method is described for labeling a specific pyrimidine in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of Neurospora crassa. In cells grown in the presence of [5-3H]-uridine, more than 97% of the radioactivity associated with the DNA had been incorporated into cytosine. The specific activity of the labeled DNA was approximately 3 × 103 counts per min per μg. The DNA was isolated by elution from hydroxyapatite columns with sodium phosphate buffer (0.40 m, pH 6.8). This procedure was used to demonstrate that in vegetative cells of N. crassa both photoreactivation and excision repair are operative, as measured by the removal of ultraviolet light-induced cytosine-containing dimers.
Comparing US paediatric and adult weight classification at the transition from late teenage to young adulthood

Summary Background Although paediatric growth charts are recommended for weight assessment prior to age 20, many teenagers transition earlier to adult care where absolute body mass index (BMI) is used. This study examines concordance of weight classification in older teenagers using paediatric percentiles and adult thresholds. Methods BMI from 23 640 US teens ages 18–19 years were classified using paediatric BMI percentile criteria for underweight (< 5th), normal (5th to < 85th), overweight (85th to < 95th), obesity (≥ 95th) and severe obesity (≥ 120% × 95th percentile) and adult BMI (kg m−2) criteria for underweight (< 18.5), normal (18.5–24.9), overweight (25–29.9) and obesity: class I (30–34.9), class II (35–39.9) and class III (≥ 40). Concordance was examined using the kappa (κ) statistic. Blood pressure (BP) from the same visit was classified hypertensive for BP ≥ 140/90. Results The majority of visits (72.8%) occurred in adult primary care. Using paediatric/adult criteria, 3.4%/5.2% were underweight, 66.6%/58.8% normal weight, 15.7%/21.7% overweight, 14.3%/14.3% obese and 4.9%/6.0% severely/class II–III obese, respectively. Paediatric and adult classification for underweight, normal, overweight and obesity were concordant for 90.3% (weighted κ 0.87 [95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.88]). For severe obesity, BMI ≥ 120% × 95th percentile showed high agreement with BMI ≥ 35 kg m−2 (κ 0.89 [0.88–0.91]). Normal-weight males and moderately obese females by paediatric BMI percentile criteria who were discordantly classified into higher adult weight strata had a greater proportion with hypertensive BP compared with concordantly classified counterparts. Conclusions Strong agreement exists between US paediatric BMI percentile and adult BMI classification for older teenagers. Adult BMI classification may optimize BMI tracking and risk stratification during transition from paediatric to adult care.
TRAZODONE AND PRIAPISM—IMPLICATIONS FOR RESPONSES TO ADVERSE EVENTS

The development of information concerning priapism induced by trazodone is reviewed. Some of the special problems involved in dealing with this adverse drug reaction are considered. Recent improvements in information transfer with respect to adverse drug reactions are discussed and the design of patient advisory documents considered.
Simulation of ore heap leaching using deterministic models

Abstract Leaching copper and precious metals from fragmented ore in heaps, mine stripping waste dumps, and caved workings is rapidly expanding in the western United States, and its economic value now exceeds that of underground metal mining in this region. Some of the more important kinetic and transport phenomena involved in these processes are reviewed, including chemical diffusion in solution-filled ore fragment (rock) pores and air convection in heaps. Although mathematical modeling can provide important insights, for example, explaining why Carlin-type gold ores are leached in a few weeks while years are required to leach sulfide copper dumps, simulation has generally not been used by the mining industry in forecasting metal production or making investment feasibility decisions. Many model variables are not adequately known. This review paper emphasizes underlying simulation principles and their practical limitations. A broad perspective of simulation in heap leaching is taken, rather than focusing exclusively on a particular model.
Variation in nitrogen-15 natural abundance and nitrogen uptake traits among co-occurring alpine species: do species partition by nitrogen form?

