cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of cervical cancer by computed tomography: current status

In the evaluation of cervical cancer, computed tomography (CT) is used primarily to stage advanced tumors and evaluate for recurrence. Because of reports that CT imaging lacks sensitivity and specificity in the detection of primary tumors and metastatic lesions, its use in these applications has been limited, but recent improvements in CT technology may have increased its accuracy and may broaden its use. At the Second International Conference on Cervical Cancer, held April 11-14, 2002, the limitations of single-detector row CT scanners were compared with the capabilities of new CT technology. Improvements include the introduction of multidetector-row CT scanners, which can produce thinner tissue slices. This technology is needed for detection of parametrial extension, pelvic side-wall disease, extension into the pelvic viscera, lymphadenopathy, local tumor recurrence, and distant metastatic disease. New technology reduces the thickness of each slice to 1-3 mm, improving spatial resolution and making multiplanar imaging possible, which previously was feasible only with magnetic resonance imaging. Studies are needed to assess the use of the improved CT technology in evaluating cervical cancer.
Ultrasound Evaluation of Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain is a frequent complaint in women presenting to the emergency room or to a physician's office, and ultrasound should be considered the initial imaging modality of choice in the evaluation of women with pelvic pain. This article reviews the ultrasound imaging technique and provides a thorough differential of gynecologic and nongynecologic causes of both acute and chronic pelvic pain.
Activity in monomers of human cytomegalovirus protease.

Herpesvirus proteases require dimerization for activity, although crystallographic data indicate that each monomeric subunit possesses a well-separated and complete active site. This suggests that dimerization stabilizes the monomeric protease subunits in an active conformation. Chemical cross-linking with disuccinimidyl glutarate was used to capture human cytomegalovirus protease in its various conformations. The cross-linked protease retained activity under mildly chaotropic conditions (0.25 to 0.75 M urea) in contrast to non-cross-linked protease which lost activity. Identification of active protease species by incorporation of radioactive diisopropylfluorophosphate showed that in addition to cross-linked dimers, cross-linked protease monomers were responsible for a significant fraction of the total protease activity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that herpesvirus protease activation occurs by stabilization of an active conformer in the dimer.
A regional climate model for the western United States

A numerical approach to modeling climate on a regional scale is developed whereby large-scale weather systems are simulated with a global climate model (GCM) and the GCM output is used to provide the boundary conditions needed for high-resolution mesoscale model simulations over the region of interest. In our example, we use the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) community climate model (CCM1) and the Pennsylvania State University (PSU)/NCAR Mesoscale Model version 4 (MM4) to apply this approach over the western United States (U.S.). The topography, as resolved by the 500-km mesh of the CCM1, is necessarily highly distorted, but with the 60-km mesh of the MM4 the major mountain ranges are distinguished. To obtain adequate and consistent representations of surface climate, we use the same radiation and land surface treatments in both models, the latter being the recently developed Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS). Our analysis emphasizes the simulation at four CCM1 points surrounding Yucca Mountain, NV, because of the need to determine its climatology prior to certification as a high-level nuclear waste repository.
Magnetic resonance imaging of disseminated bone marrow disease in patients treated for malignancy.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a sensitive method for the diagnosis of bone marrow abnormalities, but its usefulness in detecting active disseminated cancer in this tissue in treated patients has not been determined. We therefore examined 14 children who had been treated for disseminated bone marrow involvement by neuroblastoma (n=6), lymphoma (n=3), Ewing's sarcoma (n=3), osteosarcoma (n=1), and leukemia (n= 1). MRI studies were performed at 21 marrow sites to evaluate residual or recurrent tumor and were correlated with histologic material from the same site. T1- and T2-weighted sequences were employed in 21 and 14 studies, respectively; short tau inversion recovery (STIR) in 18; and static gadolinium diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DPTA)-enhanced, T1-weighted sequences in 13. All MRI studies showed an altered bone marrow signal. Technetium 99m methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) bone scintigraphy was also performed (19 studies). On histologic examination, 7 marrow specimens contained tumor, and 14 did not. Of the 7 tumor-positive lesions, all T1-weighted, 4 of 6 T2-weighted, and all 6 STIR sequences showed abnormal signal; all 5 GdDTPA-enhanced, T1-weighted sequences showed enhancement of the lesion. However, abnormal signals were also observed on all T1-weighted, 6 of 8 T2-weighted, 11 of 12 STIR, and 5 of 8 Gd-DTPA-enhanced, T1-weighted images of the tumor-negative sites. In this clinical setting, MRI did not consistently differentiate changes associated with treatment from malignant disease.
Real time computation of in vivo drug levels during drug self-administration experiments.

