cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The antimutagenicity of 2-substituted selenazolidine-4-( R )-carboxylic acids

Abstract Selenium can have cancer chemopreventive activity, although the mechanism of action has not been well defined. Selenazolidine-4-(R)-carboxylic acids (SCAs) were devised as prodrugs of l -selenocysteine, to provide selenium in a form and at a concentration commensurate with cancer chemopreventive activity. In the present study, a series of selenazolidines has been evaluated in the Salmonella typhimurium TA98 tester strain and all were found to possess antimutagenic activity. There was little difference between the seven selenazolidines in their effectiveness against either benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) or 3,6-bis(dimethylamino)acridine (acridine orange), agents which differ in their requirement for mammalian enzyme bioactivation for mutagenicity. Antimutagenic activity against acridine orange was dependent on selenazolidine concentration, and EC50 values were in the 5–10 μM range. At 25 μM, the concentration tested in common for the two mutagens, the selenazolidines were more effective antimutagens against acridine orange than against B[a]P, with reductions in mutant frequency ranging from 54 to 71% for B[a]P and 79 to 93% for acridine orange. Efficacy against B[a]P was not enhanced when the concentration was increased to 50 μM. The similarity in efficacy among the selenazolidines against B[a]P mutagenicity, contrasted with inter-compound differences in their ability to inhibit S9 CYP1A activity. The CYP1A Ki values ranged from a low of 63 μM (2-[2′-hydroxyphenyl]SCA) to a high of 1.1 mM (2-cyclohexylSCA), but all were above the concentration required to inhibit mutagenicity by 50%. Thus, all the SCAs possess antimutagenic activity against both B[a]P and acridine orange, the efficacy varies little between the individual selenazolidines, and for B[a]P, the efficacy is not proportional to the inhibitory effect on the mutagen bioactivating enzyme.
Alcohol-induced potentiation of the neurally evoked contractions of the retractor unguis muscle of the locust, Schistocerca gregaria

Abstract Each of a series of seven monohydroxyl alcohols caused an increase in the force of the neurally evoked contractions of the innervated retractor unguis muscle isolated from the metathoracic femurs of the locust, Schistocerca gregaria. The negative logarithm of equipotent concentrations of the alcohols was proportional to the logarithm of the partition coefficient (1-octanol/water) of the alcohols: log 1 C = 1·282 log P+1·684 , where C is concentration, and P is the partition coefficient. Ethylene glycol and glycerol did not potentiate the contractions, possibly due to their very low lipophilic character. Acetone (10−2 M) and benzene (10−5 M) also potentiated the neurally evoked contractions of the insect muscle.
Food habits of the endangered Alabama Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus suttkusi Williams and Clemmer, 1991 (Acipenseridae)

Summary The gut contents of 12 museum specimens of the federally (USA) endangered Alabama sturgeon were analyzed. This collective series represents 32% of the known museum specimens. Gut contents were dominated by aquatic insects and fishes. At the taxonomic level of insect orders, Dipterans (174.3/fish) were the most numerically abundant food item consumed, followed by Ephemeroptera (19.0/fish), Trichoptera (4.0/fish), Coleoptera (2.4/fish), and Odonata (2.0/fish). Weight, which better reflects the caloric value of food items consumed, showed a similar consumption pattern. Dipterans (12.5%) made up the largest percentage of the total weight of insect prey, followed by Ephemeroptera (8.9%), Trichoptera (6.0%), Odonata, (4.5%) and Coleoptera (0.9%). Volumetric values were substantially higher than weights for Odonata (13.4%) and Ephemeroptera (14.3%), but were comparable for Diptera (10.6%), Trichoptera (4.7%), and Coleoptera (2.2%). The diet of the Alabama sturgeon is similar to the pallid and shovelnose sturgeon, eating both aquatic invertebrates and fish. In terms of piscivory, the volume of fish in the diet of the Alabama sturgeon (34.5%) is intermediate between that of the shovelnose (0% fish) and the pallid sturgeon (60% fish). Based upon the habitat preference of the prey family assemblages present from the 12 guts examined, probable feeding habitats of this sturgeon include sandy to rocky bottoms, slow to swift water velocities, and the water column. Conservation of fish prey may be important to the survival and recovery of the Alabama sturgeon.
Thymosin: Cyclic nucleotides and T cell differentiation

Abstract This review summarizes the evidence suggesting a role for second messengers in the thymus dependent differentiation of lymphocytes. Special emphasis will be placed on the potential for such studies to indicate differences and similarities not only between thymosin and other thumus factors but between the various peptides which are present in thymosin fraction 5.
Dismantling terrorist networks: Evaluating strategic options using agent-based modeling

