cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Emergence of Gasparo Contarini: A Bibliographical Essay

The recent resurgence of scholarly interest in the Venetian Gasparo Contarini (1483–1542), stimulated in general by the growing interest in Italian religious history and in particular by the discovery of new material, has resulted in the partial emergence of the young patrician from the obscurity which has heretofore enveloped his early years. A succession of studies in the last decade or so have now enabled us to visualize the young Contarini more clearly and have given firmer substance to a once shadowy figure. Viewing his early life from the vantage point of different interests, a number of scholars in various countries have placed Contarini more intelligibly within his milieu, illuminating not merely the individual himself but also the group with which he was associated and the institutions within which he grew to manhood.
Unmet Needs in Hispanic/Latino Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

In the United States, the prevalence of adults who are overweight or obese is higher in Hispanics/Latinos compared with non-Hispanic whites. In addition, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicate that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is consistently greater in racial/ethnic minority groups, such as Hispanics/Latinos, compared with non-Hispanic whites. In fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2007 to 2009 suggest that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is almost twice as high in Hispanics/Latinos compared with non-Hispanic whites (11.8% vs. 7.1%, respectively). Although genetics plays a role in the increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Hispanics/Latinos, cultural and environmental factors also contribute. In addition to the increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Hispanics/Latinos, evidence suggests that the patients in this population are often undertreated and, therefore, less likely to achieve control of their glucose, blood pressure, and lipid levels. Because individuals with type 2 diabetes have a 2- to 4-fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared with individuals with normal glucose levels, there is consensus that targeting environmental factors, particularly the development of obesity at an early age, is the most cost-effective approach to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes and its broad spectrum of complications, including cardiovascular disease. Cultural and socioeconomic barriers, such as language, cost, and access to goods and services, must be overcome to improve management of type 2 diabetes in this high-risk population. By increasing healthcare provider awareness and the availability of programs tailored to Hispanic/Latino individuals, the current treatment gap among ethnic minorities in the United States will progressively narrow, and eventually, disappear.
Transition state analysis and requirement of Asp-262 general acid/base catalyst for full activation of dual-specificity phosphatase MKP3 by extracellular regulated kinase.

Dual-specificity phosphatase MKP3 down-regulates mitogenic signaling through dephosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK). Unlike a simple substrate-enzyme interaction, the noncatalytic, amino-terminal domain of MKP3 can bind efficiently to ERK, leading to activation of the phosphatase catalytic domain by as much as 100-fold toward exogenous substrates. It has been suggested that ERK activates MKP3 through the stabilization of the active phosphatase conformation, enabling general acid catalysis. Here, we investigated whether Asp-262 of MKP3 is the bona fide general acid and evaluated its contribution to the catalytic steps activated by ERK. Using site-directed mutagenesis, pH rate and Bronsted analyses, kinetic isotope effects, and steady-state and rapid reaction kinetics, Asp-262 was identified as the authentic general acid catalyst, donating a proton to the leaving group oxygen during P-O bond cleavage. Kinetic isotope effects [(18)(V/K)(bridge), (18)(V/K)(nonbridge), and (15)(V/K)] were evaluated for the effect of ERK and of the D262N mutation on the transition state of the phosphoryl transfer reaction. The patterns of the three isotope effects for the reaction with native MKP3 in the presence of ERK are indicative of a reaction where the leaving group is protonated in the transition state, whereas in the D262N mutant, the leaving group departs as the anion. Even without general acid catalysis, the D262N mutant reaction is activated by ERK through increased phosphate affinity ( approximately 8-fold) and the partial stabilization of the transition state for phospho-enzyme intermediate formation ( approximately 4-fold). Based on these analyses, we estimate that dephosphorylation of phosphorylated ERK by the D262N mutant is >1000-fold lower than by native, activated MKP3. Also, the kinetic results suggest that Asp-262 functions as a general base during thiol-phosphate intermediate hydrolysis.
On the London equations.

Abstract The classical London equations for superconductors are written in differential form notation and recast in relativistic form, where they yield the Proca equation. In particular, the field itself acts as its own charge carrier.
Approximate generalized extreme value models of discrete choice

Abstract Estimation of generalized extreme value (GEV) models of discrete choice is hampered by computational complexity and convergence problems. However, if the model deviates only modestly from standard multinomial logit, a first-order approximation may be useful. This paper presents three tests, each based on such an approximation, for the null hypothesis of multinomial logit against any particular GEV model as an alternative hypothesis. One test applies the ‘universal logit’ concept of McFadden, Train, and Tye; the second is the usual Lagrange multiplier test; and the third generalizes a regression-based test developed by McFadden (1987). All three begin with a logit estimation, followed by one further computational step which also produces an approximate estimate of the GEV model. These estimates, as well as the test statistics, are asymptotically equivalent under the null hypothesis. Monte Carlo data, generated alternatively by logit and by three different GEV models, provide evidence on the small-sample properties of both the test statistics and the approximate estimators. These properties are found to be superior in important respects to maximum-likelihood estimation of the GEV model.
Some comments on mapping from disease-specific to generic health-related quality-of-life scales.