In the N-limited alpine tundra, plants may utilize a diversity of N sources (organic and inorganic N) in order to meet their nutritional requirements. To characterize species-level differences in traits related to N acquisition, we analyzed foliar δ15N, nitrate reductase activity (NRA) and mycorrhizal infection in co-occurring alpine species during the first half of the growing season and compared these traits to patterns of N uptake using a 15N (15N-NH4+, 15N-NO3–) or 13C,15N ([1]-13C-15N-glycine) tracer addition in the greenhouse. 13C enrichment in belowground tissue indicated that all species were capable of taking up labeled glycine, although only one species showed uptake of glycine potentially exceeding that of inorganic N. Species showing the most depleted foliar δ15N and elevated NRA in the field also tended to show relatively high rates of NO3– uptake in the greenhouse. Likewise, species showing the most enriched foliar δ15N also showed high rates of NH4+ uptake. The ratio of NO3–:NH4+ uptake rates and growth rate explained 64% and 72% of the variance in foliar δ15N, respectively, suggesting that species differ in the ability to take up NO3– and NH4+ in the field and that such differences may enable species to partition soil N on the basis of N form.
X-ray spectrograph design

An aberration theory is applied to spectrograph design. The initial system considered has a toroidal mirror in front of a concave grating spectrograph, giving spatial resolution perpendicular to the dispersion direction. The accuracy of the theory is shown by comparison of spot diagrams obtained from the aberrations with those produced by raytracing. The major aberrations affecting the vignetting at the intermediate slit and the spatial resolution are identified. A new system, using a holographic grating to give a flat focal plane, is then designed and optimized. It has increased spatial resolution over the wavelength range and is particularly suitable for microchannel array detectors.
Development of 2D array of thermal detectors for far infrared investigation of the outer planets and their icy moons: processing issues and noise considerations

We are currently developing a magnesium diboride (MgB2) detector array for use in future space-based spectrometers. This 2-D array is intended for use in high-resolution investigations of the outer planets and their icy moons. The state of the array processing, the current pixel design as well as signal-to-noise considerations is briefly discussed. Expected pixel sensitivities and comparison to current state-of-the-art infrared (IR) detectors will be briefly discussed.
Intelligent interactions in email using social networks and ai

This work is directed toward high-throughput email users, and uses machine learning and other artificial intelligence approaches to allow these users to triage and search email using automatically extracted social networks. While this approach makes use of (potentially) complex algorithms, these algorithms are abstracted through user interface design such that a non-technical user can take advantage of them, customizing when appropriate. My dissertation work will crystallize the needs of high-throughput email users into concrete tools to allow these users to better and more easily manage their information needs.
Social and Organizational Effects of Educational Computing

This article employs Leavitt's sociotechnical systems model of the interaction in organizations of technology, structure, people, and task to explore the social and organizational impacts of the introduction of computing into academic and administrative aspects of schools [1]. Data collection took the form of written analyses prepared by seven teachers and seventeen administrators in ten school districts in Indiana. The article argues that the effects of the technological change represented by the introduction of computing into schools on the people, relationships, and tasks of schooling may be understood through an examination of the issue of control over computing.
Mercury rotation period determined from Mariner 10 photography

The rotation period of Mercury has been determined to be 58.661 days by using high-resolution photography from the Mariner 10 mission. This value matches the period required for 3/2 synchronism with the orbital period (58.6462 days) within the 1-sigma errors assigned and is consistent with the latest values derived from radar and earth-based telescopic observations.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of chemically-etched NdCeCuO surfaces

Acetic acid, Br2, and HCl solutions are investigated for removing insulating species from Nd(1.85)Ce(0.15)CuO(4-delta) (NCCO) thin film surfaces. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that the HCl etch is most effective, yielding O 1s spectra comparable to those obtained from samples cleaned in vacuum and a clear Fermi edge in the valence band region. Reduction and oxidation reversibly induces and eliminates, respectively, Fermi level states for undoped samples, but has no clearly observable effect on the XPS spectra for doped samples. Reactivity to air is much less for NCCO compared to hole superconductors, which is attributed to the lack of reactive alkaline earth elements in NCCO.
Interface optical phonon modes in wurtzite quantum heterostructures

Simple analytical expressions are derived, herein, for the interface phonon modes of complex SiC- and GaN-based substrates. These analytical results are essential for studies of remote polar-optical phonon phenomena in a variety of structures including heterostructures, in two-dimensional (2D) structures such and graphene, BN, and MoS2 on polar substrates, as well as in efforts to control the bandgaps of such 2D structures through interactions with polar substrates.
Long-Lived Photogenerated States of α-Oligothiophene−Acridinium Dyads Have Triplet Character