A growing body of evidence suggests that the drug concentration in the effect compartment of the body is the major factor regulating self-administration behavior. A novel computer-based protocol was developed to facilitate studies on mechanisms of drug addiction by determining correlations between drug levels and behavior during multiple drug injections and infusions. The core of the system is a user's program written in Medstate Notation language® (Med-Associates, Inc.), which runs the self-administration session (with MED-PC® software and hardware, Med-Associates, Inc.) and calculates the levels of infused and/or injected drugs in real time during the session. From the comparison of classical exponential and simple linear models of first-order kinetics, it is concluded that exponential solutions for the appropriate differential equations may be replaced with linear equations if the cycle of computation is much shorter than the shortest half-life for the drug. The choice between particular computation equations depends on assumptions about the pharmacokinetics of the particular drug: (i) one-, two- or three-compartment model, (ii) zero-, first- or second-order process of elimination, (iii) the constants of distribution and elimination half-lives of the drug are known or can be reasonably assumed, (iv) dependence of the constants on the drug level, and (v) temporal stability of all parameters during the session. This method of drug level computation can be employed not only for self-administration but also for other behavioral paradigms to advance pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling.
The Natural Clinical History of Canine Congenital Subaortic Stenosis

The demographics and natural clinical history of canine congenital subaortic stenosis (SAS) were evaluated by retrospective analysis of 195 confirmed cases (1967 to 1991), 96 of which were untreated and available for follow-up evaluation. Of these, 58 dogs had left ventricular outflow systolic pressure gradients available for assessment of severity. All 195 dogs were used for demographic analysis. Breeds found to be at increased relative risk included the Newfoundland (odds ratio, 88.1; P 80 mm Hg) gradients. Of 96 untreated dogs, 32 (33.3%) had signs of illness varying from fatigue to syncope; 11 dogs (11.3%) developed infective endocarditis or left heart failure. Exercise intolerance or fatigue was reported in 22 dogs, syncope in 11 dogs, and respiratory signs (cough, dyspnea, tachypnea) in 9 dogs. In addition, 21 dogs (21.9%) died suddenly. Sudden death occurred mainly in the first 3 years of life, primarily but not exclusively, in dogs with severe obstructions (gradient, > 80 mm Hg; odds ratio, 16.0; P < .001). Infective endocarditis (6.3%) and left heart failure (7.3%) tended to occur later in life and in dogs with mild to moderate obstructions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Prostaglandin E(2) and stem cell factor can deliver opposing signals to B lymphocyte precursors.

The synthetic prostanoid, 16,16-dimethyl PGE(2), suppressed B lymphopoiesis in mice and proliferation of normal B cell precursors or the F10 pro-B cell line to interleukin 7 in culture. This was not the case with two other prostanoids, PGD(2) and PGF(2alpha), or agonists for PGI(2) agonist and thromboxane A(2) agonist receptors. PGE(2), but not the related prostanoids or agonists, induced apoptosis in F10 cells. The apoptotic response was mediated by the EP2 class of PGE(2) receptors and required an increase in intracellular cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate, activation of protein kinase A, and protein synthesis. The influence of PGE(2) on F10 cells was diminished in the presence of a cloned stromal cell line or stem cell factor. These findings describe another potential regulatory circuit in bone marrow which might influence B lymphopoiesis under disease or steady-state conditions.
Engaging with others to improve global medical care through international board certification

This commentary, based on comments made by Lois Margaret Nora, MD, during the Globalization of Medical Education panel at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges, provides information about the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), ABMS, International (ABMS-I), and the ABMS Board Certification process. The ABMS was founded near the beginning of the Twentieth century and has a long history of protecting the public through rigorous standards of physician certification. This article highlights the reasons that ABMS and ABMS-I are engaging with the international community to explore international board certification and provides one current example of such a collaboration.
Marine mammals and anthropogenic sound

There is growing concern that sound introduced into the sea by human activities has detrimental effects on marine mammals. Evidene suggests that high-intensity anthropogenic sound from sonar leads to strandings of beaked whales, although the mechanisms of injury in these events remains unresolved. A more pervasive problem is the effect of increased noise levels from increased commercial shipping. Acoustic communication networks are an emerging source of underwater noise at mid-and high-frequencies.
A Further Analysis of Determinants of Health Insurance Coverage

This study uses state-level data to identify key factors influencing geographic differentials in the percentage of the population without health insurance coverage, with particular emphasis placed on the impact of the percentage of the population that is either self-employed or independent contractors. Not surprisingly, the cross-section analysis finds that the percentage of a state's population without health insurance was a decreasing function of median family income in the state, the female labor force participation rate in the state, and the percentage of the state's population age 65 and older, while being an increasing function of the percentage of households in the state with only a female head of household present (no husband present) and the percent of the state's population classified as Hispanic. Reflecting the emphasis in this study, the empirical estimates all also reveal that the percentage of a state's population without health insurance is an increasing the percentage of the state's population that filed a federal personal income tax return that included a Schedule C, which is used in this study as a proxy for self-employment and independent contractors.
Principles of Genetics

