cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Topological charge conservation for continuous insulators

This paper concerns elliptic (pseudo-)differential Hamiltonians modeling topological insulators and superconductors in Euclidean space. We augment the Hamiltonian by one or several domain walls, which model conducting hyper-surfaces separating insulating bulk half-spaces. The resulting confinement naturally yields a Fredholm operator, whose index describes the topological charge of the system. A defining property of topological insulators is the asymmetric transport observed along one-dimensional conducting lines generated by the domain walls. This asymmetric transport is captured by a line conductivity, a physical observable of the system. We prove a topological charge conservation result stating that the line conductivity is quantized and equals the topological charge. This result generalizes to higher dimensions and higher-order topological insulators the bulk-edge correspondence of two-dimensional materials. It also displays the stability of the quantized transport asymmetry against perturbations of the Hamiltonian that preserve its index. The charge conservation provides an efficient computation of the line conductivity directly from the symbol of the pseudo-differential operator by means of a Fedosov-Hormander formula, which implements in Euclidean spaces an Atiyah-Singer index theorem. When the Hamiltonian admits an appropriate decomposition in a Clifford algebra, we show that the Fedosov-Hormander formula equals the easily computable degree of a map naturally associated to the Hamiltonian. We apply this procedure to evaluate the topological charge of several classical examples of (standard and higher-order) topological insulators and superconductors in one, two, and three spatial dimensions.
The State of American Federalism, 2020-2021: Deepening Partisanship amid Tumultuous Times

In this introductory article for the 2020-2021 Annual Review of American Federalism, we review notable developments in U.S. politics and policy during the last year, with an emphasis on their intersections with and consequences for federalism. We focus in particular on the 2020 elections and the COVID pandemic, along with policy developments in the areas of criminal justice and police reform, health care, environment, immigration, and equality and religious liberty. The events of the past year, especially those related to the pandemic and the fallout of the presidential election, led to a resurgence of public interest in federalism and a focus on the importance of government decision-making of state and local governments. Events during the last year have not only reinforced partisan polarization but have also deepened the existing divide of Americans along partisan lines and perhaps in new ways. Partisan differences have increasingly become cultural differences, so that political and policy differences have saturated American culture in notable ways. © 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CSF Associates: Publius, Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
A Single Gate Driver-based Four-stage High-voltage SiC Switch Having Dynamic Voltage Balancing Capability

A wide range of pulsed power applications require controllable switches with features such as high-voltage (HV) blocking and high-current carrying capacity especially at high repetition rates. As of now, the voltage blocking ability of a single commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) SiC MOSFET is limited to 3.3 kV [1]. Stacking multiple switches in series can increase the voltage blocking ability although it comes with voltage balancing issues during steady-state and switching transitions. In order to overcome limitations such as moderate switching speed and low voltage blocking ability of existing COTS switches, we have designed a four-stage 4.8 kV HV switch with a new voltage balancing technique, which involves the use of a single gate driver and this architecture is built using four (4) 1.2 kV SiC MOSFETs. The voltage balancing across these four MOSFETs has been tested using a resistive load at a maximum switching frequency of 40 kHz and a supply voltage up to 2.5 kV, although the switching frequency can be pushed beyond 100 kHz, The switch exhibits excellent steady-state and dynamic state voltage balancing performance in addition to minimal ringing in gate-source and drain-source voltages across all MOSFETs in the series stack. In addition, we have designed and developed a four-stage 6.8 kV rated HV switch using four (4) 1. 7 kV SiC MOSFETs adopting a similar voltage balancing technique, and the switch has been tested up to a supply voltage of 4 kV and at a switching frequency up to 20 kHz.
I and Mine

For centuries, one of the staples of Western thought has been a rather specific conception of what a human person is. On this conception, the person is understood, as Clifford Geertz has put it, as “a bounded, unique, more or less integrated motivational and cognitive universe, a dynamic center of awareness, emotion, judgment and action organized into a distinctive whole and set contrastively both against other such wholes and against a social and natural background.”1 Though Descartes was by no means the father of this conception of the human person, the self, the Cartesian cogito provided it with a powerful and influential articulation. In the wake of Descartes, Enlightenment thought in its various dresses has often exalted the self to quasi-divine status, or at least ascribed to it an angelic independence from the physical and cultural context in which it acts.
Reemergence of Human Adenovirus 14

This chapter presents a brief overview of human adenovirus (HAdV) infections. The HAdVs are classified within the family Adenoviridae, genus Mastadenovirus. The chapter describes a new human adenovirus 14 (HAdV-14) variant, its emergence, and clinical and epidemiologic features of infection. Acute respiratory illness (ARI) is the most commonly recognized manifestation of HAdV infection and the types that cause ARI are the focus of this chapter, with special emphasis on the species B viruses which are most closely related to HAdV-14. The first HAdV-14 cases were also noted in 2006 from national surveys of military recruits and civilians conducted between 2002 and 2006. The first investigation in Oregon demonstrated the potential for serious complications of infection but also suggested that many more cases were undetected. Since no common exposures or contact among cases, with one exception, were identified, unrecognized cases must have accounted for virus spread within the community. A small study of HAdV-14-infected patients suggested HAdV-7 neutralizing antibodies provided protection from serious complications of HAdV-14 infection. In this study, 7 of 19 (39%) basic military trainees (BMTs) with a mild HAdV-14 illness and 0/16 BMTs hospitalized with HAdV-14 pneumonia had HAdV-7 neutralizing antibodies (P < 0.007). There are many examples of the emergence of variant HAdVs. The emergent HAdV-14 is readily detected by conventional diagnostic methods used for other HAdVs, including cell culture, immunoassay, and PCR.
Workplace Violence Prevention Training: An Analysis of Employees' Attitudes