Abstract An article by Lu et al. in this issue of Value in Health addresses the mapping of treatment or group differences in disease-specific measures (DSMs) of health-related quality of life onto differences in generic health-related quality-of-life scores, with special emphasis on how the mapping is affected by the reliability of the DSM. In the proposed mapping, a factor analytic model defines a conversion factor between the scores as the ratio of factor loadings. Hence, the mapping applies to convert true underlying scales and has desirable properties facilitating the alignment of instruments and understanding their relationship in a coherent manner. It is important to note, however, that when DSM means or differences in mean DSMs are estimated, their mapping is still of a measurement error–prone predictor, and the correct conversion coefficient is the true mapping multiplied by the reliability of the DSM in the relevant sample. In addition, the proposed strategy for estimating the factor analytic mapping in practice requires assumptions that may not hold. We discuss these assumptions and how they may be the reason we obtain disparate estimates of the mapping factor in an application of the proposed methods to groups of patients.
A Variant in the Neuropeptide Receptor npr-1 is a Major Determinant of Caenorhabditis elegans Growth and Physiology

The mechanistic basis for how genetic variants cause differences in phenotypic traits is often elusive. We identified a quantitative trait locus in Caenorhabditis elegans that affects three seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits: lifetime fecundity, adult body size, and susceptibility to the human pathogen Staphyloccus aureus. We found a QTL for all three traits arises from variation in the neuropeptide receptor gene npr-1. Moreover, we found that variation in npr-1 is also responsible for differences in 247 gene expression traits. Variation in npr-1 is known to determine whether animals disperse throughout a bacterial lawn or aggregate at the edges of the lawn. We found that the allele that leads to aggregation is associated with reduced growth and reproductive output. The altered gene expression pattern caused by this allele suggests that the aggregation behavior might cause a weak starvation state, which is known to reduce growth rate and fecundity. Importantly, we show that variation in npr-1 causes each of these phenotypic differences through behavioral avoidance of ambient oxygen concentrations. These results suggest that variation in npr-1 has broad pleiotropic effects mediated by altered exposure to bacterial food.
Deception and Democracy in Classical Athens. By Jon Hesk. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 344p. $65.00

This thoughtful and wide-ranging book addresses a problem that is as salient for modern as for ancient democracies: Given that democracy is necessarily predicated on judging the worth of public speech, how can democratic decision makers, whether legislators or jurors, know when speech is truthful? The Athenian political orator Demosthenes put the issue clearly: “Where the political constitution is based on speeches, how can it be safely administered if the speeches are false?” (Demosthenes [On the False Embassy] 19.185; Hesk, p. 164). Jon Hesk shows how that question becomes sharper with the availability of ever more sophisticated techniques of persuasion. Democrats today agonize over the problem of “spin”: manipulation of the media by professionals who are cherished by politicians for their ability to persuade voters to believe that which is advantageous to their paymasters. Hesk cites a well-chosen array of modern examples, drawn primarily from British politics. In ancient Athens, a similar concern centered on techniques of persuasion associated with professional teachers of rhetoric: the socalled sophists. As he proves, the term “sophist” was no more approbative in classical Athens than “spin-doctor” is today.
Immunocytochemical studies of aromatase in early and full-term human placental tissues: comparison with biochemical assays.

An unmunocytochemical method for visualizing the aromatase P450 enzyme with a specific monoclonal anti- body has been developed for use with wIxed, frozen tissue sections. We compared both monoclonal and poly- clonal aromatase-specific antibodies andfound that placental aromatase was consistently and exclusively located in the syncytiotrophoblast layer of chorionic viii. The monoclonal antibody had the highest #{128}�1nity, with negli- gible associated background stain. Fixation wasfound to impair stain reaction. Erainination offlrst trimester and term placentae revealed identical immunostaining patterns of similar intensity in 9 of 10 samples. The immunostain reactions offirst trimester and term placentae were compared with their respective micro- somal aromatase activity, determined simultaneously by both indirect radioneetric tritiated water (3H20) assay, and direct product isolation by IIPLC, using (1, 2, 6, 7-3HJandrostenedione as substrate. The two assays were found to be comparable for enzyme activity estimates of term placental specimens. However, when first trimester specimens were analyzed, the direct-product measurements were significantly larger than the corresponding �I12O assay results. Nonetheless, biochemical aromatase activity was found to correlate positively with immunos- fain reaction. Although 17�-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity was not directly measured, differences in the estradiol :estrone product ratio (2.49 ± 0.68 first trimester vs. 0.89 ± 0.15 term) suggest djfferential control of this enzyme at the two stages of pregnancy. One first trimester specimen with an atypical, patchy invnunostain distri- bution also had extremely low arontatase activity. The results indicate that both antibodies recognize functi onal aromatase enzyme and suggest that immunocytochenucal detection is a sensitive, qualitative technique for inves- tigating this important steroidogenic enzyme.
Activation of potassium depolarized visceral muscles by proctolin and caffeine in the cockroach Leucophaea maderae

