cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface electrocardiogram characteristics of atrial tachycardias occurring after pulmonary vein isolation.

Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the surface electrocardiogram (ECG) morphology of common atrial tachycardias (ATs) that occur after pulmonary vein (PV) isolation. Background Focal ATs from reconnected PVs and macroreentrant mitral annular (MA) flutter are the most common form of ATs occurring after PV isolation. Methods Patients with persistent AT after PV isolation underwent mapping and ablation. Tachycardia origin and mechanism were determined using electroanatomic mapping and entrainment techniques. Patients with typical right atrial flutter occurring after PV isolation were also included for comparison. Results Thirty-nine tachycardias were identified in 36 patients, either focal left AT (n = 24) or MA flutter (n = 15). Focal ATs originated from reconnected segments of the right PVs (n = 14) and left PVs (n = 10). MA flutters were counterclockwise (CCL; n=9) or clockwise (CL; n=6). Patients with MA flutter had a shorter tachycardia cycle length (239 ± 7 vs. 259 ± 34 s; P Conclusions There are unique surface ECG characteristics for CL and CCL MA flutter and AT due to reconnected PVs; knowledge of these characteristics may help when planning an ablation strategy.
Sum rule in the many-phonon problem

Abstract I derive a sum rule, and with it, obtain an expression for the average phonon lifetime in a disordered solid, in terms of the frequencies of a reference crystal.
Electroless Deposition of Nanoscale MnO2 on Ultraporous Carbon Nanoarchitectures: Correlation of Evolving Pore-Solid Structure and Electrochemical Performance

The self-limiting redox reaction of carbon nanofoam substrates with permanganate at room temperature in neutral-pH solutions produces conformal nanoscale MnO 2 deposits throughout the macroscopic thickness (∼0.17 mm) of the nanofoam structure. The nanoscale MnO 2 morphology ranges from ∼10 nm layered ribbons and rods for a 4 h deposition to ∼20 nm polycrystalline nanoparticles that form at long deposition times (20 h). The through-connected pore network of the carbon nanofoam is maintained at all deposition times (5 min to 20 h), although the average pore size shifts to smaller values and the cumulative pore volume decreases as the MnO 2 coatings grow and thicken within the nanofoam structure. The electrochemical capacitance of the resulting hybrid electrode structure is dominated by the pseudocapacitance of the MnO 2 and increases with MnO 2 loading (a function of the exposure time in permanganate), particularly at low charge-discharge rates and at ac frequencies <0.1 Hz. The significant enhancement in mass-, volume-, and footprint-normalized capacitance at high MnO 2 mass loadings is accompanied by a modest increase in the Warburg resistance that develops as the pore size and void volume of the nanofoam substrate are reduced by internal MnO 2 deposition.
DEMOGRAPHIC RESPONSES TO HABITAT FRAGMENTATION: EXPERIMENTAL TESTS AT THE LANDSCAPE AND PATCH SCALE

We tested the ecological consequences of habitat fragmentation by comparing the density, population growth rate, survivorship, and recruitment of Microtus pennsylvanicus populations within a 20-ha fragmented landscape with those of populations in a 20-ha unfragmented landscape. We also tested for fragment-size effects by comparing the same measures of demographic performance across three fragment sizes (0.06, 0.25, and 1.0 ha). During 17 censuses between June 1993 and October 1994, we recorded 10020 captures of 3946 individuals and found strong landscape differences but weak fragment-size effects. Although fragmentation reduced the habitable area by 72%, density and adult recruitment were significantly higher on the fragmented landscape relative to the control. With the exception of adult recruitment (higher on small relative to medium and large patches), no significant demographic differences existed among patches of different size. Low rates of between-population movement and differential juvenile growth rates suggested that higher recruitment rates on the fragmented landscape likely resulted from enhanced local reproduction rather than from immigration. Thus, despite the fact that populations in the fragmented landscape experienced severe habitat loss, some individuals on fragments accrued important reproductive advantages (possibly as a result of diminished social costs or enhanced food resources). That population and individual responses to fragmentation could differ so dramatically provides a novel result that illustrates the importance of using hierarchical field designs in tests of population responses to large-scale habitat alteration. We conclude that controlled, large-scale field tests can serve as an important intermediary between the inherent abstraction of simulation modeling and what is observed in the real world.
“Con un Flow Natural”: Sonic affinities and reggaeton nationalism