The purpose of this study was to determine employees' attitudes and perceptions toward the effectiveness of workplace violence prevention training within a U.S. Government service agency with 50 offices located in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the phenomenon of workplace violence, the movement toward prevention programs and policies and the implementation of prescreening processes during hiring and violence prevention training. Chapter 2 contains a thorough review of pertinent literature related to violence prevention training and the impact of occupational violence on organizations. This topic was worthy of research in an effort to make a significant contribution to training literature involving organizational effectiveness due to the limited amount of research literature covering the area of corporate violence prevention training and its effect on modifying attitudes and behaviors of its customers. The primary methodology involved the assessment of 1000 employees concerning their attitudes and perceptions toward the effectiveness of workplace violence prevention training. The research population were administered a 62 item online assessment with responses being measured, assessed, and compared. Significant differences were found calling for the rejection of the three study hypotheses. Chapter 4 described the findings of the population surveyed and recommendations were identified in Chapter 5.
Confucian value and democratic value

Etude des relations futures entre la democratie et le confucianisme dans la Chine contemporaine menacee par le choc des civilisations annonce par S. P. Huntington. Definissant la democratie comme un systeme de valeurs fonde sur le droit a la liberte et a l'egalite, et soulignant l'absence de valeur democratique dans le confucianisme, l'A. montre que la democratie et le confucianisme ne sont pas compatibles dans un ensemble integre, mais que la democratie peut co-exister en Chine a cote des trois systemes de valeurs dominants: le confucianisme, le taoisme et le bouddhisme
Mechanism of the Inhibition of Enzymatic Halogenation by Antithyroid Agents

Abstract Antithyroid agents of the thiourea type (thiourea, thiouracil, and 5-vinyl-2-oxazolidinethione) inhibit the enzymatic halogenation reactions catalyzed by chloroperoxidase. These compounds are competitive with the halogen acceptor molecule and serve as substrates for chloroperoxidase. These antithyroid agents are oxidized by chloroperoxidase in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and a suitable halogen anion (chloride, bromide, or iodide). The first isolable oxidation product of thiourea and thiouracil is the corresponding disulfide. It is proposed that a sulfenyl halide is a precursor of the disulfide. Spectral evidence indicates the formation of an intermediate in the oxidation of 5-vinyl-2-oxazolidinethione. This intermediate is postulated to be a disulfide by analogy to the thiourea and thiouracil oxidations. The goitrogen 1,1,3-tricyano-2-amino-1-propene serves as a halogen acceptor in the chloroperoxidase reaction. Chloroperoxidase catalyzes the hydrogen peroxide-dependent oxidation of thiocyanate. Thiocyanate oxidation does not require the presence of a halogen anion. Cyanide ion is one of the oxidation products. Thiocyanate ion inhibits the enzymatic halogenation reactions catalyzed by chloroperoxidase in a manner which is noncompetitive with respect to other chloroperoxidase substrates. It is proposed that antithyroid agents containing the thiourylene group or related structures inhibit enzymatic halogenation reactions by virtue of being extremely active nucleophiles and thus capable of reacting with an enzyme-bound halogenium ion.
Examination of beam propagation in misaligned holographic gratings and comparison with the acousto-optic transfer function model for profiled beams

A transfer function formalism developed earlier for the propagation of profiled optical beams through acousto-optic Bragg cells is revisited and applied to a thick holographic grating. The results based on the holographic coupled wave model and the acousto-optic multiple scattering model are shown to be compatible, and equivalent parameters such as the Q and grating strength are defined for the two systems. Results for a Gaussian spatial profile are numerically computed and compared. For the holographic grating, a profiled beam may be interpreted as an angular misalignment or Bragg-angle mismatch problem. The case of Bragg-wavelength mismatch is also investigated for the case of a polychromatic READ beam with a uniform and a Gaussian amplitude spectrum. The resulting spatial amplitude distribution of the scattered order at the grating output is plotted as a function of the departure from the correct Bragg direction.
Superconducting Fault Current Limiters

The sections in this article are 1 Electric Utility Grid Application 2 Quenching Types 3 Ferromagnetic Types 4 Semiconductor Types 5 Other Types 6 Superconductor Requirements 7 Cryogenics 8 Conclusion
Lessons Learned from a Structured Undergraduate Mentorship Program in Computational Mathematics at George Mason University

We present the results from the first two years of the Undergraduate Research for Computational Mathematics (URCM) program at George Mason University (Mason). In this program, students work on a year-long research project in Computational Science while being supervised by a mentor. We describe the structure and goals of this program along with some observations about the elements that we have found that have been challenging in its implementation. Finally, we will provide a summary of the outcomes of the first two years of this project.
Isolation and characterization of a Tn551-autolysis mutant of Staphylococcus aureus.