Photoinduced processes, leading to charge-transfer states with extended lifetimes, are of key importance for solar-energy-conversion applications. Utilizing external heavy-atom effect allowed us to photogenerate long-lived transients of electron donor-acceptor dyads. For an electron acceptor and a principal chromophore of the dyads, we selected N-methylacridinium, and for electron donors thiophene, bithiophene, and terthiophene were selected. While the photoinduced charge transfer, mediated by the investigated dyads, occurred in the picosecond time domain, the lifetime of the transients extended to the microsecond time domain. We ascribed the relatively long lifetimes to the triplet character of the observed transients. An increase in the size of the donor lowered the energy of the charge-transfer states of the dyads. When the energy level of the acridinium triplet lies below the energy level of the charge-transfer state, the locally excited triplet accounted for the long-lived transient. For the conjugates with charge-transfer states lying below all other excited states, the long-lived transients were, indeed, the charge-transfer species.
Asymmetric total synthesis of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan natural products.

Full details of the asymmetric total syntheses of the dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans interiotherin A, angeloylgomisin R, gomisin O, and gomisin E (epigomisin O) are presented. The syntheses were based on a unified synthetic strategy involving a novel crotylation using the Leighton auxiliary that occurred with excellent asymmetric induction (>98:2 enantiomeric ratio), a diastereoselective hydroboration/Suzuki−Miyaura coupling reaction sequence, and an atropdiastereoselective biarylcuprate coupling, both of which occurred with total (>20:1) stereocontrol. The syntheses were achieved in six to eight steps from simple aromatic precursors.
Lexical Comprehension in Young Children With Developmental Delays

Lexical comprehension skills were examined in 20 young children (aged 28–45 months) with developmental delays (DD) and 20 children (aged 19–34 months) with normal development (ND). Each was assigned to either a story-like script condition or a simple ostensive labeling condition in which the names of three novel object and action items were presented over two experimental sessions. During the experimental sessions, receptive knowledge of the lexical items was assessed through a series of target and generalization probes. Results indicated that all children, irrespective of group status, acquired more lexical concepts in the ostensive labeling condition than in the story narrative condition. Overall, both groups acquired more object than action words, although subjects with ND comprehended more action words than subjects with DD. More target than generalization items were also comprehended by both groups. It is concluded that young children’s comprehension of new lexical concepts is facilitated more by a c...
Quantum Hall ice

The authors study a model in which non-interacting itinerant electrons are coupled to Ising spins in kagome spin ice. They demonstrate that spin disorder leads to localization of itinerant electron states and to plateaus in the Hall conductance as a function of electron density.
Lipid Interaction Converts Prion Protein to a PrPSc-like Proteinase K-Resistant Conformation under Physiological Conditions†

The conversion of prion protein (PrP) to the pathogenic PrPSc conformation is central to prion disease. Previous studies revealed that PrP interacts with lipids and the interaction induces PrP conformational changes, yet it remains unclear whether in the absence of any denaturing treatment, PrP-lipid interaction is sufficient to convert PrP to the classic proteinase K-resistant conformation. Using recombinant mouse PrP, we analyzed PrP-lipid interaction under physiological conditions and followed lipid-induced PrP conformational change with proteinase K (PK) digestion. We found that the PrP-lipid interaction was initiated by electrostatic contact and followed by hydrophobic interaction. The PrP-lipid interaction converted full-length alpha-helix-rich recombinant PrP to different forms. A significant portion of PrP gained a conformation reminiscent of PrPSc, with a PrPSc-like PK-resistant core and increased beta-sheet content. The efficiency for lipid-induced PrP conversion depended on lipid headgroup structure and/or the arrangement of lipids on the surface of vesicles. When lipid vesicles were disrupted by Triton X-100, PrP aggregation was necessary to maintain the lipid-induced PrPSc-like conformation. However, the PK resistance of lipid-induced PrPSc-like conformation does not depend on amyloid fiber formation. Our results clearly revealed that the lipid interaction can overcome the energy barrier and convert full-length alpha-helix-rich PrP to a PrPSc-like conformation under physiological conditions, supporting the relevance of lipid-induced PrP conformational change to in vivo PrP conversion.
Quantifying thermal radiation and convection effects during constant-heat-flux irradiation