Abstract Proctolin (10−9 M) caused no change in either spontaneous action potentials or junctional potentials recorded extracellularly from the muscles of the hindgut of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae. Both proctolin (10−8 M) and caffeine (10−3 M) induced substantial contractures of the hindgut after depolarization in 158 mM potassium. Glutamate by contrast failed to evoke a contraction after depolarization even at 10−2 M. Caffeine (10−3 M) and proctolin (5 × 10−9 M) caused a significant reduction in the mechanical threshold for contraction when compared with that required to initiate contraction by just increasing the amounts of external potassium. Unlike caffeine, proctolin caused a substantial reduction in the mechanical threshold at low potassium levels. Hindguts depolarized in 162 mM potassium without calcium and treated at successive intervals with caffeine or proctolin showed a rapid decline in responsiveness to a zero level at 15 min. Once 2 mM calcium was added to the preparation the responsiveness was partly restored. These results offer additional evidence of a non-synaptic site of action for proctolin.
A simple Device for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to primary care practitioners

Abstract Purpose Ophthalmoscopy, a valuable skill for primary care practitioners, can be challenging to learn. A simple and inexpensive device for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to primary care practitioners is described. Design Device description. Methods Cylindrical plastic canisters were altered to have an artificial pupil at one end and a replaceable fundus photograph at the other end to simulate the mechanics of performing direct ophthalmoscopy on a real eye. These were tested for ease of use by primary care students. Results The devices to aid in teaching ophthalmoscopy proved to be simple and inexpensive to construct. They allowed students to practice direct ophthalmoscopy technique and identification of funduscopic abnormalities. Conclusion This simple device for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to primary care practitioners is inexpensive to create and is a valuable aid for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to primary care practitioners.
Magnetic nanoparticles as efficient bulk pinning centers in type-II superconductors

Enhancement of vortex pinning by magnetic nanoparticles embedded into the bulk of type–II superconductor is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Magnetic part of the pinning force associated with the interaction between a finite-size spherical magnetic inclusion and an Abrikosov vortex was calculated in London approximation. Calculations are supported by the experimental results obtained on sonochemically modified MgB2 superconductor with embedded magnetic Fe2O3 nanoparticles and compared to MgB2 with nonmagnetic Mo2O5 pinning centers of similar concentration and particle size distribution. It is shown that ferromagnetic nanoparticles result in a considerable enhancement of vortex pinning in large-κ type-II superconductors.
An Interpretation of Completeness and Basu's Theorem

Abstract In order to obtain a statistical interpretation of completeness of a sufficient statistic T, an attempt is made to characterize this property as equivalent to the condition that all ancillary statistics are independent of T. For technical reasons, this characterization is not correct, but two correct versions are obtained in Section 3 by modifying either the definition of ancillarity or of completeness. The light this throws on the meaning of completeness is discussed in Section 4. Finally, Section 5 reviews some of the difficulties encountered in models that lack completeness.
Distributed Scheduling and Its Asymptotic Analysis for Cognitive Radio Networks Under the Many-Channel Regime

The design of efficient and distributed scheduling algorithms is essential to garner the full potential of cognitive radio networks (CRNs). In this paper, we propose a distributed orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based scheduling algorithm, which is called the collision-queue-regulated algorithm , that aims to limit the collision rate to a level imposed by primary users of a CRN. Via a novel equivalent queue system analysis, we prove that the proposed algorithm can achieve at least a constant fraction of the capacity region in the many-channel regime, and our numerical studies indicate that the proposed distributed collision-queue-regulated algorithm achieves a throughput very close to that achievable by a centralized throughput-optimal back-pressure-based scheduling algorithm.
Prodan fluorescence mimics the GroEL folding cycle.

The non-covalent fluorescent probe 6-propionyl-2-(dimethylamino) naphthalene sulfonate (prodan) binds to hydrophobic surfaces exposed on the surface of GroEL. Under identical experimental conditions free prodan exhibits a green emission peak of intensity 390,000 cps at 520 nm. However prodan bound to GroEL, GroEL–ATP, and GroEL–ATP–GroES shows emission peaks of intensities 500,000, 540,000, and 480,000 cps at 515, 512 and 515 nm, respectively, thus mimicing the way hydrophobic surfaces on GroEL become exposed during the folding cycle. Other hydrophobic probes like bis-ANS and dansyl lysine were unable to detect the minor changes in hydrophobic exposure of GroEL after it binds to ATP, although they were able to detect hydrophobic exposure in GroEL itself.
Interaction between parvovirus NS2 protein and nuclear export factor Crm1 is important for viral egress from the nucleus of murine cells