Introduction and FundamentalsChapter 1 The Science of GeneticsChapter 2 Cellular Reproduction and Model Genetic OrganismsClassical Genetic AnalysisChapter 3 Mendelism: The Basic Principles of InheritanceChapter 4 Extensions of MendelismChapter 5 The Chromosomal Basis of MendelismChapter 6 Variation in Chromosome Number and StructureChapter 7 Linkage, Crossing Over, and Chromosome Mapping in EukaryotesChapter 8 The Genetics of Bacteria and their VirusesChapter 9 DNA and the Molecular Structure of ChromosomesChapter 10 Replication of DNA and Chromosomes Chapter 11 Transcription and RNA Processing Chapter 12 Translation and the Genetic Code Chapter 13 Mutation, DNA Repair, and Recombination Chapter 14 Definitions of the Gene Chapter 15 The Techniques of Molecular Genetics Chapter 16 Genomics Chapter 17 Applications of Molecular GeneticsChapter 18 Transposable Genetic ElementsChapter 19 Regulation of Gene Expression in Prokaryotes and their VirusesChapter 20 Regulation of Gene Expression in EukaryotesChapter 21 Genetic Control of Animal DevelopmentChapter 22 The Genetic Basis of CancerChapter 23 Inheritance of Complex TraitsChapter 24 Population GeneticsChapter 25 Evolutionary Genetics
Numerical Simulations of Interactions between Gravity Waves and Deep Moist Convection

Abstract This study uses a numerical model to simulate deep convection both in the Tropics over the ocean and the midlatitudes over land. The vertical grid that was used extends into the stratosphere, allowing for the simultaneous examination of the convection and the vertically propagating gravity waves that it generates. A large number of trajectories are used to evaluate the behavior of tracers in the troposphere, and it is found that the tracers can be segregated into different types based upon their position in a diagram of normalized vertical velocity versus displacement. Conditional sampling is also used to identify updrafts in the troposphere and calculate their contribution to the kinetic energy budget of the troposphere. In addition, Fourier analysis is used to characterize the waves in the stratosphere; it was found that the waves simulated in this study have similarities to those observed and simulated by other researchers. Finally, this study examines the wave energy flux as a means to provid...
Prevalence and Correlates of Chlamydia trachomatis among Sexually Active African-American Adolescent Females

Abstract Background. Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen in the United States and disproportionately affects African-American adolescents. The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of C. trachomatis and to identify correlates of infection among African-American adolescent females. Methods. Sexually active African-American adolescent females ( n = 522) completed a self-administered survey and structured interview and provided vaginal swab specimens for laboratory assessment of STDs. The relationship among selected psychosocial, behavioral, and biologically confirmed STDs and C. trachomatis was assessed. Results. The prevalence of C. trachomatis was 17.4%. Results of multiple logistic regression revealed that adolescents testing positive for C. trachomatis infection were significantly more likely to test positive for gonorrhea (OR = 5.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.69–14.83); to report nonuse of condoms with a steady partner (OR = 2.4; 95% CI 1.23–4.76); to be in shorter relationships (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.13–4.30); and to perceive less parental monitoring (OR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.08–4.15). Conclusions. Study findings emphasize the need for assessing psychosocial factors, behavioral factors, and the presence of other STDs when determining risk for C. trachomatis. Several of the constructs identified are particularly amenable to behavioral interventions designed to prevent infection.
Selectivity of atipamezole, yohimbine and tolazoline for alpha‐2 adrenergic receptor subtypes: Implications for clinical reversal of alpha‐2 adrenergic receptor mediated sedation in sheep

The alpha2-adrenergic receptor antagonists, yohimbine, atipamezole and tolazoline, are used in veterinary medicine as reversal agents for the sedative/hypnotic effects of alpha2-agonists. Ruminants have increased sensitivity to the sedative/hypnotic effects of alpha2-agonists compared to other species. The receptors mediating the sedative effects of alpha2-agonists are located primarily on locus coeruleus neurons in the pons of the lower brainstem. Four pharmacological subtypes of the alpha2-adrenergic receptor (A,B, C and D) have been identified based on differences in ligand affinity. The aim of this study was to: 1) determine the pharmacological profile of atipamezole, yohimbine and tolazoline at the four alpha2-adrenergic receptor subtypes and; 2) determine whether these agents differ in their affinities at the alpha2-adrenergic receptor present in the sheep brainstem. In inhibition binding studies against the selective alpha2-adrenergic receptor ligand [3H]-MK-912, tolazoline showed the lowest affinity for all four alpha2-adrenergic receptor subtypes compared to yohimbine and atipamezole. The affinities of yohimbine and atipamezole were similar at the alpha2A-, alpha2B- and alpha2C-adrenergic receptors but differed by approximately 100 fold at the alpha2D-adrenergic receptor. Atipamezole had a 100 fold higher affinity at the alpha2D-adrenergic receptor when compared to yohimbine. To determine the ligand binding characteristics of these agents at the alpha2-adrenergic receptor in sheep brainstem, membranes were labelled with [3H]-MK-912 and inhibition competition curves were performed. Atipamezole showed approximately a 100 fold higher affinity for the sheep brainstem alpha2-adrenergic receptor compared to yohimbine which was similar to what was observed for the alpha2D-adrenergic receptor in PC12 cells transfected with RG-20. The results from these studies suggest that atipamezole has a high affinity for the alpha2D-adrenergic receptor that appears to be the receptor subtype in sheep brainstem.
Equality, empowerment, and choice: what does feminism mean to contemporary women?