Abstract A Lyt- mutant with reduced autolytic activity was isolated after Tn551 mutagenesis of the methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus laboratory strain RN450. The Lyt- phenotype could be transferred back into the parent and into a variety of other S. aureus strains by transduction of the transposon marker. Southern analysis has located the Tn551 insert to a 3.2-kb HindIII DNA fragment on the SmaI B fragment of the staphylococcal chromosome. The Lyt- phenotype included reduced rates of cell wall turnover and autolysis induced by detergent or methicillin treatment; however, the rate of methicillin-induced killing was not affected. Peptidoglycans prepared from the parental and mutant cells showed identical muropeptide compositions, as resolved by a high-resolution high-pressure liquid chromatography technique. On the other hand, LiCl extracts of the mutant cells contained reduced amounts of total protein and lower specific cell wall-degrading activity compared with those of extracts of parental cells. The profile of bacteriolytic enzymes as detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed multiple band differences between mutant and parental cells; a major lytic band with properties characteristic of the staphylococcal endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase was completely absent from the Lyt- cells. The Lyt- phenotype transduced into a series of methicillin-resistant strains of both homogeneous and heterogeneous phenotypes caused only a modest decrease in the level of methicillin resistance, as determined by population analysis.
The lin-11 LIM homeobox gene specifies olfactory and chemosensory neuron fates in C. elegans

Chemosensory neuron diversity in C. elegans arises from the action of transcription factors that specify different aspects of sensory neuron fate. In the AWB and AWA olfactory neurons, the LIM homeobox gene lim-4 and the nuclear hormone receptor gene odr-7 are required to confer AWB and AWA-specific characteristics respectively, and to repress an AWC olfactory neuron-like default fate. Here, we show that AWA neuron fate is also regulated by a member of the LIM homeobox gene family, lin-11. lin-11 regulates AWA olfactory neuron differentiation by initiating expression of odr-7, which then autoregulates to maintain expression. lin-11 also regulates the fate of the ASG chemosensory neurons, which are the lineal sisters of the AWA neurons. We show that lin-11 is expressed dynamically in the AWA and ASG neurons, and that misexpression of lin-11 is sufficient to promote an ASG, but not an AWA fate, in a subset of neuron types. Our results suggest that differential temporal regulation of lin-11, presumably together with its interaction with asymmetrically segregated factors, results in the generation of the distinct AWA and ASG sensory neuron types. We propose that a LIM code may be an important contributor to the generation of functional diversity in a subset of olfactory and chemosensory neurons in C. elegans.
Corn stover harvest increases herbicide movement to subsurface drains - Root Zone Water Quality Model simulations

BACKGROUND Crop residue removal for bioenergy production can alter soil hydrologic properties and the movement of agrochemicals to subsurface drains. The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM), previously calibrated using measured flow and atrazine concentrations in drainage from a 0.4 ha chisel-tilled plot, was used to investigate effects of 50 and 100% corn (Zea mays L.) stover harvest and the accompanying reductions in soil crust hydraulic conductivity and total macroporosity on transport of atrazine, metolachlor and metolachlor oxanilic acid (OXA). RESULTS The model accurately simulated field-measured metolachlor transport in drainage. A 3 year simulation indicated that 50% residue removal reduced subsurface drainage by 31% and increased atrazine and metolachlor transport in drainage 4–5-fold when surface crust conductivity and macroporosity were reduced by 25%. Based on its measured sorption coefficient, approximately twofold reductions in OXA losses were simulated with residue removal. CONCLUSION The RZWQM indicated that, if corn stover harvest reduces crust conductivity and soil macroporosity, losses of atrazine and metolachlor in subsurface drainage will increase owing to reduced sorption related to more water moving through fewer macropores. Losses of the metolachlor degradation product OXA will decrease as a result of the more rapid movement of the parent compound into the soil. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Vico and Bultmann on myth: The problem with demythologizing

Abstract Giambattista Vico (1668–1744), an early Enlightenment critic of Cartesianism, on one hand, demystifies the origin and nature of myths, while Bultmann (1884–1976), a late modernist theologian, on the other, engages in a full‐blown program of demythologizing. Vico subjects myth to analysis and scrutiny, but finds lasting value in the big stories whereas Bultmann, informed by a developmental view of history and a positivistic epistemology, finds little of value in the Christian Myth, apart from an existential encounter with God. Vico sees a clear connection among the imagination, metaphor, myth and critical method, but Bultmann, uses formgeschichte (form criticism) to expurgate the NT of myth.
Parameter identification in distributed systems