Abstract Dismantling dark networks remains a critical goal for the peace and security of our society. Terrorist networks are the most prominent instantiation of dark networks, and they are alive and well. Attempts to preemptively disrupt these networks and their activities have met with both success and failure. In this paper, we examine the impacts of four common strategies for dismantling terrorist networks. The four strategies are: leader-focused, grassroots, geographic, and random. Each of these strategies has associated pros and cons, and each has different impacts on the structure and capabilities of a terrorist network. Employing a computational experimentation methodology, we simulate a terrorist network and test the effects of each strategy on the resiliency of that network. In addition, we test scenarios in which the terrorist network has (or does not have) information about an impending attack. Our work takes a structural perspective to the challenge of addressing terrorist networks. Specifically, we show how various strategies impact the structure of the network in terms of its resiliency and capacity to carry out future attacks. This paper also provides a valuable overview of how to use agent-based modeling for the study of complex problems in the terrorism, conflict studies, and security study domains.
What Are the Clinical Implications of β2-adrenoreceptor Polymorphisms for the Treatment of Asthma?

See related article page 22 haps someday, but certainly not yet. Rather, we must consider the implications of this new knowledge for clinical care on a more empirical basis. Population studies identify increased risk from continuous scheduled use of β2-receptor agonists but don’t identify those individuals most at risk.3,4 The studies of β2-adrenoreceptor polymorphisms reviewed by Binaei et. al.2 suggest that it is a sub-population who may be most at risk because of down-regulation of the β2adrenoreceptor when there is repeated use of β2adrenoreceptor agonists. Despite the common practice of prescribing regularly scheduled use of shorter-acting β2-adrenoreceptor agonists such as albuterol, there is no therapeutic rationale for such continuous use. These agents are primarily indicated for as-needed use to relieve acute symptoms. The current standard of care further mandates that frequent use of a bronchodilator for relief of acute symptoms indicates the need for anti-inflammatory therapy. A short course of an oral corticosteroid is the agent of choice for an acute exacerbation associated with subresponsiveness to a β2-agonist, and an inhaled corticosteroid is the agent of choice for persistent symptoms of asthma.5 While the inhaled corticosteroids alone are often sufficient to control the daily symptoms of chronic asthma, not all patients are adequately controlled on conventional low doses, and higher doses are associated with progressive risk of small but measurable systemic effects that can include growth suppression in addition to suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in children.6 Data have demonstrated that the addition of Adrenoreceptor agonists have long been the agents of choice for relieving acute symptoms of asthma since the first report of epinephrine use for acute asthma in 1900. Considerable pharmacologic research has subsequently gone into the development of variations of these receptor agonists. The extraction of ephedrine from the ancient Chinese herb Ma Huang provided an oral alternative to epinephrine.1 The progressive alteration of the molecule to isoproterenol (isoprenaline), isoetharine, albuterol (salbutamol), metaproterenol (orciprenaline), terbutaline, bitolterol, and pirbuterol eventually permitted more specific targeting of the β2-adrenoreceptor and also longer duration of action than epinephrine. More recently, even longer acting β2adrenoreceptor agonists, salmeterol and formoterol, have been introduced, not for acute intervention but as maintenance therapy for chronic asthma. The manuscript by Binaei and colleagues2 in the issue of the Journal elegantly describes the current growing literature that relates polymorphisms in the β2-adrenoreceptor to both asthma severity and variability in the response to these pharmacological agents that have played such a major role in treating asthma over the years. Are we entering a brave new world where pharmacologic agents are chosen following pharmacogenetic analysis of the individual patient? Per-
Oocyte Patterning: Dynein and Kinesin, Inc.

Recent studies show that dynein and kinesin are both required for cargo transport to the anterior cortex of the Drosophila oocyte. The orientation of microtubules in the oocyte suggests that kinesin mediates anterior transport indirectly, by activating and/or recycling dynein.
Students' Affective Development within the College Environment

(1985). Students' Affective Development within the College Environment. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 56, No. 6, pp. 640-663.
HIV screening of newborns.

Abstract Iowa has participated in the national survey for the prevalence of HIV infection in childbearing women since July of 1989. As of February 1992, blinded testing for antibodies to HIV has been performed on blood spot specimens from 100,717 newborns. Of this number, 14 were confirmed as positive by Western blot. In the Iowa survey the prevalence of HIV infection in childbearing women was 0.14/1000 or 1/7000. This is similar to the prevalence that was observed for PKU in newborns during this time period. However, assuming only 30% of mothers transmit HIV to their babies, the predicted prevalence of HIV infection in Iowa newborns is 1/23.000. Certainly HIV disease is a public health concern with a frequency in Iowa mothers similar to that of other diseases screened for in the Iowa program. HIV meets the remaining WHO criteria for newborn screening, as well: the HIV screening test is simple and reliable and has a low incidence of false-positive and false-negative results; confirmatory testing, counseling, and medical care are available; the quality and length of life of affected individuals are improved by treatment; and data show that early diagnosis and treatment result in a cost advantage to society. The major obstacle to the addition of HIV testing to a newborn screening program is obtaining informed consent without jeopardizing program effectiveness.
Drug-induced hypokalaemia. A cause for concern.