As part of a study of the material survivability during constant-heat-flux irradiation, the effects of thermal radiation and convection during constant-heat-flux irradiation of solid surfaces were studied using equations for thin-wall and semiinfinite wall transient response cases. The results demonstrate that first-order reradiative/convective cooling effects on material survivability, and resulting exposure time enhancement and material thickness reduction, are uniquely can be completely quantified by a set of three nondimensional parameters. 13 refs.
Determination of image placement accuracy due to EUV mask fabrication procedures

Abstract Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) is one of the potential candidates for next-generation lithography (NGL) in the sub-70 nm regime. The accelerated ITRS Roadmap proposes overlay error budgets of 18 and 13 nm for the 45- and 32-nm nodes, respectively, where EUV is planned to operate. As with all NGL technologies, image placement accuracy during mask fabrication and usage will be a critical issue. Finite element results are reported in this paper on the characterization of pattern placement errors induced by the fabrication processes, in conjunction with mounting in the e-beam and exposure tools.
Expression of the interferon-γ receptor gene in mouse placentas is related to stage of gestation and is restricted to specific subpopulations of trophoblast cells

Summary In order to evaluate the potential of placental cells to bind the multifunctional cytokine, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tissues collected from pregnant Swiss mice were analysed for IFN-γ receptor (IFN-γR) mRNA and protein. Northern blot hybridization studies indicated that the relative abundance of IFN-γR mRNA increased as gestation progressed to term. Analysis by in situ hybridization revealed that trophoblast cells first contained high steady state levels of IFN-γRmRNA at g.d. 12. At g.d. 12 and 14, transcription was restricted to cells in the spongiotrophoblast region and nests of similar cells in the labyrinthine region. These cells also contained immunoreactive IFN-γR protein. By g.d. 18, IFN-γR mRNA was clearly detectable in large spongiotrophoblast cells and labyrinthine trophoblast. IFN-γR mRNA was low to absent in giant trophoblast cells at all stages of gestation. Specific mRNA was present in parietal and visceral yolk sac cells by g.d 14. Thus, expression of the IFN-γR gene in mouse placental cells is influenced by stage of gestation, cell lineage and state of differentiation. Whether or not these cells respond vigorously to IFN-γ with induction, of antiviral proteins, increased MHC class I antigens and growth modulation may therefore be determined by their expression of specific receptors for this pluripotent cytokine.
Selective gene delivery to cancer cells using an integrated cationic amphiphilic peptide.

Gene therapy provides a number of potential treatments that could be applied in clinic to prevent deaths from cancer. However, the transfer of gene therapy to the clinical application has proven difficult because many problems remain to be solved concerning the transfection efficiency, target specificity, and safety issues. To overcome these barriers, a peptide-based vector, K12H6V8SSQHWSYKLRP (KHV-LHRH) that comprises four functional blocks, is studied in this work for the targeted delivery of a model gene drug to cancer cells. KHV-LHRH peptide, which contains a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) sequence, can specifically target cancer cells expressing LHRH receptors. The gene expression, cytotoxicity, and cellular uptake mediated by this vector were evaluated against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells (LHRH-receptor-positive) and SKOV-3 human ovarian carcinoma cells (LHRH-receptor-negative) and compared to a peptide vector (K12H6V8) (KHV) without the LHRH ligand and poly(ethylenimine) (PEI). The...
Heterogeneous growth of cadmium and cobalt carbonate phases at the 101¯4 calcite surface

Abstract The ability of surface precipitates to form heteroepitaxially is an important factor that controls the extent of heterogeneous growth. In this work, the growth of cadmium and cobalt carbonate phases on 10 1 ¯ 4 calcite surfaces is compared for a range of initial saturation states with respect to otavite (CdCO 3 ) and sphaerocobaltite (CoCO 3 ), two isostructural metal carbonates that exhibit different lattice misfits with respect to calcite (− 4% and − 15%, respectively, based on 10 1 ¯ 4 surface areas). Calcite single crystals were reacted in static conditions for 16 h with CdCl 2 and CoCl 2 aqueous solutions with initial concentrations 0.3 ≤ [Cd 2 + ] 0 ≤ 100 μM and 25 ≤ [Co 2 + ] 0 ≤ 200 μM. The reacted crystals were imaged in situ with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and analyzed ex situ with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). AFM images of Cd-reacted crystals showed the formation of large islands elongated along the 42 1 ¯ direction, clear evidence of heteroepitaxial growth, whereas surface precipitates on Co-reacted crystals were small round islands. Deformation of calcite etch pits in both cases indicated the incorporation of Cd and Co at step edges. XPS analysis pointed to the formation of a Cd-rich (Ca,Cd)CO 3 solid solution coating atop the calcite substrate. In contrast, XPS measurements of the Co-reacted crystals provided evidence for the formation of a mixed hydroxy-carbonate cobalt phase despite supersaturation with respect to CoCO 3 . The combined AFM and XPS results suggest that the lattice misfit between CoCO 3 and CaCO 3 is too large to allow for heteroepitaxial growth of a pure cobalt carbonate phase on calcite surfaces in aqueous solutions and at ambient conditions. The use of the satellite structure of the Co 2 p 3/2 photoelectron line as a tool for determining the nature of cobalt surface precipitates is also discussed.
Finite-time and practical stability of a class of stochastic dynamical systems