This paper describes a method for the identification of the parameters entering into the equations of motion of distributed systems. Because the motion of distributed systems is described in terms of partial differential equations, these parameters are in general continuous functions of the spatial variables. For vibrating systems, these parameters ordinarily represent the mass, stiffness and damping distributions. In this paper, these distributions are expanded in terms of finite series of known functions of the spatial variables multiplied by undetermined coefficients. It is assumed that the nature of the equations of motion is known and that a limited number of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions is identified in advance. Use is then made of the least squares method, in conjunction with the eigenfunctions' orthogonality, to compute the undetermined coefficients, thus identifying the system distributed parameters. A method for the identification of the eigensolution is also presented. The procedure for the identification of the eigensolution and of the system parameters is demonstrated via a numerical example.
Identification of an aggression-promoting pheromone and its receptor neurons in Drosophila

Aggression is regulated by pheromones in many animal species. However, in no system have aggression pheromones, their cognate receptors and corresponding sensory neurons been identified. Here we show that 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), a male-specific volatile pheromone, robustly promotes male-male aggression in the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster. The aggression-promoting effect of synthetic cVA requires olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing the receptor Or67d, as well as the receptor itself. Activation of Or67d-expressing OSNs, either by genetic manipulation of their excitability or by exposure to male pheromones in the absence of other classes of OSNs, is sufficient to promote aggression. High densities of male flies can promote aggression by the release of volatile cVA. In turn, cVA-promoted aggression can promote male fly dispersal from a food resource, in a manner dependent on Or67d-expressing OSNs. These data indicate that cVA may mediate negative-feedback control of male population density, through its effect on aggression. Identification of a pheromone-OSN pair controlling aggression in a genetic organism opens the way to unravelling the neurobiology of this evolutionarily conserved behaviour.
Human fetal trachea xenografts recapitulate normal development: implications for fetal gene therapy using pseudotyped AAV vectors

Introduction: We have previously demonstrated efficient gene transfer with Adeno Associated Virus serotype2 (AAV2) to the respiratory epithelium (RE) and submucosal glands (SMG) in an in vitro human fetal trachea organ culture. To validate these results, we xenotransplanted human fetal tracheas into SCID mice to determine if they would recapitulate normal trachea development and evaluated the efficiency of pseudotyping AAV vectors on gene transfer. Methods: Human fetal tracheas (GA 15–24 wks, n = 12) were compared to gestational age matched fetal trachea xenografts (n = 9) at 4, 8, 12 weeks post transplantation using developmental staging and morphometric analysis. 1x1011 genome copies of AAV2/2 (n = 3/vector), 2/1, 2/5, 2/7 or 2/8 were injected into human fetal trachea and analyzed at 1 and 3 months for transgene expression. Adult human bronchi (n = 4) were xenografted as postnatal controls, injected with AAV 2/2 and 2/8 and analyzed at one month. Data expressed as mean ± SEM Results: Xenografted tracheal development was delayed following engraftment with a resumption of a normal developmental pattern with increased number of glands, gland size and decrease in gland density at 2 and 3 months respectively. AAV2/2 (93 ± 1.5% RE, 37 ± 2% SMG) and AAV2/8 (91 ± 1.9% RE, 54.4 ± 1.4% SMG) transduced significantly greater (p 99% of RE and SMG. Gene transfer with AAV 2/2 and 2/8 was significantly greater (p < 0.0001) in the RE and SMG in the fetal trachea compared to the postnatal xenografts. (2/2: RE 93 ± 2% vs.16 ± 2, SMG 37 ± 2% vs.12 ± 2; 2/8: RE 91 ± 2% vs.32 ± 4, SMG 54 ± 1% vs.20 ± 3) Conclusions: Fetal trachea xenografts recapitulate normal fetal tracheal development, but phase shifts 3–4 weeks following engraftment. AAV2/2 and 2/8 are the most efficient pseudotypes for gene transfer to the fetal RE and SMG. Gene transfer was more efficient to the fetal trachea than postnatal controls, suggesting the fetal trachea is a permissive environment highly receptive to gene transfer, and supports the concept of fetal gene therapy for Cystic Fibrosis.
Collisions near threshold in atomic and molecular physics

We review topics of current interest in the physics of electronic, atomic and molecular scattering in the vicinity of thresholds. Starting from phase space arguments, we discuss the modifications of the Wigner law that are required to deal with scattering by Coulomb, dipolar and dispersion potentials, as well as aspects of threshold behaviour observed in ultracold atomic collisions. We employ the tools of quantum defect and semiclassical theories to bring out the rich variety of threshold behaviours. The discussion is then turned to recent progress in understanding threshold behaviour of many-body break-ups into both charged and neutral species, including both Wannier double ionization and three-body recombination in ultracold gases. We emphasize the dominant role that hyperspherical coordinate methods have played in understanding these problems. We assess the effects of external fields on scattering, and the corresponding modification of phase space that alters the Wigner law. Threshold laws in low dimensions and examples of their applications to specific collision processes are discussed.
Hepatitis B antigen in saliva and mouth washings.