Feminisms work to correct the social gender imbalance, necessitating women's continued self-identification as feminist. There are several reasons noted for women choosing to identify: (1) exposure to feminist beliefs through education, (2) personal influences such as strong feminist role models, and (3) awareness of gender discrimination. The current research literature on feminism has largely omitted the dynamic and contextual factors that may influence this decision. This study sought to fill this gap by utilizing qualitative methodology to evaluate reasons why contemporary women choose to self-identify as feminist. Overall, the data indicate that a general desire for equality, empowerment, and the freedom to make choices are instrumental in the decision-making process. Further, exposure to feminism, both through education and personal role models, has also led to their self-identification. The implications of these findings, as well as suggestions for the continuation of the feminist movement are discu...
On Tilting at Windmills While Facing Armageddon

Since the 1960s, numerous articles, special features, symposia, and conferences have raised perceptive and often troubling questions about the present condition and future directions of the field. In the 1980s, the debates reached a crescendo with issues about specialization, fragmentation, professional versus academic, and what should comprise the academic core. Any profession should periodically evaluate itself; it is now time, however, to marshall our efforts and concentrate on what our collective strengths are—or should be. It is suggested herein that useful lessons might be gleaned from an overview of American medicine at the turn of the century and recent discussions concerning medical education. Medicine combines both clinical and academic/scientific studies and draws upon knowledge ranging from the molecular to the macro levels. American medicine and medical education struggled through uncertainties 100 years ago that are not unlike those that physical education has been involved in for the last 3...
Schumpeter's crisis of the tax state: An essay in fiscal sociology

Schumpeter'sCrisis of the Tax State and other fiscal writings are summarized. His crisis theory and its relation to his prognosis of capitalist decline is explored, along with Goldscheid's earlier model. Both are found to have underestimated the resilience of the tax state and its ability to sustain expanding budgets. Schumpeter's view of the income tax as appropriate for a minimal state is assessed along with subsequent tax development. His fiscal model is placed in the context of his understanding of sociology as a social science. Some conjectures on his response to the subsequent course of fiscal sociology are added.
Effect of Operator Experience on Outcome of Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Accessory Pathways

Radiofrequency catheter ablation of accessory pathways has been shown to be safe and effective, and is rapidly becoming the treatment of choice for patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia involving a concealed accessory pathway. l4 Because radiofrequency catheter ablation requires skill in mapping and catheter manipulation, the outcome is at least in part operator-dependent. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of operator experience on the outcome of radiofrequency catheter ablation of accessory pathways by analyzing the changes in efficacy and duration of the procedure as experience increased.
Advances in total scattering analysis

In recent years the analysis of the total scattering pattern has become an invaluable tool to study disordered crystalline and nanocrystalline materials. Traditional crystallographic structure determination is based on Bragg intensities and yields the long range average atomic structure. By including diffuse scattering into the analysis, the local and medium range atomic structure can be unravelled. Here we give an overview of recent experimental advances, using X-rays as well as neutron scattering as well as current trends in modelling of total scattering data.
The Conversion of l-Phenylalanine to (S)-2-Hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoic Acid: A Simple, Visual Example of a Stereospecific SN2 Reaction

We report a simple, inexpensive, visual, and environmentally friendly SN2 reaction appropriate for the second-year organic chemistry laboratory that illustrates stereospecificity, dependence of water solubility on the state of ionization, optical activity, and effect of diastereotopic protons in 1H NMR spectroscopy. The reaction converts readily available l-phenylalanine in a double SN2 reaction to enantiomerically pure (S)-2-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoic acid. The optical purity and absolute stereochemistry are determined by the specific rotation of the product.
Zeeman quadrupole resonance lineshapes in powders, H1 perpendicular to H0

Abstract The Zeeman-perturbed NQR spectra for I = 3 2 and H1 ⊥ H0 (conventional NMR configuration) were generated theoretically and compared with experiment. In contrast with the case, H1‖H0, the appearance of these spectra is quite insensitive to the value of the asymmetry parameter. The effects of using a crossed-coil NMR spectrometer, and phase sensitive detection with frequency or field modulation, are explored, as is the constant-frequency field-swept spectrum. It is found that the exact theoretical prediction of the crossed-coil spectra requires nontrivial extensionsto the single-coil theory.
Synthetic non-oxidative glycolysis enables complete carbon conservation