Drug-induced hypokalaemia is a widespread problem in the elderly that can be caused by many therapeutically useful substances, the most common of which are diuretics. In certain classes of patients (e.g. those with acute myocardial infarction, with congestive heart failure receiving digitalis, or with cirrhosis), iatrogenic hypokalaemia is an established risk factor. In patients with hypertension who have no underlying heart disease or liver disease, the use of diuretics may lead to worsened glucose tolerance and cardiac arrythmias. There is also evidence for an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.
Colonic immune suppression, barrier dysfunction, and dysbiosis by gastrointestinal bacillus anthracis Infection

Gastrointestinal (GI) anthrax results from the ingestion of Bacillus anthracis. Herein, we investigated the pathogenesis of GI anthrax in animals orally infected with toxigenic non-encapsulated B. anthracis Sterne strain (pXO1+ pXO2−) spores that resulted in rapid animal death. B. anthracis Sterne induced significant breakdown of intestinal barrier function and led to gut dysbiosis, resulting in systemic dissemination of not only B. anthracis, but also of commensals. Disease progression significantly correlated with the deterioration of innate and T cell functions. Our studies provide critical immunologic and physiologic insights into the pathogenesis of GI anthrax infection, whereupon cleavage of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in immune cells may play a central role in promoting dysfunctional immune responses against this deadly pathogen.
Determination of Calcium in Powdered Milk via X-ray Fluorescence Using External Standard and Standard Addition Based Methods

A handheld energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer was used to determine calcium in powdered milk. Quantification was performed using two different methods (external standards and the method of standard additions) to illustrate a matrix effect as well as a means for compensating for it. Both methods require calibration of the XRF analyzer using authentic standards prepared by mixing known masses of calcium carbonate into known masses of cellulose or dry milk. The use of XRF for this application requires analysis times on the order of 1 min per sample, provides linear calibration curves, and gives good precision with %RSDs of 4% or less. External standard based calibration gave erroneously low results due to the attenuation of calcium fluorescence by potassium in the sample, whereas the method of standard additions gave 1.29% calcium, which is very close to the manufacturer’s equivalent concentration of 1.3%. This experiment is well suited for an analytical chemistry course and provides an exce...
Performance Chasing, Fund Flows and Fund Size in Real Estate Mutual Funds

Real estate mutual funds have grown dramatically in number, size, scope and assets under management over the last 15 years, but little assessment is evident. The present study addresses this limitation. Better prior period performance is associated with greater shares of fund inflows for a period. Returns, however, are negatively associated with increased fund flows and fund size. Investors chase past performance limiting fund managers’ ability to optimize investments. Under normal market conditions, but departing from typical mutual fund performance, real estate mutual fund returns generally exceed relevant benchmarks on a before expenses basis and match benchmark returns after expenses. The ability to meet and exceed benchmark returns, however, does not hold during the financial crisis period. Overall, more established funds are shown to have higher returns while fund turnover is not a determinant of returns.
Polonium and plutonium in an intertidal food chain.

LARGE quantities of seaweeds (kelp) are washed ashore along the coasts of California. Estimates range from 104 to 106 tonnes (107–109 kg) wet weight per yr. These algal masses provide food for insects and other invertebrates on the beaches. The plants carry with them a variety of di-, tri-, and polyvalent cations of heavy metals, largely adsorbed or chelated to superficial acidic polysac-charides and surface slimes of bacterial origin. Among the heavy metals one can detect small amounts of radioactive elements, including some that emit high-energy α particles such as the natural polonium (210Pu, half life 138 d) and the artificial plutonium nuclides (239,240Pu, half lives 24,360 yr and 6,580 yr respectively)1. In surface waters of the oceans, polonium is born from the decay of 210Pb which is continuously replenished by decay of radon released from the Earth's crust. The plutonium isotopes occur in ocean waters as a consequence of fallout from atomic test explosions some 15–20 yr ago. We have examined the extent to which these elements may be transferred from the ocean to the terrestrial biosphere by means of kelp, kelp flies and their predators. Fears have been expressed that radioactivity from the algae could be reaching man through the terrestrial food chain. Our investigations suggest that, on the basis of current radiation thresholds for human healthand safety, such fears are groundless.
Strange-Particle Production in Neutrino Interactions

Seven examples of strange-particle production by neutrinos are observed in the 12-ft bubble chamber. One event represents the first observation of associated production by the weak neutral current.
Faceting instability in the presence of wetting interactions: A mechanism for the formation of quantum dots