Abstract Hepatitis B antigen (HB Ag) was found in the saliva of 22 of 43 mentally handicapped inpatients. Reciprocal HB Ag titres in serum ranged from 512 to 32,768 by complement fixation. Although many of the samples of saliva contained occult blood, the presence of HB Ag in saliva was not dependent on the presence of occult blood. The epidemiological significance of finding HB Ag in saliva remains to be determined, but it could be associated with spread of the disease.
High resolution characterization of DNA fragment ions produced by ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization using linear and reflecting time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A mechanism for the gas phase fragmentation of DNA during the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization process has been proposed by ourselves and others, in which the initiating event is nucleobase protonation, followed by base loss and backbone cleavage. The proposed mechanism predicts the structures, and hence the masses, of the fragmentation products; however in earlier studies the mass resolution was insufficient to confirm the identities of these ions. In the present study a high resolution mass spectrometer equipped with a reflectron and delayed extraction capability was employed to determine the exact masses of the fragmentation products obtained from a number of short model oligonucleotide analytes. The fragment ions observed were found to have masses consistent with those predicted in the proposed mechanism. An additional species is observed in the mass spectra which was unresolved from other ions in previous studies; this species is hypothesized to correspond to the addition of water at the site of base loss from the DNA.
Identification of cryptic nuclear localization signals in the prion protein

Abnormal transport of C-terminally truncated prion protein (PrP) to the nucleus has been reported in cell models of familial prion disorders associated with a stop codon mutation at residues 145 or 160 of the PrP. In both cases, PrP is translocated to the nucleus in an energy-dependent fashion, implying the presence of cryptic nuclear localization signal(s) in this region of PrP. In this report, we describe the presence of two independent nuclear localization signals (NLS) in the N-terminal domain of PrP that differ in the efficiency of nuclear targeting. When acting independently, each NLS sequence mediates the transport of tagged bovine serum albumin into the nucleus of permeabilized cells. When acting together, the two NLS sequences complement each other in transporting the N-terminal fragment of PrP to the nucleus of transfected cells, where it accumulates at steady state. Interestingly, nuclear translocation of PrP is blocked completely if the N-terminal fragment is extended to include one or two N-glycans. The glycosylated PrP fragment, instead, accumulates in the endoplasmic reticulum. Extension of the N-terminal fragment to include both N-glycans and the glycosyl phosphatidylinositol anchor, as expected, directs PrP to the plasma membrane. These observations hold implications for the pathogenesis of familial prion disorders, where truncated and abnormally glycosylated mutant PrP forms may accumulate in the nucleus and initiate neurotoxicity through novel mechanisms.
ENSO induced monthly oscillations of precipitation: the unique case of the south tropical Indian Ocean in austral summer

Seasonal (three-month average) climate forecasts have advanced due in large part to improved modeling of the ENSO phenomenon. Long-range monthly forecasts are more problematic because of internal atmospheric variability. Further, it is often assumed that monthly precipitation anomalies are representative of the overall seasonal anomaly. This is not always the case as, according to the Global Precipitation Climatology Project Version 2.1 data set, up to 20% of areas demonstrating some significant teleconnection to ENSO show El Nino minus La Nina differences of one sign in the middle month and the opposite sign in the adjacent months. Most interestingly, this maximum percentage occurs in December–January–February (DJF), a time when the ENSO boundary forcing is strongest. These oscillatory DJF seasons also cluster in space—with significant positive–negative-positive differences in the western South Tropical Indian Ocean (STIO) and negative–positive–negative differences in the far eastern STIO. Representative gauges confirm that these precipitation patterns have been associated with ENSO events since 1951, and pentad precipitation data confirm that they are confined to DJF and evolve at the monthly scale. The abrupt end of the Indian Ocean Dipole mode in January, an increase in the importance of local SST anomalies in February, and an ENSO-induced mid-latitude Rossby wave during austral summer combine to generate the cross-basin precipitation gradient around 15°S.
Crystallization of satellite tobacco mosaic virus II. Postnucleation events

Abstract Quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS) was used to investigate nucleation and post nucleation events in the crystallization of satellite tobacco mosaic virus (STMV). The diameter of monomer STMV was measured to be ≈ 16 nm, which corresponds well with data from electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction results. The data suggests that the rate limiting factor in STMV crystal growth is the diffusion of virus clusters to the growing crystal nucleus rather than the probability of incorporation. Our experiments demonstrate that for STMV, the aggregation process leading to crystal formation is distinctly different from that producing amorphous precipitate. The aggregation rate for crystallization is substantially higher with a power law exponent of n ≈ 0.33−0.54, while that associated with eventual amorphous precipitate was in the range of n ≈ 0.1−0.2. Our results provide additional evidence that QELS can be a useful tool for the rapid and nondestructive determination of the ultimate fate of solutions supersaturated with respect to macromolecules.
Design and fabrication of InGaAsP/InP waveguide modulators for microwave applications

InGaAs/InP multiple quantum well electroabsorption modulators grown by MOCVD are designed and fabricated for 1.5 micrometers wavelength operation. For rib loaded waveguide modulators fabricated on n-InP substrate with a 3 micrometers rib width and a 2 micrometers intrinsic waveguide layer, a capacitance of 0.2 to 0.3 pF and a reverse breakdown voltage > 20 V are obtained. The extinction ratio of the modulators is more than 14 dB and the 3 dB optical bandwidth is 18 GHz. The modulator's RF efficiency and optical insertion loss still need to be improved. For modulators made on semi-insulating InP substrate, a capacitance in the range 0.1 to 0.2 pF is measured.
Optimal Oct-2 affinity for an extended DNA site and the effect of GST fusion on site preference.