A non-oxidative, cyclic pathway—termed non-oxidative glycolysis—is designed and constructed that enables complete carbon conservation in sugar catabolism to acetyl-coenzyme A, and can be used to achieve a 100% carbon yield to fuels and chemicals. Much of the pyruvate produced from sugars by glycolysis, a metabolic pathway found in almost all living organisms, is decarboxylated to produce acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) for various biosynthetic purposes. Along the way, however, pyruvate decarboxylation loses a carbon equivalent, limiting the theoretical carbon yield to only two moles of two-carbon (C2) metabolites per mole of hexose. James Liao and colleagues have constructed a non-oxidative, cyclic pathway that allows the production of stoichiometric amounts of C2 metabolites from hexose, pentose and triose phosphates without carbon loss. This pathway, termed non-oxidative glycolysis (NOG), enables complete carbon conservation in sugar catabolism to acetyl-CoA The authors demonstrate NOG both in vitro and in engineered Escherichia coli strains. Industrially this new approach could be used to produce bio-alcohols, fatty acids, biodiesel and isoprenoids from sugars. Glycolysis, or its variations, is a fundamental metabolic pathway in life that functions in almost all organisms to decompose external or intracellular sugars. The pathway involves the partial oxidation and splitting of sugars to pyruvate, which in turn is decarboxylated to produce acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) for various biosynthetic purposes. The decarboxylation of pyruvate loses a carbon equivalent, and limits the theoretical carbon yield to only two moles of two-carbon (C2) metabolites per mole of hexose. This native route is a major source of carbon loss in biorefining and microbial carbon metabolism. Here we design and construct a non-oxidative, cyclic pathway that allows the production of stoichiometric amounts of C2 metabolites from hexose, pentose and triose phosphates without carbon loss. We tested this pathway, termed non-oxidative glycolysis (NOG), in vitro and in vivo in Escherichia coli. NOG enables complete carbon conservation in sugar catabolism to acetyl-CoA, and can be used in conjunction with CO2 fixation1 and other one-carbon (C1) assimilation pathways2 to achieve a 100% carbon yield to desirable fuels and chemicals.
Initiation of TCR phosphorylation and signal transduction.

Recent data with CD8+ T cells show that the initial phase of TCR binding to MHCp is quickly followed by a second, stronger, binding phase representing the binding of CD8 to the MHCp. This second phase requires signaling by a Src-family kinase such as Lck. These data point out two aspects of the initial stage of TCR signaling that have not yet been clearly resolved. Firstly, how and by which Src-family kinase, is the initial phosphorylation of CD3ζ accomplished, given that the Lck associated with the co-receptors (CD4 or CD8) is not yet available. Secondly, what is the mechanism by which the co-receptor is brought close to the bound TCR before the co-receptor binds to MHCp?
Mineral Changes in Osteoporosis: A Review

Bone mineral composition, crystallinity, and bone mineral content of osteoporotic patients are different from those of normal subjects. We review the evidence that these mineralization parameters contribute to the strength (fracture resistance) of bone and the methods that have been used to examine them. A specific example is provided from analysis of biopsies from the Multiple Outcomes in Raloxifene Evaluation trial. For the analyses, randomly selected biopsies from placebo, low-dose, and high-dose groups (n = 5 per group) obtained at time zero and 2 years after treatment were examined by infrared imaging spectroscopy. In all cases, comparable increases in mineral content were found, but there were no significant variations in mineral crystallinity.
LIN SHU, INVISIBLE TRANSLATION, AND POLITICS

Why do translations frequently operate as allegorical extensions of what the original literally says? When the translator or re-writer, as the case may be, is only proficient in his native language yet purports to “translate” foreign materials, the roots of allegorical or emblematic readings become a different problem. As the interlocutors of the dead, these “translators” manipulate the invisible text with their collaborators and their imagination. Two cases in point are the late Qing advocates of Western cultural values represented by Shakespeare, and the popular 1904 rendition of Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare (1807) by the prolific Chinesec translator and rewriter Lin Shu. This article argues that in their translations of the invisible foreign texts either through mediation or through ideological reframing, the “West” and “China” functioned as two discursive modes through which two sets of values are articulated.
Development of various designs of low-power, MEMS valves for fluidic applications