In practice, one is not only interested in qualitative characterizations provided by Lyapunov and Lagrange stability, but also in quantitative information concerning system behavior, including estimates of trajectory bounds over finite and infinite time intervals. This type of information has been ascertained in a systematic manner using the notions of finite-time stability and practical stability. In the present paper we generalize some of the existing finite-time stability and practical stability results for deterministic dynamical systems determined by ordinary differential equations to dynamical systems determined by an important class of stochastic differential equations. We consider two types of stability concepts: finite-time and practical stability in the mean and in the mean square. We demonstrate the applicability of our results by means of several examples.
The relationship of employment to self-perception and well-being in women: A cognitive analysis

We investigated the relationship of employment to self-perception and well-being in women who held two different cognitive orientations toward paid work (career oriented and not career oriented) and who also varied in the degree to which their current employment status realized their view of paid work. The data were taken from a 1977 survey of a large sample of women and included responses to questions about self-esteem, life satisfaction, and self-perception. The results indicated that career-oriented women who were employed full time were happier with themselves and their lives than those employed part time or not employed. In contrast, for women who were not career oriented, being employed was not associated with greater self-esteem or well-being. In addition, career-oriented women who were employed were the most likely to emphasize job-related characteristics in their self-descriptions. These findings suggest that the psychological benefits of employment that have been identified repeatedly in previous research are likely to be accrued only by women who regard paid work as a meaningful self-fulfilling activity.
INTERRELATIONS OF PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS, PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND

200 psychiatric patients, who had been classified as black, white, or Hispanic at the admitting office, were divided into broad diagnostic groups according to the psychiatrist's diagnosis at termination. Chi-square analyses comparing ethnicity and diagnosis yielded no significant differences. A psychologist administered the Structured Clinical Interview in the admitting office prior to determination of precipitating events and assignment of diagnosis. When scores were compared by analysis of variance, no significant group differences were found on over-all severity of illness, but three of the 10 subareas showed significant differences. The results may reflect cultural and social influences.
PHENYLALANINE METABOLISM AND INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING AMONG CARRIERS OF PHENYLKETONURIA AND HYPERPHENYLALANINÆMIA

Abstract All members of 63 families who had phenylketonuric or hyperphenylalaninaemic offspring received a phenylalanine tolerance test and an individual intelligence test. Parent carriers (heterozygotes, n = 115) displayed a significant relationship (canonical correlation R =0·75, P n = 40) was too small for multivariate or sex analysis, but significant bivariate correlations were found for this group.
The white pock (μ) mutants of rabbit poxvirus. III. Terminal DNA sequence duplication and transposition in rabbit poxvirus