A mutation that disrupts the interaction between the NS2 protein of minute virus of mice and the nuclear export factor Crm1 results in a block to egress of mutant-generated full virions from the nucleus of infected murine cells. These mutants produce wild-type levels of monomer and dimer replicative DNA forms but are impaired in their ability to generate progeny single-stranded DNA in restrictive murine cells in the first round of infection. The NS2-Crm1 interaction mutant can be distinguished phenotypically from an NS2-null mutant and reveals a role for the Crm1-mediated export pathway at a late step in viral infection.
BIOSYNTHETIC METHIONYL-HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (BMHGH) TREATMENT AFFECTS IMMUNE FUNCTIONS (IF) IN GROWTH HORMONE-DEFICIENT CHILDREN

We have previously reported transient depression of % B cells, Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) responsiveness and T Helper/Suppressor cell (T H/S) ratios in GH-deficient children during treatment (Tx) with pituitary derived human growth hormone (PHGH) (J Pediatr 109:434, 1986). In vitro, incubation of peripheral blood lymphocytes. (PBL) with GH resulted in decreased % B cells. The PBL of children undergoing GH Tx had increased baseline and GH stimulated proliferation. In the current study, we evaluated IF during Tx with BMHGH (kindly provided by Eli Lilly & Co.) in 7 children, ages 4-15, 2 female. Four pts. had been part of the previously cited report. Cell surface markers (SM) and interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2r) were measured by flow cytometry. All pts. had normal baseline IF. Data obtained during 6 months of Tx were analyzed. % B cells decreased significantly at 1 month of Tx (mean change vs baseline −3.9 ± 3.2, p<.05 by two-tailed paired T test) and remained below baseline in most pts. at 3 and 6 months, confirming our in vitro and in vivo findings with PHGH. % T total cells increased (mean change +3.5 ± 3.4, p<.05) at 1 month. There were no other statistically significant changes in SM. Mitogen responses to PHA and concanavalin-A (Con-A) increased in 5/7 and 6/7 pts. at 1 day-1 month of Tx, in agreement with our in vitro data. At 3 months of Tx PHA and Con-A responses decreased in 2/7 and 6/7 children respectively. IL-2r expression was diminished at 1 day-1 month in 6/7 pts. Most of these changes were transient and none was clinically evident. We provide first evidence that BMHGH treatment does affect IF in children. The effects of BMHGH on IF appear to be similar to those of PHGH. These data further support our concept of the presence of a GH-immune network that needs to be considered when treating children with human growth hormone.
Magnesium sulfate versus phenytoin for seizure prophylaxis in pregnancy-induced hypertension

Abstract Seizure prophylaxis is standard intrapartum therapy for patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension. Magnesium sulfate is used in the United States in spite of limited literature comparing its efficacy with other anticonvulsants. Fifty patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension were prospectively randomized to receive magnesium sulfate or phenytoin for seizure prophylaxis. Patients were observed for toxicity, side effects, and labor outcomes, and the neonates were evaluated for side effects of the therapy. Three patients were excluded with adverse reactions to medications (one in magnesium sulfate group, two in phenytoin group). No differences were found in patient tolerance, adverse reactions, or neonatal outcomes between groups. Maternal free phenytoin levels were 13.0% ± 0.4% of total phenytoin (serum albumin, 2.5to 3.5 gm/dl), significantly higher than in nonpregnant patients. Neither free phenytoin levels nor percentage of total phenytoin that was free correlated significantly with maternal albumin levels. The pharmacokinetics of phenytoin loading in the massively obese pregnant patient may differ and require further evaluation. Phenytoin is a well-tolerated alternative to magnesium sulfate for seizure prophylaxis in the patient with mild pregnancy-induced hypertension.
SU‐FF‐T‐539: Independent Treatment Time Verification for GammaPlan PFX

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop an independent calculation method for treatment time verification of Leksell Gamma Knife GammaPlan radiosurgery plans for the Perfexion treatment unit. Method: An independent dose calculation method is performed to verify the result of the treatment planning system for each patient prior to treatment for most radiotherapy procedures. Due to the complex patient and source geometry such a check is not commercially available for Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery. The main goal of this study is to develop a program that verifies the irradiation time as calculated by the Leksell Gamma Knife GammaPlan PFX. The Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion unit delivers ionizing radiation from 192 cobalt‐60 sources arranged in eight sectors and embedded within the shielded radiation unit. The beams of gamma radiation that arise from the cobaltsources coincide at a fixed focal point within the radiation unit. The dose is shaped to the precise contour of the target by combination of shots using different collimator sizes and blocking of sectors. Our program is implemented in MATLAB. To obtain the irradiation time for each shot in the treatment plan, we first determine the depth that each of the individual 192 beams penetrates the patient's skull to the isocenter. Once the depth of each beam has been determined, the Tissue Maximum Ratio (TMR) is obtained and the dose rate at isocenter for each individual shot is calculated. The individual and total treatment times are calculated and compared to that obtained from GammaPlan PFX. Results and Conclusions: We have developed a MATLAB program which could be used for independent verification of the treatment planning irradiation times prior to Gamma Knife radiosurgery.Treatment times calculated from our program agree with GammaPlan PFX within 3%.
Optimal use of resources structures home ranges and spatial distribution of black bears