Abstract Automated, controlled fluid delivery is an important operation in micro-total analysis systems (μTAS). Actuated micro-valves have been proposed to separate a pressurized fluid from the channel to be filled. This scheme greatly reduced the energy required to move the fluid. The design, micro-fabrication and performance of arrays of single-use valve, which constitute an integral part of this actuation mechanism, is presented. The addressable constituent of the valve is a thin metallic ohmic resistor, whose design dictates the actuation voltage. The resistor is patterned on a silicon nitride membrane that constitutes the flow barrier, which stands on a silicon wafer. Rapid heating via an electric pulse induces thermal stresses in the membrane/resistor, which in turn breaks the membrane opening the valves. The chosen processing steps allow for wafer-level device fabrication using standard MEMS processing tools. Different size membranes with various thicknesses (1, 2 and 3 μm) are tested. Valves that withstand a pressure differential of up to 5 bar (3 mm × 3 mm, 3 μm-thick silicon nitride membranes) were chosen for the study. Investigated valves were activated with a potentials ranging between 14 and 140 V and required activation energies from tens to hundreds of milliJoules.
Insulin-responsive tyrosine aminotransferase transcription requires multiple promoter regions.

Abstract This study used transient transfection analysis to determine the DNA regions which mediate basal and insulin-sensitive transcription from the gene encoding tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT; EC 2.6.1.5). Basal expression requires at least parts of two regions: a region at −3600 and a region from −208 to +62. Insulin sensitivity requires at least one region of the promoter not required for basal expression. Thus, insulin cannot act solely by direct modification of any of the components required for basal transcription. Previous results from this laboratory suggest that the insulin effects on basal and glucocorticoid-induced TAT transcription require different regions of the proximal promoter.
Employment Risk, Diversification, and Unemployment

This paper studies determinants of the geographic distribution of unemployment in the United States since 1950. We argue that "equilibrium" differences in unemployment among markets are partially supported by corresponding differences in the covariance structure of sectoral demands for labor. When workers are mobile, greater diversification of sectoral demands reduces unemployment. We confirm this point using pooled time-series-cross-section data on state unemployment and employment by industry. We also find evidence for nonneutrality of aggregate disturbances based on geographic differences in industrial composition, and that permanent changes in the sectoral composition of employment lead to transitory fluctuations in unemployment.
Dissolution Rate Patterns of Log‐Normally Distributed Powders

Particles dissolving in a dissolution medium initially decrease in linear dimension, while the number of particles remains unaltered. At a particular point in time (tc) the smallest particle disappears, and from that point on the number of particles decreases. These phenomena were simulated on a digital computer, and the agglomerate dissolution pattern under sink conditions was shown to follow a cube root law, but the slopes differ according to whether t tc.
Facing the Storm, Turning the Tide: Using Practitioner Research To Meet Children's and Families' Needs in an Inclusive Setting

Abstract The director and two teachers in an inclusive preschool, faced with forces within and outside the school that challenged school policies and practices affecting children with special needs and their families, responded by engaging in a year-long process of practitioner research. This voluntary, systematic, and intentional collaborative study of policy and practice was guided by four questions that arose from their personal experiences and convictions and the unique confluence of events in their context: Do current administrative policies and practices match the current goals and values and mission of the school? How can an administration best support teachers in inclusive classrooms? What does it take for teachers to successfully include children with special needs in school classrooms? What do families of all children need and how can we support them? This examination of both the process and outcomes of this study is set in the personal and institutional contexts of this work. Consonance between...
Nebularine (9-2′-deoxy-β-d-ribofuranosylpurine) has the template characteristics of adenine in vivo and in vitro

Abstract Nebularine (9-β- d -ribofuranosylpurine; Nb) is a naturally occurring nucleoside with structural features suggestive of a universal base. However, previous observations based on thermal melting characteristics of oligonucleotides suggested that Nb formed stable pairs only with thymine. To determine the template characteristics of Nb, we constructed M13 viral single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) molecules bearing a single site-specific deoxynebularine (9-2′-deoxy-β- d -ribofuranosylpurine) residue. The ssDNA constructs were transfected into Escherichia coli cells to determine the specificity of base insertion opposite Nb, as well as to determine the effect of Nb on the replicability of the transfected DNA. Base insertion opposite Nb, analyzed by a multiplex sequencing technology, suggests that Nb has the template characteristics of adenine. Analysis of DNA replicability, measured as transfection efficiency, indicates that Nb does not block DNA replication. UV irradiation of host cells before transfection did not significantly affect survival or base insertion specificity within the limits of multiplex sequencing technology employed, suggesting that inducible mutagenic phenomena appear to have only minor effects on translesion synthesis across Nb. In addition, in vitro DNA elongation experiments on oligonucleotide templates using E. coli DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) as the model polymerase showed that Nb templates for T, but not for other bases under the tested conditions. The data reported in this communication underscore the importance of base-pair geometry as a specificity-determinant during base insertion by replicative polymerases.
Using micros for test development

Which is the better choice: general item bank software or a word processor program? Your answer is dependent upon your computer skills, the amount of test development work you do, and the nature of investment your school is willing to make for software. Both have their relative strengths and weaknesses. The trade-offs between the two approaches are real, important, and in time will probably favor the item bank software.
Reliability of global sensitivity indices