A mechanism for the formation of quantum dots on the surface of thin solid films is proposed, not associated with the Asaro-Tiller-Grinfeld instability caused by epitaxial stresses. This mechanism, free of stress, involves instability of the film surface due to strong anisotropy of the surface energy of the film, coupled to wetting interactions between the film and the substrate. According to the mechanism, the substrate induces the film growth in a certain crystallographic orientation. In the absence of wetting interactions with the substrate, due to a large surface-energy anisotropy, this orientation would be thermodynamically forbidden and the surface would undergo a long-wave faceting (spinodal decomposition) instability. We show that wetting interactions between the film and the substrate can suppress this instability and qualitatively change its spectrum, leading to the damping of long-wave perturbations and the selection of the preferred wavelength at the instability threshold. This creates a possibility for the formation of stable regular arrays of quantum dots even in the absence of epitaxial stresses. This possibility is investigated analytically and numerically, by solving the corresponding nonlinear evolution equation for the film surface profile, and analyzing the stability of patterns with different symmetries. It is shown that, near the instability threshold, the formation of stable hexagonal arrays of quantum dots is possible. With the increase of the supercriticality, a transition to a square array of dots or the formation of spatially localized dots can occur. Different models of wetting interactions between the film and the substrate are considered and the effects of the wetting potential anisotropy are discussed. It is argued that the mechanism can provide a new route for producing self-organized quantum dots.
Pharmacy Student Debt and Return on Investment of a Pharmacy Education

Objective. To describe the current landscape within the profession of pharmacy regarding student tuition, indebtedness, salaries, and job potential. Methods. Pharmacy tuition and student debt data were obtained through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Institutional Research website. Tuition was defined as average first-year tuition and fees for accredited schools. Debt was defined as the total average amount borrowed. Median salaries and numbers of jobs were obtained from the United States Department of Labor. Results. In-state tuition at public schools rose an average of $1,211 ± 31 (r2 = 0.996), whereas out-of-state tuition at public schools rose significantly faster at $1,838 ± 80 per year (r2 = 0.988). The average tuition cost for pharmacy school has increased 54% in the last 8 years. The average pharmacist salary has risen from $75,000 to over $112,000 since 2002. The increase in salary has been nearly linear (r2 = 0.988) rising $4,409 ± $170 dollars per year. However, average salary in 2011 was $3,064 below the predicted value based upon a linear regression of salaries over 10 years. The number of pharmacist jobs in the United States has risen from 215,000 jobs in 2003 to 275,000 in 2010. However, there were 3,000 fewer positions in 2012 than in 2011. In 2011, average indebtedness for pharmacy students ($114,422) was greater than average first-year salary ($112,160). Conclusion. Rising tuition and student indebtedness is a multifaceted problem requiring attention from a number of parties including students, faculty members, universities, and accreditation and government entities.
A preparatory and phase study of the Tm-Ba-Cu-O system

Abstract A systematic study of the Tm 2 O 3 -BaCO 3 -CuO system is presented both for different cationic molar ratios and as a function of heat treatment. Nine phases were isolated under the experimental conditions used: BaCuO 2 , BaCuO 2+ x , Tm 2 Ba 2 O 5 , Tm 2 Ba 4 O 7 , Tm 4 Cu 3 O 9 , Tm 2 Cu 2 O 5 , Tm 2 BaCuO 5 , ‘TmBa 3 Cu 2 O 6.5+ x ’ and TmBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.5+ x , The ‘TmBa 3 Cu 2 O 6.5+ x ’ phase could not be prepared pure and may represent a solid solution region. Other phases observed in the Ln -Ba-Cu-O systems for Ln =La and Eu such as the tetragonal “336” phase common to both systems could not be prepared. On the basis of the phase analysis results subsolidus phase relationships for the Tm 2 O 3 -BaCO 3 -CuO system are presented.
A note on the application of graph theory to digital computer programming

A graph-theoretic model for the description of flowcharts and programs is defined. It is shown that properties of directed graphs and the associated connection matrices can be used to detect errors and eliminate redundancies in programs. These properties are also used in the synthesis of composite programs. Finally, the model is expanded to take into account frequencies of execution of portions of a program, and a problem concerning optimum arrangement of a program in storage is solved.
A neonatal piglet model for investigating brain and cognitive development in small for gestational age human infants

The piglet was investigated as a potential model for studying brain and cognitive deficits associated with being born small for gestational age (SGA). Naturally farrowed SGA (0.7–1.0 kg BW) and average for gestational age (AGA, 1.3–1.6 kg BW) piglets were obtained on postnatal day (PD) 2, placed in individual cages, and provided a nutritionally adequate milk replacer diet (285 ml/kg/d). Beginning at PD14, performance in a spatial T-maze task was assessed. At PD28, piglets were anesthetized for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to assess brain structure (voxel-based morphometry), connectivity (diffusion-tensor imaging) and metabolites in the hippocampus and corpus callosum (proton MR spectroscopy). Piglets born SGA showed compensatory growth such that BW of SGA and AGA piglets was similar (P>0.05), by PD15. Birth weight affected maze performance, with SGA piglets taking longer to reach criterion than AGA piglets (p<0.01). Total brain volume of SGA and AGA piglets was similar (P<0.05), but overall, SGA piglets had less gray matter than AGA piglets (p<0.01) and tended to have a smaller internal capsule (p = 0.07). Group comparisons between SGA and AGA piglets defined 9 areas (≥ 20 clusters) where SGA piglets had less white matter (p<0.01); 2 areas where SGA piglets had more white matter (p<0.01); and 3 areas where SGA piglets had more gray matter (p<0.01). The impact of being born SGA on white matter was supported by a lower (p<0.04) fractional anisotropy value for SGA piglets, suggesting reduced white matter development and connectivity. None of the metabolites measured were different between groups. Collectively, the results show that SGA piglets have spatial learning deficits and abnormal development of white matter. As learning deficits and abnormalities in white matter are common in SGA human infants, the piglet is a tractable translational model that can be used to investigate SGA-associated cognitive deficits and potential interventions.
An institutional and organisational learning perspective on the content of strategic formation choices of international joint ventures in China