Abstract The regulator of immunoglobulin expression Oct-2 and the related widely expressed transcription factor Oct-1 have been shown to interact with DNA sequences containing an “octamer” motif, ATGC A / T AAT. To better understand Oct-2 function we have used random oligonucleotide selection and competition assays to define the optimal recognition site for this protein. The selected site contains an extended sequence that is remarkably similar to octamer-heptamer sequences found in immunoglobulin heavy-chain regulatory sequences, and the affinity of Oct-2 for this site is at least 50-fold greater than for sites containing the octamer motif alone. Fusion to glutathione S -transferase, a widely used model for protein-DNA and protein-protein interaction, does not alter the optimal Oct-2 recognition site, but inhibits Oct-2 POU-domain dimerization, slows the dissociation rate of the GST-Oct-2/DNA complex, and increases the relative importance of the heptamer domain for Oct-2 binding. These data advance our ability to identify in vivo targets of POU-factor regulation and also suggest that GST-fusion proteins should be used with caution in DNA-binding studies.
Possible High-frequency Modulation of Light from the Crab Pulsar

ONE of us (P. A. S.) has recently proposed a model of pulsars, the properties of which were compared with the known radio, optical and X-ray emission from the Crab pulsar1. We now wish to point out that the model predicts a high-frequency modulation of the optical, X-ray and γ-ray radiation which might be detected in the optical part of the spectrum.
Late precambrian volcaniclastic deposits of the avalonian eastport basin (newfoundland appalachians): petrofacies, detrital clinopyroxene geochemistry and palaeotectonic implications

Abstract The Eastport basin contains over 5 km of well-preserved, marine volcaniclastic deposits, that comprise parts of the late Precambrian (Avalonian) Connecting Point and Love Cove groups of the eastern Newfoundland Appalachians. Basin infilling was dominated by deep-sea resedimentation of pyroclastic and epiclastic sediments. Four petrographically and texturally distinct petrofacies have been designated, viz.-tuffs, tuffaceous sandstones and conglomerates, feldspathic sandstones and conglomerates, polymict sandstones and conglomerates. A broad compositional spectrum of volcanogenic detritus, a copious supply of pyroclastic basaltic, andesitic, dacitic and rhyolitic ejecta, and the ubiquity of trace plutonic and metamorphic rock fragments are diagnostic provenance attributes of the basin-fill and these indicate derivation from an evolved magmatic arc, developed on a transitional or possibly continental crust. Detrital calcic clinopyroxenes and calcic amphiboles from the upper part of the Connecting Point Group are low in Ti and Al, display calc-alkaline and calc-alkaline to tholeftic affinity of the parental magma and plot in the field of orogenic basalts. Discriminant function analysis demonstrates that basalts and andesites were the main source of the detrital clinopyroxene. The clinopyroxene major-element chemistry is consistent with the evolved-volcanic-arc provenance suggested by petrographic data. Both datasets independently support other sedimentological and stratigraphic evidence that the Eastport basin records sedimentation adjacent to an active Avalonian-Cadomian volcanic arc, the remnants of which are preserved in part within the presently adjacent, predominantly volcanic Love Cove Group.
β 2 -Microglobulin from serum associates with MHC class I antigens on the surface of cultured cells

β2-Microglobulin (β2-m) is a highly conserved polypeptide (12,000 molecular weight; 12K) noncovalently associated with the heavy chain (45–48K) of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens. Its synthesis is required for expression of the HLA-A/B and H–2K/D heavy chains at the cell surface1; β2-m is also associated with the human cell-surface antigens T6 and M241 isolated from thymocytes2–6. However, on the T leukaemic cell line MOLT-4 some of the T6 antigens contain a different 12K subunit, termed βt (refs 3, 7, 8). Purified human β2-m can exchange partially both with human β2-m associated with HLA-antigens9, and with mouse β2-m associated with murine alloantigens10, 11. As MOLT-4 cells were grown in the presence of fetal calf serum (FCS) and as serum is known to contain some free β2-m12, we examined whether βt was bovine β2-m which had replaced endogenous β2-m on the surface of the cell. Here we show both that β2-m from FCS or human serum (HuS) used in cell culture can exchange with β2-m on the cell surface, and that βt is in fact bovine β2-m.
Roosttime restlessness in captive American Robins (Turdus migratorius)

All-day observations of captive American Robins (Turdus migratorius) revealed that the birds became extremely active at dusk, the time when wild Robins typically fly some distance to a communal roost site. This roosttime restlessness occurred during every month of the year, and so was distinguishable from the migratory restlessness that the birds displayed during early morning hours of spring months. The present observations also uncovered a recapitulation effect, in that the changes in activity level that occurred within any single day (from dawn through dusk) tended to parallel the changes in activity level that occurred across the year (from spring through winter).
Light microscopic and ultrastructural localization of GABA-like immunoreactive input to retrogradely labeled sympathetic preganglionic neurons.