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis is an essential ingredient of model development and applications. For many uncertainty and sensitivity analysis techniques, sensitivity indices are calculated based on a relatively large sample to measure the importance of parameters in their contributions to uncertainties in model outputs. To statistically compare their importance, it is necessary that uncertainty and sensitivity analysis techniques provide standard errors of estimated sensitivity indices. In this paper, a delta method is used to analytically approximate standard errors of estimated sensitivity indices for a popular sensitivity analysis method, the Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (FAST). Standard errors estimated based on the delta method were compared with those estimated based on 20 sample replicates. We found that the delta method can provide a good approximation for the standard errors of both first-order and higher-order sensitivity indices. Finally, based on the standard error approximation, ...
The Ψm depolarization that accompanies mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake is greater in mutant SOD1 than in wild-type mouse motor terminals

The electrical gradient across the mitochondrial inner membrane (Ψm) is established by electron transport chain (ETC) activity and permits mitochondrial Ca2+ sequestration. Using rhodamine-123, we determined how repetitive nerve stimulation (100 Hz) affects Ψm in motor terminals innervating mouse levator auris muscles. Stimulation-induced Ψm depolarizations in wild-type (WT) terminals were small (<5 mV at 30 °C) and reversible. These depolarizations depended on Ca2+ influx into motor terminals, as they were inhibited when P/Q-type Ca2+ channels were blocked with ω-agatoxin. Stimulation-induced Ψm depolarization and elevation of cytosolic [Ca2+] both increased when complex I of the ETC was partially inhibited by low concentrations of rotenone (25–50 nmol/l). This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that acceleration of ETC proton extrusion normally limits the magnitude of Ψm depolarization during mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, thereby permitting continued Ca2+ uptake. Compared with WT, stimulation-induced increases in rhodamine-123 fluorescence were ≈5 times larger in motor terminals from presymptomatic mice expressing mutations of human superoxide dismutase I (SOD1) that cause familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SOD1-G85R, which lacks dismutase activity; SOD1-G93A, which retains dismutase activity). Ψm depolarizations were not significantly altered by expression of WT human SOD1 or knockout of SOD1 or by inhibiting opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore with cyclosporin A. We suggest that an early functional consequence of the association of SOD1-G85R or SOD1-G93A with motoneuronal mitochondria is reduced capacity of the ETC to limit Ca2+-induced Ψm depolarization, and that this impairment contributes to disease progression in mutant SOD1 motor terminals.
Enantioselective synthesis of the bottom-half of chlorothricolide

Abstract The first enantioselective synthesis of a chlorothricolide intermediate is described. The synthesis features the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of tetraene 3.
Gender differences in rates and correlates of suicidal behaviour amongst child psychiatric outpatients

Childhood suicide is an increasing problem in Western society. Identification of those at risk of suicidal behaviour is of priority to identify children with consequent mental suffering, and prevent successful attempts. The study determined factors associated with suicidal ideas, attempts or threats in 5426 psychiatric outpatients aged between 8 and 17 years who attended a British teaching hospital. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed by sex on the data from the standard department questionnaire. Substance abuse, depression and disturbed relationships with adults were predictors of suicidal behaviour for both sexes. For female subjects, antisocial behaviour was also associated. In girls alone, depression had significant interaction effects with substance abuse and conduct disorder. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.
Depletion of cellular glycogen during the early logarithmic growth phase of human fibroblasts

Human diploid fibroblasts deplete 50% of their cellular glycogen by day 4 after subcultivation in 100 mg% glucose medium. The glycogen content increases again as the cells approach confluency. Growth of cells in low glucose medium results in rapid glycogen depletion and indicates that stored glycogen has a limited potential as an energy source.
Profiling small RNA reveals multimodal substructural signals in a Boltzmann ensemble

As the biomedical impact of small RNAs grows, so does the need to understand competing structural alternatives for regions of functional interest. Suboptimal structure analysis provides significantly more RNA base pairing information than a single minimum free energy prediction. Yet computational enhancements like Boltzmann sampling have not been fully adopted by experimentalists since identifying meaningful patterns in this data can be challenging. Profiling is a novel approach to mining RNA suboptimal structure data which makes the power of ensemble-based analysis accessible in a stable and reliable way. Balancing abstraction and specificity, profiling identifies significant combinations of base pairs which dominate low-energy RNA secondary structures. By design, critical similarities and differences are highlighted, yielding crucial information for molecular biologists. The code is freely available via http://gtfold.sourceforge.net/profiling.html.
The Demagnetization Field of Multidomain Grains

The demagnetization ‘constant’, N, enters into all theoretical considerations of multidomain remanence. Although most workers believe N to be related simply to the shape of the grain, no theoretical study of N has previously been completed. It is shown in this paper thatN monotonically increases with increase in remanence in multidomain grains. Although N can be approximated by a constant in the limit of small displacements of domain walls from their demagnetized sites, this constant critically depends on the domain geometry.
Concept chaining utilizing meronyms in text characterization