This paper examines how the content of strategic formation choices of International Joint Ventures (IJVs) converges or diverges over time. Strategic formation choices include partner selection (e.g., the number of partners, the status of local partners, the product relatedness between IJVs and its partners and the product relatedness among partners) and ownership structure (e.g., the ownership ratio between foreign and local partners). Hypotheses are tested in a sample of 4787 IJVs established in China from 1985 to 2001. The results show that the degree of conformity of strategic formation choices increases over time. The past experiences of joint ventures in China had a significant curvilinear relationship with the degree of conformity. This paper discusses the implications for theory and research on IJV formation and the institutional process.
Quantum-mechanical stability of solitons and the correspondence principle.

A Hanbury Brown-Twiss experiment is described that is capable of demonstrating, in principle, the solitary behavior of a quantum soliton in an arbitrary fundamental soliton state. The relevant correlation functions are evaluated and show that the quantum noise does not cause a breakup of the solitons of the quantized nonlinear Schrodinger equation. For large photon numbers, the intensity autocorrelation function of the fundamental soliton becomes independent of certain momentum and photon-number distributions, which gives us a correspondence principle for the fundamental soliton
Improved performance of high-average-power semiconductor arrays for applications in diode-pumped solid state lasers

The average power performance capability of semiconductor diode laser arrays has improved dramatically over the past several years. These performance improvements, combined with cost reductions pursued by LLNL and others in the fabrication and packaging of diode lasers, have continued to reduce the price per average watt of laser diode radiation. A low cost technique developed and demonstrated at LLNL for optically conditioning the output radiation of diode laser arrays has enabled a new and scalable average power diode-end-pumping architecture that can be simply implemented in diode pumped solid state laser systems (DPSSLs). This development allows the high average power DPSSL designer to look beyond the Nd ion for the first time. Along with high average power DPSSLs which are appropriate for material processing applications, low and intermediate average power DPSSLs are now realizable at low enough costs to be attractive for use in many medical, electronic, and lithographic applications.
Estimating the cost of primary care training in ambulatory settings.

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 legislated the idea of reimbursing ambulatory sites for training medical professionals. However, very little is known about the costs of training in such settings. This paper assesses the cost of primary care training in ambulatory settings. Selection models were used to separate the cost of teaching from the cost of infrastructural differences between teaching and non-teaching sites. A probit equation modelled the likelihood of an ambulatory site having a teaching programme and a cost function related total medical practice costs to clinical output, the presence of a health professions educational programme, the price of resources used, characteristics of the medical practice and location. Data on 184 community health centres (CHCs), group practices, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and outpatient clinics were used. Teaching sites were found to have 36% higher operating costs than their non-teaching counterparts: 38% of these higher costs were due to infrastructural differences and 62% were the 'pure' costs of teaching, i.e. the costs of teaching the net of infrastructural effects.
Does Antimicrobial Prescription Data Improve Influenza Surveillance in VA

Whether antiviral or antibacterial prescriptions correlate with influenza coded encounters is unknown. Oseltamivir, zanamivir and azithromycin outpatient prescriptions from VA Corporate Data Warehouse and respiratory syndrome, influenza-like-illness (ILI) and influenza-specific ICD-9-CM coded visits from outpatient ESSENCE were analyzed for the 2010-2012 influenza seasons in all VA medical centers and outpatient clinics. Significantly more ILI and respiratory syndrome encounters occurred compared to antiviral prescriptions dispensed with marginal temporal correlation between visits and antiviral prescriptions. Azithromycin prescriptions tracked closely with the onset and peaks of the influenza season. Surprisingly, antiviral prescription data provided minimal additional information for influenza trend monitoring in VA.
Importance of gas-phase proton affinities in determining the electrospray ionization response for analytes and solvents.