Abstract The organization of γ-aminobutyric acid-like immunoreactive (GABA-LIR) processes was studied within the sympathetic preganglionic neuropil of male Sprague-Dawley rats and pigeons (Columba livia). Sympathetic preganglionic neurons were retrogradely labeled following horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injections into either the adrenal medulla or superior cervical ganglion in rats or into the avian homologue of the mammalian stellate ganglion (paravertebral ganglion 14) in pigeons. GABA-LIR staining was visualized using peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP), avidin-biotin complex (ABC), or post-embedding immunogold methods. The pigeon preganglionic neuropil contained a dense network of GABA-LIR processes with punctate swellings that enriched sympathetic preganglionic perikarya within the principal preganglionic cell column (column of Terni) and the nucleus intercalatus spinalis. GABA-LIR spinal neurons were intermingled among HRP-labeled sympathetic preganglionic neurons within the column of Terni and throughout the zona intermedia. In the rat density of the GABA-LIR processes within the four thoracic sympathetic preganglionic nuclei was less than that observed in the pigeon. Nevertheless, GABA-LIR profiles distinctively dotted preganglionic perikarya within the nuclei intermediolateralis pars principalis and pars funicularis, nucleus intercalatus spinalis and the central autonomic nucleus. GABA-LIR neurons were rarely observed within the nucleus intermediolateralis pars principalis, but were numerous in the zona intermedia and area X. No GABA-LIR spinal neurons in either vertebrate were retrogradely labeled with HRP. The ultrastructural arrangements of GABA-LIR processes within the sympathetic preganglionic neuropils of pigeons and rats were similar. GABA-LIR boutons formed symmetrical synaptic contacts and contained small round electron-lucent vesicles (50 nm) and one to several larger dense-core vesicles (80 nm). GABA-LIR terminals contacted HRP-labeled sympathetic preganglionic perikarya in all spinal nuclear regions in both vertebrates. More frequently, GABA-LIR boutons synapsed on dendrites. Occasionally, axo-axonic configurations were observed; each time only one of the axonal elements was GABA-LIR. Numerous unmyelinated and some thinly myelinated GABA-LIR axons coursed through the sympathetic preganglionic neuropils of both vertebrates. Synapses between GABA-LIR processes were present within the sympathetic preganglionic neuropil of both vertebrates. GABA-LIR dendrites were contacted by unlabeled terminals (predominantly small spherical vesicles with asymmetric synaptic specializations) and GABA-LIR terminals. GABA-LIR terminals on GABA-LIR dendrites were similar in appearance to those synapsing on sympathetic preganglionic cell bodies and dendrites.
Renormalization of the relativistic delta potential in one dimension

Several authors have noted an ambiguity with the Dirac equation in one dimension. In the case of a delta-function potential, the coupling constant is subject to an apparently arbitrary renormalization when the delta function is approximated in different ways. We explain these differences in terms of strong resolvent limits of self-adjoint operators onL2(R), and obtain a precise formula for the renormalized coupling constant in the case of separable potentials. The examples in the literature follow as special cases.
Survival of Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars in Phytophthora Root Rot-Infested Fields in South Mississippi

Phytophthora root rot is an important disease of commercial blueberries and is most severe when blueberries are grown in wet soils with poor drainage. Symptoms include small, yellow or red leaves, ...
On z-analogue of Stepanov-Lomonosov-Polesskii inequality

Stepanov@?s inequality and its various extensions provide an upper bound for connectedness probability for a Bernoulli-type random subgraph of a given graph. We have found an analogue of this bound for the expected value of the connectedness-event indicator times a positive z raised to the number of edges in the random subgraph. We demonstrate the power of this bound by a quick derivation of a relatively sharp bound for the number of the spanning connected, sparsely edged, subgraphs of a high-degree regular graph.
Holomorphic mappings into convex subsets of Cn

Holomorphic mappings f V→W are studied, where: V is a complete circular domain ⊆Cn W⊆Cn is convex and openf(0) = 0 and f′(0) = I. A classical result due to Caratheodory, namely , is used to obtain estimates on the terms of the homogeneous expansion of 〈f(Z),u〉. These estimates are used to give a new proof that W must contain a ball of radius 1/2 about 0 when V is the unit ball of Cn . Extremal cases of the estimates are studied. In particular, new information is obtained about the case where the 1/2 is the radius of the largest ball around 0 contained in W.
Identification of di-2-ethylhexyl terephthalate (DEHTP) metabolites using human liver microsomes for biomonitoring applications.