For most, the web is the first source to answer a question formulated by curiosity, need, or research reasons. This phenomenon is due to the internet's ubiquitous access, ease of use, and the extensive and ever expanding content. The problem is no longer the need to acquire content to encourage use, but to provide organizational tools to support content categorization that will facilitate improved access methods. This paper presents the results of a new text characterization algorithm that combines semantic and linguistic techniques utilizing domain-based ontology background knowledge. It explores the combination of meronym, synonym, and hypernym linguistic relationships to create a set of concept chains used to represent concepts found in a document. The experiments show improved accuracy over bag-of-words based term weighting methods and reveal characteristics of the meronym contribution to document representation.
Association of group A streptococci with an outbreak of cervical lymphadenitis in mice.

SummaryGroup A hemolytic streptococci were regularly isolated from the abscessed lymph nodes of Princeton mice during an outbreak of cervical lymphadenitis. The naturally acquired disease was reproduced in normal Princeton weanlings by nasal deposition of the organism in pure culture. The mortality rate was markedly increased, however, by nasal inhalation of the inoculum. In Swiss weanlings the morbidity rate of cervical lymphadenitis after deposition and the mortality rate after inhalation were much reduced. Nasal introduction of the streptococcus was attended by otitis media in 28 out of 45 Princeton wealings (62%) and 40 out of 55 Swiss (72%).
Modular fault tolerant VLSI parallel processor architectures with dynamic redundancy

Abstract In this paper a new Modular fault tolerant tree architecture for a VLSI Parallel processor is proposed. Modular fault tolerant Parallel processor architecture reliability analysis is presented. The proposed architecture significantly increases reliability and yield of the chip. Yield formulae are derived from the fundamentals of combinatorial and binomial methods for the Modular tree, RAE and SOFT tree architectures. Numerical results show that both the combinatorial and binomial analysis results are in good agreement. Furthermore, the derived yield formulae are used to get first hand information about a specific VLSI architecture, which is sultable for manufacturing or not. Finally, the figure of merlt shows that Modular fault tolerant Parallel processor architecture is cost effective in terms of the chip yield.
Thermodynamic model of a thermal storage air conditioning system with dynamic behavior

Abstract A thermodynamic model was developed to predict transient behavior of a thermal storage system, using phase change materials (PCMs), for a novel electric vehicle climate conditioning application. The main objectives of the paper are to consider the system’s dynamic behavior, such as a dynamic air flow rate into the vehicle’s cabin, and to characterize the transient heat transfer process between the thermal storage unit and the vehicle’s cabin, while still maintaining accurate solution to the complex phase change heat transfer. The system studied consists of a heat transfer fluid circulating between either of the on-board hot and cold thermal storage units, which we refer to as thermal batteries, and a liquid–air heat exchanger that provides heat exchange with the incoming air to the vehicle cabin. Each thermal battery is a shell-and-tube configuration where a heat transfer fluid flows through parallel tubes, which are surrounded by PCM within a larger shell. The system model incorporates computationally inexpensive semi-analytic solution to the conjugated laminar forced convection and phase change problem within the battery and accounts for airside heat exchange using the Number of Transfer Units (NTUs) method for the liquid–air heat exchanger. Using this approach, we are able to obtain an accurate solution to the complex heat transfer problem within the battery while also incorporating the impact of the airside heat transfer on the overall system performance. The implemented model was benchmarked against a numerical study for a melting process and against full system experimental data for solidification using paraffin wax as the PCM. Through modeling, we demonstrate the importance of capturing the airside heat exchange impact on system performance, and we investigate system response to dynamic operating conditions, e.g., air recirculation.
Public opinion and conflict in the separation of powers: Understanding the Honduran coup of 2009

Formal constitutional systems of separated powers often fail to sustain meaningful systems of checks and balances in presidential-style democracies. What conditions support balance in the separatio...
Subjective Well-Being Among Episcopal Priests: Predictors and Comparisons to Non-Clinical Norms

Few studies of the clergy have examined emotional well-being using normed measures. This study examined subjective well-being among 1,581 non-retired Episcopal priests. Subjective well-being was measured with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Predictors of subjective well-being were measured with the Dispositional Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991) and scales of personal practices, social support, congregational dynamics, fit, and economic satisfaction. Participants reported more positive affect (Hedges's g = 1.19), more negative affect (Hedges's g = 0.61) and more satisfaction with life (Hedges's g = 0.73) than nonclinical norms. Hope agency was the strongest predictor for positive affect and satisfaction with life; stress was the strongest predictor for negative affect and partially mediated the effect of congregational dynamics and fit on this outcome. Results suggest that prevention ...