Research has shown that territories of animals are economical. Home ranges should be similarly efficient with respect to spatially distributed resources and this should structure their distribution on a landscape, although neither has been demonstrated empirically. To test these hypotheses, we used home range models that optimize resource use according to resource-maximizing and area-minimizing strategies to evaluate the home ranges of female black bears, Ursus americanus, living in the southern Appalachian Mountains. We tested general predictions of our models using 104 home ranges of adult female bears studied in the Pisgah Bear Sanctuary, North Carolina, U.S.A., from 1981 to 2001. We also used our models to estimate home ranges for each real home range under a variety of strategies and constraints and compared similarity of simulated to real home ranges. We found that home ranges of female bears were efficient with respect to the spatial distribution of resources and were best explained by an area-minimizing strategy with moderate resource thresholds and low levels of resource depression. Although resource depression probably influenced the spatial distribution of home ranges on the landscape, levels of resource depression were too low to quantify accurately. Home ranges of lactating females had higher resource thresholds and were more susceptible to resource depression than those of breeding females. We conclude that home ranges of animals, like territories, are economical with respect to resources, and that resource depression may be the mechanism behind ideal free or ideal preemptive distributions on complex, heterogeneous landscapes.
Some characteristics of amnesia induced by FLA-63 an inhibitor of dopamine beta hydroxylase.

Abstract The amnesic effects of FLA-63, a potent dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) inhibitor, were investigated in a food motivated spatial discrimination task. Groups of C57BL/6J mice were injected with either 5 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, 25 mg/kg, 35 mg/kg or physiological saline 4 hr prior to training. Amnesia was observed 24 hr following training at all dose levels except 5 mg/kg. The performance deficit was specific to memory of the discrimination and not the result of state-dependency. Trainig cconditions which produce an increase in habit strength prevented the amnestic effects of FLA-63. Spontaneous recovery of memory occurred 48 hr following drug administration. Recovery from amnesia was also induced by injections of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, pargyline, administered 2 hr prior to the retention test. These data suggest that amnesia induced by norepinephrine (NE) depletion is the result of impairment of mechanisms necessary for memory retrieval.
NF-κB prevents cells from undergoing Cr(VI)-induced apoptosis

The transcription factor NF-κB has been reported to prevent cells from undergoing apoptosis as well as promote cell apoptosis. To investigate the role of NF-κB in Cr(VI)-induced apoptosis, two cell lines were developed from human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells: IKK cells, which were stably transfected with Iκ-Bα expression vector, that have normal NF-κB activity, and KM cells, which were stably transfected with mutated Iκ-Bα kinase expression vector, that exhibit very little NF-κB activity. With Cr(VI) stimulation, KM cells, but not IKK cells, exhibited substantial cell death. Cell morphological and TUNEL analyses indicated that the KM cells showed apoptotic features. These results suggest that NF-κB activation is required to prevent the cells from undergoing Cr(VI)-induced apoptosis.
Information literacy as the foundation for evidence-based practice in graduate nursing education: a curriculum-integrated approach.

As part of a system-wide initiative to advance evidence-based practice among clinicians, graduate students, and educators, the New York University Division of Nursing embarked on a curricular initiative to integrate components of information literacy in all core courses of the master's program. Increasing competency in information literacy is the foundation for evidence-based practice and provides nursing professionals with the skills to be literate consumers of information in an electronic environment. Competency in information literacy includes an understanding of the architecture of information and the scholarly process; the ability to navigate among a variety of print and electronic tools to effectively access, search, and critically evaluate appropriate resources; synthesize accumulated information into an existing body of knowledge; communicate research results clearly and effectively; and appreciate the social issues and ethical concerns related to the provision, dissemination, and sharing of information. In collaboration with the New York University Division of Libraries' Health Sciences Librarian, instructional modules in information literacy relevant to each of the 5 core nursing master's courses were developed, complemented by a Web-based tutorial: http://library.nyu.edu/research/health/tutorial. The Web site is multifaceted, with fundamentals for the beginner, as well as more complex content for the advanced user. Course assignments were designed to promote specific competencies in information literacy and strategies for evaluating the strength of the evidence found. A survey of information literacy competencies, which assessed students' knowledge, misconceptions, and use of electronic information resources, was administered when students entered the program and at 1-year intervals thereafter.
Nonwetting, Nonrolling, Stain Resistant Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Coated Textiles