Reggaeton's success in the international music scene has incited heated debates about the genre's genealogy. The dominant framework for discussing reggaeton's origin often relies on and reifies nation-based claims to the genre, overlooking how reggaeton resists being fixed to any single locale. In this paper I discuss the emergence of the reggaeton subgenre bhangraton (a mix of bhangra pop and reggaeton) and point to some of the ways that it challenged nationalist claims to reggaeton. Reggaetonera and Hindi-vocalist Deevani, in particular, complicates claims about racial, ethnic, and sonic purity that circulate within reggaeton by highlighting how race, gender, and affinity are performed and felt and by calling attention to the genre's multiple circuits outside the nation.
Untangling Klotho's Role in Calcium Homeostasis

klotho was first described as an aging gene and was later shown to be a regulator of phosphate and vitamin D metabolism, acting as a coreceptor for FGF23. Imura et al. (2007) now report that klotho also regulates calcium homeostasis.
Stochastic method for analytic continuation of quantum Monte Carlo data

A method for analytic continuation of quantum Monte Carlo data is presented. The spectrum $A(\ensuremath{\omega})$ is parametrized as a sum of $\ensuremath{\delta}$ functions, the weights ${A}_{i}$ of which are sampled according to a distribution $p(A)\ensuremath{\sim}\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\chi}}^{2}/\ensuremath{\Theta})$. It is argued that the calculated entropy $S$ provides a criterion for determining the $\ensuremath{\Theta}$ corresponding to the ``best'' averaged spectrum. The appearance of spurious structure is signaled by a sharp drop in $〈S(\ensuremath{\Theta})〉$, which in test cases is preceded by a local maximum. Results for the dynamic spin structure factor of a $16$-site Heisenberg chain obtained at this maximum are in better agreement with exact results than ``classic'' maximum-entropy results.
Semi-empirical chemical shift calculations: nitrogen and oxygen in the lower nitroalkanes, and the nitrate, nitronium, and nitrite ions

Abstract Paramagnetic contributions to the NMR chemical shifts for nitrogen and oxygen in nitroalkanes, RN0 2 (R = methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl and t -butyl), and in N0 3 − NO 2 + and NO 2 − have been calculated according to the Pople MO theory of chemical shifts. INDO MO calculations were the basis for the evaluation of ΣQ, the sum of the appropriate charge density-bond order terms, and of −3 > 2p via Slater's rules. ΔE was equated to the lowest observed singlet excitation energy. The diamagnetic shielding was evaluated in atomic terms, including contributions only from the atom in question and atoms directly bonded to it. Separate consideration was given to ΣQ AA , which depends only on the charge densities of the atom in question. Better fits to observed nitrogen and oxygen chemical shifts were obtained using ΣQ AA in the evaluation of the paramagnetic term rather than the usual ΣQ AA , which includes π-electron contributions from directly bonded atoms.
Interactive ELLPACK: an interactive problem-solving environment for elliptic partial differential equations

ELLPACK is a versatile, very high-level language for solving elliptic partial differential equations. Solving elliptic problems with ELLPACK typically involves a process in which one repeatedly computes a solution, analyzes the results, and modifies the solution technique. Although this process is best suited for an interactive environment, ELLPACK itself is batch oriented. With this in mind, we have developed Interactive ELLPACK, an extension of ELLPACK that provides true interactive elliptic problem solving by allowing the user to interactively build grids, choose solution methods, and analyze computed results. Interactive ELLPACK features a sophisticated interface with window- ing, color graphics output, and graphics input.
Job design predictors of stress in automated offices

Abstract The effects of job control, job content, demands and career/future concerns on stress outcomes were tested in a population of video display terminal (VDT) users that were categorized as clericals, managers/supervisors and professionals. It was found that career/future concerns were consistent contributors to stress outcomes across job categories, but job control - which was hypothesized as a central stressor - did not contribute to the stress outcomes. Analyses performed within each of the three job categories demonstrated that different job elements contributed to the stress outcomes. A proposed model that denned job control as the central job element through which other job features (i.e. job content, demands and career/future concerns) produced stress outcomes was verified in only one of the four analyses for mood disturbances among professional VDT users.
Long-term follow-up of a family with dominant X-linked retinitis pigmentosa

To document the progression of disease in male and female members of a previously described family with X-linked dominant retinitis pigmentosa (RP) caused by a de novoinsertion after nucleotide 173 in exon ORF15 of RPGR. The clinical records of 19 members of family UTAD054 were reviewed. Their evaluations consisted of confirmation of family history, standardised electroretinograms (ERGs), Goldmann visual fields, and periodic ophthalmological examinations over a 23-year period. Male members of family UTAD054 had non-recordable to barely recordable ERGs from early childhood. The males showed contracted central fields and developed more severe retinopathy than the females. The female members showed a disease onset delayed to teenage years, recordable but diminishing photopic and scotopic ERG amplitudes in a cone-rod pattern, progressive loss and often asymmetric visual fields, and diffuse atrophic retinopathy with fewer pigment deposits compared with males. This insertion mutation in the RPGRexon ORF15 is associated with a RP phenotype that severely affects males early and females by 30 years of age, and is highly penetrant in female members. Families with dominant-acting RPGRmutations may be mistaken to have an autosomal mode of inheritance resulting in an incorrect prediction of recurrence risk and prognosis. Broader recognition of X-linked RP forms with dominant inheritance is necessary to facilitate appropriate counselling of these patients.
The Development of Interpersonal Relationships: Social Penetration Processes