The effect of gas-phase proton transfer reactions on the mass spectral response of solvents and analytes with known gas-phase proton affinities was evaluated. Methanol, ethanol, propanol and water mixtures were employed to probe the effect of gas-phase proton transfer reactions on the abundance of protonated solvent ions. Ion-molecule reactions were carried out either in an atmospheric pressure electrospray ionization source or in the central quadrupole of a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. The introduction of solvent vapor with higher gas-phase proton affinity than the solvent being electrosprayed caused protons to transfer to the gas-phase solvent molecules. In mixed solvents, protonated solvent clusters of the solvent with higher gas-phase proton affinity dominated the resulting mass spectra. The effect of solvent gas-phase proton affinity on analyte response was also investigated, and the analyte response was suppressed or eliminated in solvents with gas-phase proton affinities higher than that of the analyte.
Pointwise solution bounds for a class of singular diffusion problems in physiology

A numerical technique for obtaining pointwise bounds for the solution of a class of nonlinear boundary-value problems in physiology is presented. Simple analytic bounding functions are obtained using an integral representation for the solution. The computations are performed in interval arithmetic, thus obtaining lower and upper bounds simultaneously. The oxygen diffusion problem in spherical cells and a nonlinear heat-conduction model of the human head are presented as illustrative examples. For these examples, the present technique is computationally more efficient than the existing ones in that it yields sharper bounds with fewer integration steps.
Thermodynamics of the dissociation of boric acid in synthetic seawater from 273.15 to 318.15 K

E.m.f. measurements have been made using the cell: Pt | H2(g,101.325 kPa) | borax in synthetic seawater | AgCl; Ag over the temperature range 273.15–318.15 K, and at five salinities from 5 to 45. The results have been used to calculate the stoichiometric (ionic medium) dissociation constant for boric acid in seawater media on the “total” hydrogen ion scale.
Quantitation of the membrane attack complex of complement in an air-driven ultracentrifuge

A sensitive assay of complement (C) activation via either the classical or alternative pathway was developed by evaluating assembly of the terminal complexes (C5b-9)2 or SC5b-9. Activation of serum containing [125I]C7 resulted in the formation of a stable, radiolabeled complex which was separable from its precursors by sedimentation in an air-driven ultracentrifuge. The radioactivity in the sediment was directly proportional to the amount of complex formed and assembly of the complex could be detected after C activation by aggregated IgG in concentrations as low as 10 micrograms/ml. Mild detergents such as Triton X-100 could be included in the reaction mixture, because they affected neither the assembly nor the integrity of the complexes. The assay, which detects both assembly of the membrane attack complex (MAC or (C5b-9)2) on target membranes and formation of SC5b-9 in fluid phase, measures the potential of certain substances to trigger the cytolytic phase of C regardless of whether the classical or alternative pathway was activated. However, by using serum depleted of either factor B or C1q, activation of either pathway can be assessed individually.
Urinary diseases of reptiles: Pathophysiology and diagnosis

Urinary disorders in reptiles are often recognized only when they reach and advanced state. Sings of renal disease are often nonspecific and include anorexia, cachexia, changes in behavior, metabolic bone disease, and gout. Elevation in serum phosphorus level is often associated with renal failure. Serum uric acid levels may also increase in animals with advanced disease, but often not until the terminal stage of the disease. Many, and perhaps most, urinary disorders are the result of improper husbandry, diet, or therapy. Hypervitaminosis D, inappropriate dietary levels of calcium and or phosphorus, and high-protein diets are common causes of renal disease in lizards. Immune suppression caused by hypothermia and other stressors is an important element in the development of bacterial kidney disease in all reptiles. Finally, aminoglycosides and other neprhotoxic drugs, if administered in inappropriate dosages and inappropriate frequencies will poison the kidney. Successful treatment of kidney disorders requires early detection and elimination of the underlying cause.
Neglected diseases and poverty in "The Other America": the greatest health disparity in the United States?

PJH is Chairman of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Control and President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute. He is an inventor on two international patents on hookworm vaccines.
Tympanometric Measurement of the Transmission Characteristics of the Ear with and without the Acoustic Reflex

Tympanometry was performed on twenty-two ears of twelve normal hearing subjects with the stapedius muscle in the relaxed state and again with the muscle contracted during exposure to 98 dB SPL 1000 Hz narrow band noise. Components of acoustic admittance were calculated and converted into their reciprocal acoustic impedance parameters. The changes in acoustic admittance and acoustic impedance and their respective components were analyzed and compared with earlier data obtained by other investigators. The results confirm that the major change in the acoustic impedance is a consequence of a stiffening of the middle ear with a small resistance increase using a 220 Hz probe tone and decrease using a 660 Hz probe tone. This method is shown to be a satisfactory procedure to derive and display dynamic changes in the transmission characteristics of the middle ear associated with the acoustic reflex.
Anisotropies and helicities in the solar wind inertial and dissipation ranges at 1 AU