Cotton/polyester fabric surfaces were modified using nanostructured organic-inorganic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) molecules via solution dip coating. Surface wetting characteristics of coatings prepared from two chemically and structurally different POSS molecules, a closed cage fluorinated dodecatrifluoropropyl POSS (FL-POSS) and an open cage nonfluorinated trisilanolphenyl POSS (Tsp-POSS), were evaluated with time and compared with Teflon. Surface analysis, including Atomic Force Microscopy, SEM/EDAX, and NMR revealed the presence of POSS aggregates on the fabric surface leading to a spiky topography, high roughness, and hysteresis. POSS coated fabrics showed complete reversal of surface wetting characteristics with contact angles higher than the benchmark Teflon surface. Water contact angle measured as a function of time showed equivalent or better performance for POSS-coated surfaces in comparison to Teflon. Furthermore, FL-POSS coated fabric exhibited exceptional stain and acid resistance along with a 38% reduction in relative surface friction. Additionally, “nonsliding” and high surface adhesion behavior of water droplets on the FL-POSS coated fabric are reported. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Inhibition of synexin activity and exocytosis from chromaffin cells by phenothiazine drugs

Synexin activity was found to be inhibited by low concentrations of the phenothiazine drugs, trifluoperazine and promethazine. Both drugs were also similarly effective at blocking nicotine and veratridine-induced catecholamine secretion from cultured chromaffin cells. These data thus indicate that synexin may be a target of phenothiazine drugs when they block secretion from chromaffin cells.
Superconducting Nb3Sn joints by chemical vapour deposition

Abstract Nb3Sn is an A15 superconductor with high critical current density in high magnetic fields, e.g. 200 000 A cm−2 at 10 T and 4.2 K. Unfortunately, A15 intermetallics are brittle and difficult to manufacture in defect-free lengths for large superconducting coils. This paper describes a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process which deposits Nb3Sn on to prespliced Nb3Sn substrates to form a superconducting joint between two superconductive sections. The CVD-deposited material has very fine grain structure (probably less than 0.2μm), a Tc of between 16.2 and 17.8K (in zero field) and a critical current density of greater than 500 000 A cm−2 at 5 T. In addition, the CVD layer definitively bridged the gap between two spliced superconductors, increasing the current capacity at 5 T from a baseline capacity of 66 A mm−1 on the original material to greater than 80 A mm−1 after a CVD Nb3Sn coating of 3.5μm per side had been applied.
Iodine-Doped Ferrocenylene−Silylene and −Germylene Polymers

Iodine doping of polyferrocenylenesilylene(germylene) thin films, [(η5-R2EC5H4)Fe(η5-C5H4)]n, E = Si, Ge, transforms them from insulators to conducting materials. The process was monitored by IR, Raman, and UV/vis spectroscopy and occurs via irreversible electron transfer to form of ferrocenium ion centers with [I3]- counteranions. The latter further react with I2 to form [I5]- polyiodide anions in a reversible manner. A Mossbauer spectrum of the doped polymer suggests that alternate Fe centers have been oxidized. Treatment of the doped films with NH3 results in a typical compensation process.
Features of deeper structure of Magnitogorsk synclinorium, from geophysical data

The Magnitogorsk synclinorium, a major structure of the southern Urals, has pronounced positive gravity anomalies associated with numerous greenstone intrusives. It is bounded on the west by a gravity low which corresponds with the Ural-Tau and Bashkir anticlinorium and on the east by gravity minima corresponding to the East-Uralian anticlinorium with its numerous intrusives. The relationship between gravity anomalies and major south Uralian structure indicates the effect of deeper structure conditions. Magnetic data correlates with the gravity results in that the western and eastern zones have quiescent negative magnetic fields and the Magnitogorsk synclinorium shows a strongly differentiated magnetic field. Positive magnetic anomalies are related to ultrabasic and basic intrusives, though some large magnetic maxima correspond to lower Carboniferous acidic and alkalic intrusives. Gravity and magnetic anomalies give some idea of deeper structure of the area. Copper pyrite deposits are associated with line...
Air-Coupled Impact-Echo Delamination Detection in Concrete Using Spheres of Ice for Excitation

The aims of this paper are to demonstrate that ice can be used as a suitable impactor to excite the acoustic modes in concrete associated with delaminations and to compare ice sphere impacts with traditional steel ball impacts. Simultaneous acoustic recordings and high-speed photography of representative low-velocity impacts with parametric analysis compare impact characteristics of steel balls and ice spheres on intact and delaminated concrete. These results agree qualitatively with Hertzian contact theory for low-velocity impacts. Excitation of concrete using continuous impacts of ice spheres of multiple sizes and a frequency analysis allows the acoustic signature of delaminations to be classified. The use of ice as an impactor for excitation of acoustic modes in concrete is thus demonstrated.
Clarifying the Concepts of Research Ethics