Di-2-ethylhexyl terephthalate (DEHTP), a structural isomer of the plasticizer di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), is used in food packaging and medical devices, among other applications, and is a potential replacement for DEHP and other ortho-phthalate plasticizers. Identifying sensitive and specific biomarkers of DEHTP is necessary to assess humans’ background exposure to DEHTP. Using mass spectrometry, we investigated the metabolism of DEHTP by human liver microsomes to identify in vitro DEHTP metabolites. We unequivocally identified terephthalic acid (TPA) and mono-2-ethylhydroxyhexyl terephthalate (MEHHTP), using authentic standards, and tentatively identified mono-2-ethylhexyl terephthalate (MEHTP) and two other oxidative metabolites of DEHTP: mono-2-ethyloxohexyl terephthalate (MEOHTP), and mono-2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl terephthalate (MECPTP) from their mass spectrometry fragmentation patterns. We also evaluated the formation of in vitro metabolites of DEHP. DEHTP and DEHP produced similar metabolites, but their metabolite profiles differed considerably. DEHTP metabolized to form TPA, a metabolite of several terephthalates, as the major in vitro metabolite, followed by MEHTP, MEHHTP, MEOHTP and MECPTP. MEHTP, MEHHTP, MEOHTP and MECPTP, which are specific metabolites of DEHTP, may be suitable biomarkers for assessing exposure to DEHTP. Nonetheless, data on the urinary excretion fraction and temporal stability of these metabolites, among other considerations, are needed to demonstrate their utility as exposure biomarkers.
Object reconstruction from noisy holograms

The inappropriate processing and digitization of an optical hologram to become a digital hologram can be modeled by additive noise superimposed on the hologram and followed by a clipping operator. Direct reconstruction of this noisy digital hologram will usually yield unsatisfactory results because the noise will be the dominating term on the reconstruction plane. The constrained iterative twin image elimination algorithm for an in-line Fresnel hologram is modified by incorporating the noise constraint into the hologram constraint domain to estimate the additive noise function while eliminating the twin image. The result of the object reconstruction is shown to be improved.
Associations Between Adolescents’ Family Stressors and Life Satisfaction

Extant literature suggests that family stressors co-occur with elevated adolescent psychopathology. Few studies have examined the relationship between family stressors and life satisfaction, a positive indicator of mental health. The current study explored the relationships between specific family stressors (i.e., low socioeconomic status, disrupted family structure, cumulative major life events, and perceived interparental conflict) and adolescents’ life satisfaction in a sample of 181 middle school students. Participants completed psychometrically sound self-report measures of the aforementioned constructs. Results from a simultaneous regression analysis indicated that the four forms of family stress accounted for 37 % of the variance in life satisfaction; experiencing major life events (β = −0.31, p < .05) and perceiving interparental conflict (β = −0.41, p < .05) emerged as unique predictors of life satisfaction. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Insulin resistance and microalbuminuria are associated with microvascular disease in patients with cirrhosis.

Cardiovascular (CV) disease has a significant impact on post–liver transplantation (LT) survival. Finding surrogate markers for occult CV disease would improve CV assessment in the LT evaluation. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of microvascular disease (MVD) and the utility of both microalbuminuria and the homeostatic model for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) for assessing the presence of MVD in potential LT recipients. In this study, we examined the prevalence of MVD in 72 diabetics and 71 nondiabetics; both groups were matched for age, sex, race, and etiology of cirrhosis while awaiting LT. We prospectively collected data including fasting serum insulin and glucose levels, urine creatinine and microalbumin, and macrovascular and microvascular complications. MVD was present in 58 (40.5%) patients; MVD was more common in diabetics (n = 45, 62.5%) than nondiabetics (n = 13, 18.3%). The presence of diabetes mellitus (DM; P = 0.03), insulin use (P = 0.002), and duration (months) of DM (85.3 ± 96.1 versus 22.1 ± 46.3, P < 0.0001), hypertension (51.3 ± 101.5 versus 22.7 ± 58.2, P = 0.03), and hypertriglyceridemia (7.2 ± 17.4 versus 3.8 ± 18.5, P = 0.04) were associated with MVD. Significant microalbuminuria had a sensitivity of 85%, a specificity of 100%, and a positive predictive value of 100% for the presence of MVD. HOMA-IR also was associated with MVD (P = 0.0001). In conclusion, at our center, 62.5% of DM patients and 18% of non-DM patients awaiting LT have MVD. Patients with DM, significant microalbuminuria, or an elevated HOMA-IR should undergo rigorous CV assessment prior to LT. Liver Transpl 15:1036–1042, 2009. © 2009 AASLD.
THE PSYCHOPHYSICS OF POURING, SPREADING AND IN‐MOUTH VISCOSITY

The sensory viscosity of low calorie viscoelastic syrups in the mouth, while pouring out of a bottle, and spreading over a flat surface was satisfactorily estimated from the fundamental physical properties of these fluids. Appropriate sensory perception mechanisms were identified and linked to the operating conditions of each sensory test through psychophysical models. Oral sensory viscosity correlated with the shear stress in the mouth (R2= 0.96) (Kokini et al. 1977); pouring sensory viscosity correlated with the cross sectional area filled by the fluid at the neck of the bottle (R2= 0.86); and spreading sensory viscosity correlated inversely with the radial growth of the spreading fluid puddle (R2= 0.96).