[1] We have constructed a database of ACE observations at 1 AU based on 960 intervals spanning the broadest possible range of solar wind conditions including magnetic clouds. Using spectral analysis of high-resolution magnetic field data we compare inertial range characteristics with properties in the measured dissipation range. We find that previous conclusions by Leamon et al. (1998a, 1998b, 1998c) are upheld: average wave vectors are more field-aligned in the dissipation range than in the inertial range, magnetic fluctuations are less transverse to the mean field in the dissipation range, and cyclotron damping plays an important but not exclusive role in the formation of the dissipation range. However, field-aligned wave vectors play a larger role in the formation of the dissipation range than was previously found. In the process we find significant contrast between these inertial range results and the conclusions of Dasso et al. (2005) who examine larger-scale fluctuations within the inertial range. Dasso et al. found a dominance of field-aligned wave vectors in the high-speed wind and a dominance of quasi-perpendicular (two-dimensional) wave vectors in low-speed winds. We find that the orientation of the wave vectors for the smallest scales within the inertial range are not organized by wind speed and that on average all samples show the same distribution of energy between perpendicular and field-aligned wave vectors. We conclude that this is due to the time required to evolve the spectrum toward a two-dimensional state where the smaller inertial range scales examined here evolve more quickly than the larger scales of earlier analysis. Likewise, we find no such organization within the dissipation range.
Science and Practice in Behavioral Intervention: Meaningful Outcomes, Research Validity, and Usable Knowledge.

Many professional journals publish research reports of interventions for persons with developmental disabilities which traditionally have been expected to fulfill two quite different functions. Fir...
Simultaneous mass and heat transfer in the flow of gases past single spheres

The results obtained by the evaporation of water and nitrobenzene in air from celite spheres in conjunction with the prevailing surface temperature have permitted the simultaneous determination of mass and heat transfer factors. The spheres used were 1.42, 1.88, and 2.00 in. in diameter. The experimental results of this study show that an essentially direct correspondence exists for mass and heat transfer in the flow of fluids past single spheres.
A Look at the Origin and Magnitude of the Chemical Contribution to the Enhancement Mechanism of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS): Theory and Experiment

Normal and surface-enhanced Raman spectra for a set of substituted benzenethiols were measured experimentally and calculated from static polarizability derivatives determined with time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Both silver and gold cluster–thiolate complexes were studied to investigate how the chemical enhancement varies with substituent. The experimental relative peak intensities and positions are well-matched by their theoretical counterparts. The static chemical enhancement of the ring stretching modes near 1600 cm–1 is determined experimentally and computationally for each derivative, and it is found that the experimental enhancement varies by a factor of 10 as a result of chemical substitution, with stronger electron donating groups on the benzene unit leading to higher enhancements. The calculated trends with substitution match experiment well, suggesting that TDDFT is describing the chemical effect qualitatively, if not quantitatively, in the static (low-frequency) limit. A two-s...
Hydrogen Induced Delayed Failure of High Strength Alloy Steel Wires

Abstract Delayed failure tests, In which the samples were cathodically charged with hydrogen while under sustained tensile loads, were conducted upon two medium carbon alloy steels which had been quenched, tempered, and cold drawn to very high strength levels. The results were correlated with the microstructure and fractographic features of the steels. The resistance of the steels to hydrogen degradation is attributed to trapping of hydrogen on defects, alignment of elongated dislocation cell walls with the wire axis and decreased transverse wall spacing, all effects which are accentuated by increasing drawing strain. The beneficial effects of increased strain are thought to be limited eventually by the formation of internal fissures and voids.
Design of an 8-MJ integrated launch package

This paper describes the design of an 8-MJ base-pushed launch package for railgun launch. Extensive interior ballistics and flight dynamic analyses were performed. The launch package was designed to withstand a peak acceleration of 57 k-gees, and a substantial amount of lateral load. The lateral load was of prime importance for this launch package to ensure survivability of subprojectile joints present inside. Even though the launch was by a base-push method, a sabot was necessary to carry the bore-riders. Sabot separation dynamics and projectile aerodynamic coefficients were evaluated to ensure a successful flight. The package was successfully tested at the 32-MJ UK EM Gun Facility located at Kirkcudbright, Scotland at 7-MJ muzzle energy.
Evolutionary walks through a land plant morphospace

A model for mimicking land plant evolution is here expanded and re-evaluated. The model consists of (1) a morphospace containing on the order of 10 9 phenotypic variants, (2) 15 different fitness landscapes, each defined on the basis of performing one or more of four tasks (i.e. maximizing light interception, mechanical stability and reproduction, and minimizing total surface area), and (3) an algorithm driving a search through fitness landscapes for more fit variants. The model is used to predict the effects of the number of simultaneously performed tasks ('complexity'), abrupt changes in environmental conditions (mimicked by random replacement of one fitness landscape with another), and developmental barriers (mimicked by barring searches from entering specific subdomains in the morphospace) on number and accessibility of variants occupying fitness maxima. The model predicts that (1) the number and accessibility of fitness peaks will increase (while the difference between the relative fitness of peaks and valleys will decrease) in proportion to functional complexity, (2) abrupt shifts in landscapes will increase rather than decrease phenotypic diversity, and (3) obstructed searches have an equal or higher probability of reaching fitness peaks than unfettered searches. These results follow axiomatically from the way hypothetical variants are spatially ordered in the morphospace, the manner in which relative fitness is defined, and the protocol used to locate fitness peaks. A critique of the model's predictions and desiderata for future research are provided.
Evolutionary history and adaptive significance of respiratory structures on the legs of intertidal porcelain crabs, genus Petrolisthes.