O ne of the most important achievements of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (the Commission) was to begin the process of correcting the conceptual and semantic errors that had undermined virtually all previous attempts to develop rational public policy on research involving human subjects. The fruits of this achievement are seen most clearly in the later reports of the Commission-on children,1 on those institutionalized as mentally infirm,2 and on Institutional Review Boards (IRBs).3 Earlier reports, for example, on the fetus,4 were flawed in several respects5 because they were prepared before the Commission had completed its conceptual clarifications. Four of these clarifications are especially important. The Commission (1) developed satisfactory definitions of research and practice; (2) abandoned the distinction between therapeutic and nontherapeutic research; (3) clarified the concept of risk; and (4) identified the different purposes of informed consent and the consent form.
Application of Wavelet Approach for ASCE Structural Health Monitoring Benchmark Studies

This paper presents an application of wavelet analysis for damage detection and locating damage region(s) for the ASCE structural health monitoring benchmark data. The response simulation data were generated basically by a FEM program provided by the ASCE Task Group on Health Monitoring for a four-story prototype building structure subjected to simulated stochastic wind loading. Damage was introduced in the middle of response by breaking one or more structure elements such as interstory braces. Wavelets were used to analyze the simulation data. It was found that structural damage due to sudden breakage of structural elements and the time when it occurred can be clearly detected by spikes in the wavelet details. The damaged region can be determined by the spatial distribution pattern of the observed spikes. The effects of measurement noise and the severity of damage were investigated. The results in this paper illustrate a great promise of wavelet analysis for structural health monitoring, especially for an on-line application.
Backbone‐assisted reactions of polymers. V. Kinetics of isomerization of poly(chloromethylthiirane) and poly(3‐chlorothietane) in solution

The reversible isomerization of poly(chloromethylthiirane) and poly(3-chlorothietane) represents a new kind of polymer reaction and a new method of copolymer synthesis. In chloroform, in dichloromethane, or in nitrobenzene the reaction is well described by reversible first-order kinetics. A rate increase of ca. 40% on changing the solvent from chloroform to nitrobenzene is consistent with an isomerization mechanism that involves a rate-determining attack of the backbone sulfur atom on the neighboring carbon-chlorine bond and rapid ring-opening of the thiiranium ion intermediate by chloride ion.
Schwarz triangle mappings and Teichmüller curves: the Veech–Ward–Bouw–Möller curves

We study a family of Teichmuller curves \({\mathcal{T}\,(n,m)}\) constructed by Bouw and Moller, and previously by Veech and Ward in the cases n = 2,3. We simplify the proof that \({\mathcal{T}\,(n,m)}\) is a Teichmuller curve, avoiding the use Moller’s characterization of Teichmuller curves in terms of maximally Higgs bundles. Our key tool is a description of the period mapping of \({\mathcal{T}\,(n,m)}\) in terms of Schwarz triangle mappings. We prove that \({\mathcal{T}\,(n,m)}\) is always generated by Hooper’s lattice surface with semiregular polygon decomposition. We compute Lyapunov exponents, and determine algebraic primitivity in all cases. We show that frequently, every point (Riemann surface) on \({\mathcal{T}\,(n,m)}\) covers some point on some distinct \({\mathcal{T}\,(n',m').}\) The \({\mathcal{T}\,(n,m)}\) arise as fiberwise quotients of families of abelian covers of \({\mathbb{C}{\rm P^{1}}}\) branched over four points. These covers of \({\mathbb{C}{\rm P^{1}}}\) can be considered as abelian parallelogram-tiled surfaces, and this viewpoint facilitates much of our study.
WiFiHonk: Smartphone-Based Beacon Stuffed WiFi Car2X-Communication System for Vulnerable Road User Safety

Despite various high-tech Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications that have been developed for enhancing traffic safety, protecting vulnerable road users (VRU), such as pedestrians and bicyclists from the vehicles and trains still heavily relies on the traditional sound warning method. Furthermore, as smart devices continue to become highly ubiquitous, the more VRU are shutting out the safety related warning sounds. A traffic accident study shows the number of headphone-wearing VRU involved in roadside accidents has tripled since 2004. Although recently a few Car2Pedestrian communication methods have been proposed by various car makers, their practical usage is still in question. They assume VRUs' active attention to the communication while walking, and also mostly require special communication devices to cope with the wide range of mobility. In this paper, we propose a smartphone based Car2X communication system, named WiFiHonk that can alert of potential collisions to both VRU and vehicles in order to especially protect the distracted VRU. WiFiHonk provides a practical safety means for the distracted VRU without requiring any special device using the WiFi of a smart device. It is novel in that it removes the WiFi association overhead using the beacon stuffed WiFi communication and also provides an efficient collision estimation algorithm to issue appropriate warnings. Our experimental and simulation studies validate that WiFiHonk can successfully alert the VRU within a sufficient reaction time frame.
Polymorphism in the human β2 adrenergic receptor gene detected by Restriction Endonuclease digestion with Fnu4HI

A frequent polymorphism has been located adjacent to the β2 adrenergic receptor gene exon on the q-arm of chromosome 5 using restriction endonuclease, Fnu4HI.
Maghemite, silver, ceragenin conjugate particles for selective binding and contrast of bacteria.