The restriction fragment patterns of the DNA of three white pock (mu) nonhost range mutants RPmu mutants) of rabbit poxvirus (RPV) show the presence of net insertions of DNA. Two of the mutants (RPmu21 and RPmu7) contain two molar quantities of 13 X 10(6) and 15 X 10(6) daltons, respectively, of the left-most viral DNA sequences. The extra copy of these sequences was inserted into the right-most region of the viral genome which in both cases had been modified by deletion of 10 X 10(6) daltons of the original extreme right-most DNA sequences. Hence two mutants with "left-hand" mirror image termini of 13 X 10(6) and 15 X 10(6) daltons of DNA were generated with an overall net increase in mass of 3 X 10(6) and 5 X 10(6) daltons of DNA to yield genome molecular weights of 121 X 10(6) and 123 X 10(6) for RPmu21 and 7, respectively. A third mutant (RPmu81g) contained 28 X 10(6) daltons of the right-most parental DNA sequences inserted into the left end of the genome, which had deleted 6 X 10(6) daltons of the extreme left-hand sequences. This variant contains "right-hand" mirror image termini of 28 X 10(6) daltons of DNA and a net increase in molecular weight of 22 X 10(6) daltons of DNA to yield a genome molecular weight of 140 X 10(6). The cross-linked end of the transposed sequences is retained in all cases. Our data suggest that the terminal DNA sequences at either end of the virus are not essential for a productive infection in certain host cells and that the pathogenicity of orthopoxviruses may be related in part to a series of varied and interchangeable DNA sequences located at both extremes of a high conserved genome core.
Cyclical Variation in Digit-Span and Visual-Search Performance in Women Differing in the Severity of Their Premenstrual Symptoms

Groups of women differing in the severity of reported premenstrual symptoms were compared over two menstrual cycles on a digit-span task, a visual-search task, and a combination of the two. Neither group exhibited large performance changes during the premenstrual phase of the cycle. High-symptom women differed somewhat from low-symptom women in the effect of menstrual phase on digit-span performance, recalling slightly fewer series correctly during the premenstrual phase. The response latency of high-symptom women on the visual-search task was substantially longer than that of the low-symptom women regardless of menstrual phase. These results suggest that there may be stable differences between high-symptom and low-symptom subjects that are greater than the cyclical fluctuation within either group.
Green-Solvent-Processed Molecular Solar Cells†

High-efficiency bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of more than 5 % can be fabricated using the green solvent 2-MeTHF. The active layers comprise a blend of a molecular semiconductor donor with intermediate dimensions (X2) and the soluble fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C61 -butyricacidoctylester (PC61 BC8 ). A switch of the processing solvent from chloroform to 2-MeTHF leads to no negative impacts on the morphology and charge-transport properties of optimally performing BHJ films. Examinations by absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering reveal no significant modification of morphology. These results show that green solvents can be excellent alternatives for large-area printing of high-performance organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and thus open new opportunities for sustainable mass production of organic solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.
Effects of prostaglandin E1 on contractility and 45Ca release in rabbit aortic smooth muscle

Abstract Concentrations of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1; 10−7 M) that do not elicit tension responses in aortic strips potentiate contractions induced by submaximal concentrations (10−8 − 10−7 M) of norepinephrine (NE) or angiotensin III (Ang III) but not those of high K+ depolarization or maximal NE or Ang III concentrations. Higher concentrations of PGE1 (10−6 M and above) initiate contractions which are additive with submaximal responses to NE and Ang III but not to K+. These same concentrations of PGE1 also decrease 45Ca retention at high affinity La+++-resistant sites in a manner similar to but not additive with NE and Ang III. Uptake of 45Ca at low affinity La+++-resistant sites (which is increased by high K+-depolarization) is not altered by 10−6 M PGE1. The effects of PGE1 are not altered by decreased extracellular Ca++ (0.1 mM), decreased temperature, phentolamine or meclofenamate. Thus, PGE1 does not appear to increase uptake of extracellular Ca++ in this smooth muscle tissue. Instead, PGE1 increases mobilization of Ca++ from the same high affinity La+++-resistant sites affected by Ang III and NE and, in this manner, may increase responses to these two stimulatory agents.
Experimental demonstration of Vpi reduction in EO modulators using modulation instability

An electrooptic modulator's half-wave voltage is experimentally lowered by 10-fold for intensity modulated waveforms using modulation instability. Results are reported up to 50 GHz.
Results from the AMANDA Neutrino Telescope

High-energy neutrinos are very promising probes for Astrophysics. Neutrinos interact very weakly, so they are unique sources of information at high energies. However, since they interact very rarely, very large detectors are needed to observe them. The detection principle in a neutrino telescope is based on the observation of the Cherenkov light produced by the muons generated in the interactions of muon neutrinos. Other signatures, such as cascades from electrons produced by electron neutrinos, are also identifiable. AMANDA-II, with 677 optical sensors, has demonstrated the feasibility of such a detector in the Antarctic ice and provided important Physics results. In this presentation we will review this scientific output, which includes the first sky map using neutrinos from the Northern Hemisphere, the measure of the atmospheric neutrino spectrum, the study of astrophysical objects like gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei, soft-gamma repeaters or supernovae and limits on the neutralino flux from the Sun and the Earth.
Immunological detection of cytochrome P450 from insecticide resistant and susceptible house flies (Musca domestica)