Abstract Semiterrestrial and terrestrial crabs have evolved multiple strategies for aerial respiration. An uncommon strategy for aerial respiration is seen in porcelain crabs, genus Petrolisthes, where decalcified areas on the meral segments of the walking legs are used as respiratory structures. Here, the evolutionary history and adaptive significance of these structures in porcelain crabs is examined. Interspecific variation in leg membrane size is from 0% to 60% of the surface area of the meral segment. Leg membrane relative size is positively correlated with body size across species but not within one species, Petrolisthes cinctipes. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that leg membranes are ancestral to one of two eastern Pacific Petrolisthes clades. Comparative analyses using phylogenetic independent contrasts indicate a relationship between leg membrane relative size and body size that is phylogenetically independent. In large‐bodied intertidal species, whole‐animal lactate accumulation during aerial inc...
Connections between mRNA 3′ end processing and transcription termination

Discoveries within the last few years have revealed that the multiple steps in gene expression are remarkably integrated. There have recently been several advances in deciphering how mRNA 3' end processing is linked with transcription elongation and termination. It has been known for quite a long time that transcription termination is somehow intertwined with polyadenylation, but it is still unclear exactly how these two processes influence each other. Some recent reports are shedding light on these connections.
Conformational selection and adaptation to ligand binding in T4 lysozyme cavity mutants

The studies presented here explore the relationship between protein packing and molecular flexibility using ligand-binding cavity mutants of T4 lysozyme. Although previously reported crystal structures of the mutants investigated show single conformations that are similar to the WT protein, site-directed spin labeling in solution reveals additional conformational substates in equilibrium exchange with a WT-like population. Remarkably, binding of ligands, including the general anesthetic halothane shifts the population to the WT-like state, consistent with a conformational selection model of ligand binding, but structural adaptation to the ligand is also apparent in one mutant. Distance mapping with double electron-electron resonance spectroscopy and the absence of ligand binding suggest that the new substates induced by the cavity-creating mutations represent alternate packing modes in which the protein fills or partially fills the cavity with side chains, including the spin label in one case; external ligands compete with the side chains for the cavity space, stabilizing the WT conformation. The results have implications for mechanisms of anesthesia, the response of proteins to hydrostatic pressure, and protein engineering.
An analysis of simulation for adjuvant intracavitary high-dose-rate brachytherapy in early-stage endometrial cancer

PURPOSE: The utility of serial simulations in vaginal vault irradiation is controversial. Our pri- mary endpoint was to assess the significance of simulation in women who received adjuvant intra- cavitary high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) for early-stage endometrial adenocarcinoma. Secondary endpoints included assessment of acute and late treatment toxicity, medication require- ments, and charges related to the HDR-BT simulation and procedure. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-four consecutive women with early-stage endometrial cancer treated with adjuvant HDR-BT were evaluated. Descriptive statistical analyses were per- formed on the ratio of calculated to prescription BT dose at predefined dosimetric points. Data on acute and late toxicities, medication usage, and simulation charges were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: The intravaginal cylinder was placed three times over 10e14 days (median 6.5 Gy prescribed to 5 mm). No substantial deviation in the means of the calculated ratios was observed except at the bladder point (mean 0.77 � 0.23). Early toxicity was found to be no greater than Grade 1( n 5 5). Serious late toxicities were uncommon; one woman developed a Grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity. Half of the women required prescription medication incident to simulation. The average simulation charge was $1252.80. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the broad range of doses calculated at the bladder point, genitourinary toxicity was minimal. Simulation proved useful in recording dose and represented a small, yet im- portant portion of the total treatment charge but did not alter treatment in this series. The necessity of simulation for intracavitary high-dose-rate vaginal brachytherapy remains unclear. 2007 American Brachytherapy Society. All rights reserved.
Impediments to SME Access to Finance and Credit Guarantee Schemes in China

This paper first analyzes the major impediments for SMEs in China to access finance. It then examines the evolution, categories, legal basis, operating characteristics, and key concerns of credit guarantee schemes (CGSs) in China. Finally, it provides some thoughts on how to make China's CGS sustainable. The author argues that the lack of collateral, credit information and economies of scale of SME loans, coupled with high political risks associated with SME loans are the four major impediments for China's SME finance. The author also argues that with the support and encouragement from the central government, CGSs in China have become important tools for local governments to ensure credits to SMEs. CGSs promote the flow of finance to SMEs by acknowledging SMEs' limited ability to provide acceptable collaterals, by circumventing interest rate controls, and by mitigating risks caused by the poor credit analysis and pricing skills of banks whose loans are to be guaranteed. Sustainable development and proper functioning of CGSs in China, however, may be impeded by government intervention, lack of sound prudential supervision and regulation, as well as interest rate control.