Abstract New synthesis techniques are providing increasing control over many inorganic nanoparticle characteristics, facilitating the creation of new multifunctional theranostics. This report proposes the synthesis and testing of a combination nanoparticle comprised of a maghemite core for enhanced T2 MRI contrast diagnostics, a colloidal silver shell acting as an antimicrobial and therapeutic vehicle, and a ceragenin (CSA-124) surfactant providing microbial adhesion. A polyacrylic acid functionalized maghemite nanoparticle is synthesized by a high temperature organic phase reduction followed by thiol functionalization and gold cluster seeding. A silver shell is formed through AgNO 3 reduction, and an oriented monolayer of the thiolated ceragenin, is bound through a self-assembly process. The process and products are characterized throughout synthesis through TEM, DLS, FT-IR, UV–Vis, ICP-OES, HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS, DC magnetization and susceptibility, X-ray diffraction, and in vitro MRI. Synthesized Diagnostic Antimicrobial Nanoparticles (DANs) were found to have a spherical morphology with a diameter of 32.47 ± 1.83 nm, hydrodynamic diameter of 53.05 ± 1.20 nm, maximum magnetic moment of 12 emu/g NP (54 emu/g Fe) with little variation due to temperature, and are predominantly paramagnetic . In vitro MRI studies show that DANs contrast well at concentrations as low as 9 ppm, and successfully adhere to Staphylococcus aureus. DAN MIC was determined to be approximately 12 ppm and 24 ppm against S. aureus and Escherichia coli respectively.
Further Studies Of Photoaugmentation In Humans: Phototoxic Reactions

The addition of modest amounts of long ultraviolet light (UV-A) to - minimal erythetma dose (MED) of sunburning irradiation (UV-B) produced erythema visible at 24hr, the prototype of the photoaugmentation phenomenon. The results were the same whether UV-A was given before or after UV-B. Photoaugmentation could be demonstrated after an interval of 6hr between doses, but not after 1 day. Photoaugmentation has also been demonstrated clinically and histologically with two topical photosensitizers, coal tar and 8-methoxy- psoralen.
Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs: Food for Thought

Innovation Teams (“I” Teams) In mid‐1985 managers at Hewlett‐Packard's Queensferry Microwave Operation (QMO), near Edinburgh, reviewed the development of QMO during 1984 and 1985 and projected the objectives and strategies for 1986–1988.
The Singled Out Game

To determine the winner from the final three contestants, the woman was presented with a series of either/or questions. Each man attempted to guess the woman's answer and those who guessed correctly took one step toward the woman. The winner was the man to take five steps and reach the woman. (A tie-breaker round was used if necessary.) Much of the time the men seemed to have no idea what answers the woman chose. I myself had no clue what she might answer-it seemed to me that she was simply flipping a coin to make her decision. The interesting feature of the show was how the men announced their guesses. They were arranged in a fixed order and each in turn announced his guess so that the others could hear. Thus it was possible for the second and third men to modify their choices based on what the previous announcements had been. This raises the question: do the second and third men have any advantage, even if no man has any clue what the woman might answer? If so, what strategy could he employ to exploit this advantage? Would a little knowledge of mathematics help him to win? The Singled Out game described in this article is an abstraction of the final stage of the MTV game show: The Singled Out Game. The Singled Out game is played in a series of rounds. In each round, a coin is flipped and the result is kept secret. Each player, one at a time, announces his guess so that the other players hear it. The order in which the players announce their guesses is determined at the start of the game and remains fixed throughout. After all players have guessed, the coin is revealed and all players who guessed correctly earn one point; incorrect guesses earn no points. The game continues until a player reaches n points and is declared the winner. If there is a tie, the winner is determined by a random selection from among those who tied. In this paper we investigate the Singled Out game with two and three players. For the two-player game, the second player does indeed have an advantage-we obtain an expression for the probability that the second player wins and show that this probability approaches 1 as n approaches infinity. We then look at what happens if the first player is a good guesser (he is correct with some probability greater than 1/2) and show that this gives him at least a constant nonzero chance of winning, no matter how many points are needed to win. Finally, we look at the three-player game and present experimental evidence that the third player does have an advantage, though his strategy is counter-intuitive. The analysis of the two-player Singled Out game involves Catalan numbers, a wellknown sequence, which we briefly describe here. Catalan numbers may be used to
An Adjoint Based Approach for Optimal Design of Morphing SMP

This work presents a strategy to identify the optimal localized activation and actuation for a morphing thermally activated SMP structure or structural component to obtain a targeted shape change or set of shape features, subject to design objectives such as minimal total required energy and time. This strategy combines numerical representations of the SMP structure’s thermo-mechanical behavior subject to activation and actuation with gradient-based nonlinear optimization methods to solve the morphing inverse problem that includes minimizing cost functions which address thermal and mechanical energy, morphing time, and damage. In particular, the optimization strategy utilizes the adjoint method to efficiently compute the gradient of the objective functional(s) with respect to the design parameters for this coupled thermo-mechanical problem.Copyright © 2013 by ASME