Abstract An antiserum was raised in a rabbit against a cytochrome P450, termed P450 lpr , purified from the pyrethroid resistant LPR strain of house fly. This polyclonal antiserum was specific for P450 lpr as judged by both rocket immunoelectrophoresis and immunoblotting. The antiserum was used to detect immunoreactive cytochrome P450s in insecticide susceptible and resistant house flies. Single immunoreactive bands of a slightly variable position were obtained when crude microsomes from six insecticide resistant house fly strains (LPR, Dairy, Kashiwagura, 3rd-Y, EPR, ASPR) were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting, while immunoreactive bands were barely detectable in insecticide susceptible ( aabys , S+) strains. The immunoreactive cytochrome P450s were isolated from each of eight house fly strains by high-performance liquid chromatography. The isolated immunoreactive cytochrome P450s from all strains were immunologically identical to P450 lpr by fused rocket immunoelectrophoresis, and only those from the Kashiwagura and ASPR strains differed in chromatographic and/or electrophoretic properties from P450 lpr . Amounts of immunoreactive P450 were determined in house fly microsomes. Immunoreactive P450 represented 68% (specific content: 0.48 nmol/mg protein) of the total (0.72 nmol/mg) cytochrome P450 in LPR microsomes and 6.6% (0.011 nmol/mg) of the total (0.15 nmol/mg) cytochrome P450 in S+. Thus, immunoreactive P450 was constituitively expressed at 44-fold higher levels in insecticide resistant LPR flies compared to the susceptible S+ strain.
Criteria for selection of absorber mounting materials in Mössbauer spectrometry

Abstract The criteria for the selection of materials for mounting absorbers include their mechanical and chemical properties and their attenuation of the γ-rays and X-rays emitted from the Mossbauer source. Attenuation of the 14.4-keV γ-ray and 6.3-keV X-ray associated with 57Fe was measured for nine commercial materials including plastics and metals. The linear absorption coefficients and half-thicknesses for each material were measured. The usefulness and limitations of each material are discussed, along with three different absorber mounting techniques.
Petrological characterization and tectonic significance of retrogressed garnet peridotites, Raobazhai area, North Dabie Complex, east‐central China

The Raobazhai ultramafic body of the North Dabie Complex is re-interpreted as a mantle-derived peridotitic slice enclosed in, and isofacially metamorphosed with, surrounding granulite-to-amphibolite facies gneisses. The ultramafic sheet consists mainly of metaharzburgite, but includes subunits of metadunite and mylonitic lherzolite. The rocks contain spinel but neither garnet nor plagioclase. However, in the mylonitic lherzolite, fine-grained intergrowths of spinel, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene outline domains resembling the habit of garnet in two dimensions; broad-beam microprobe analyses imply pseudomorphs after a pyropic garnet precursor. The mineral assemblage of the metadunite and metaharzburgite is: olivine (Fo92)+orthopyroxene (En92)+tremolitic-to-magnesiohornblende+Mg–Al-chromite, indicating amphibolite facies recrystallization. The mineral assemblage of the mylonitic lherzolite is: olivine (Fo90)+orthopyroxene (En90)+clinopyroxene+Cr-bearing spinel+pargasitic amphibole, indicative of granulite-to-amphibolite facies metamorphism. Phase equilibria and geothermometric estimations show that the Raobazhai meta-ultramafics have undergone at least three stages of recrystallization: (I) 950–990 °C, (II) 750–860 °C, and (III) 670–720 °C, assuming equilibrium in the spinel peridotite stability field (c. 6–15 kbar), although an early, high-pressure stage (≥18 kbar) is probable, based on the inferred garnet pseudomorphs. Petrochemical and geothermobarometric data suggest that the ultramafic slice represents a fragment of the mantle wedge, tectonically incorporated into subducted continental crust and re-equilibrated at granulite-to-amphibolite facies conditions while being exhumed to shallow levels.