(1968). The Development of Interpersonal Relationships: Social Penetration Processes. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 75, No. 1, pp. 79-90.
935 NORMAL LYMPHOCYTE-DERIVED CHEMOTACTIC FACTOR PRODUCTION BY NEONATAL LYMPHOCYTES

This study measured production of the lymphokine, lymphocytederived chemotactic factor by neonatal peripheral blood lymphocytes. Previous lymphokine studies of cord lymphocytes have yielded conflicting results with normal or deficient function found. Comparing cord and neonatal lymphocytes, some investigators have reported that neonatal lymphocytes are more deficient than cord lymphocytes in lymphokine production. Since one prior study reports normal LDCF production by cord lymphocytes, we studied LDCF production by peripheral blood lymphocytes from 7 healthy newborns 2 to 5 days of age. Seven healthy adult donors were also studied. Lymphocytes were incubated for 48 hours with or without phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Supernatants from these cell cultures were assayed for monocyte chemotactic activity in chemotaxis chambers using adult monocytes. Results were expressed as the difference in chemotactic activity between stimulated and nonstimulated culture supernatants. Each supernatant from a neonatal culture was assayed with the supernatant from a paired adult control culture. Six of the 7 neonatal lymphocyte cultures produced LDCF, and 5 of the 7 adult lymphocyte cultures produced LDCF. Neonatal lymphocytes were not deficient in LDCF production compared to adult lymphocytes. These results show that neonatal lymphocytes are functionally competent producers of LDCF in response to the mitogen PHA.
RESPONSE OF FOODBORNE SALMONELLA SPP. MARKER STRAINS INOCULATED ON EGG SHELL SURFACES TO DISINFECTANTS IN A COMMERCIAL EGG WASHER

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an iodine based disinfectant (IBD, Iocide, Biomedical Development Corporation, San Antonio, TX) on Salmonella enteritidis and S. typhimurium inoculated on egg shell surfaces under simulated industry egg processing conditions with a commercial egg washer used as the sanitizer delivery system. Re-circulated egg washer water containing 1.40-2.85 g/l total dissolved solids was obtained from a commercial egg processing. Sanitizing treatments consisted of distilled deionized water (DDW), IBD, and chlorine (CL; 200 ppm). All treatments (DDW, IBD and CL) significantly (p < 0.05) decreased Salmonella spp. populations on the shell compared to dry (no spray) egg controls. However, efficacy of egg sanitizers appeared to be dependent on the level of total dissolved solids in the egg wash water.
Interaction of membrane-bound islet amyloid polypeptide with soluble and crystalline insulin.

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP, also known as amylin) is the major protein component of pancreatic amyloid fibers in type II diabetes and is normally cosecreted with insulin from the β-cells of the pancreas. IAPP forms amyloid fibrils rapidly at concentrations well below those found in vivo, yet progression of type II diabetes occurs over many years. Insulin, a known inhibitor of IAPP fibrillogenesis, exists as a dense crystalline or near-crystalline core in the secretory vesicle, while IAPP localizes to the region between the crystal and the secretory vesicle membrane. In vitro, IAPP fibrillogenesis is both accelerated by lipid membranes and inhibited by monomeric insulin. In this work, we investigate insulin–IAPP–lipid interactions in vitro under conditions chosen to approximate native secretory vesicle physiology and the amyloid disease state. The effect of insulin on IAPP fibrillogenesis is investigated using fluorescence spectrometry. Additionally, interactions of IAPP and lipids with crystalline insulin are studied using fluorescence microscopy. We find that, while soluble states of insulin and IAPP do not interact significantly, large assemblies of either insulin (crystals) or IAPP (fibers) can lead to stable IAPP–insulin interactions. The results raise the possibility of multiple physiological interactions between these two β-cell hormones.
Block polymers of poly(para-xylelene) and polystyrene or poly(vinyl pyridine) prepared by anionic polymerization

Abstract Anionic polymerization of para -xylelene, p -X, may be initiated in solution at a low temperature (∼−70°C) by electron-transfer process. The spontaneous formation of diradicals through dimerization of p -X monomers is too slow at these temperatures to initiate the radical polymerization of p -X. The anionic polymerization yields a living poly( p -xylelene) which is capable of growing further by the addition of vinyl pyridine, VP. In this way block polymers PVP-P p X-PVP were prepared. Alternatively, the addition of p -X monomers to living polystyrene, PS, or living poly(vinyl pyridine), PVP, yields at low temperatures the block polymers P p X-PS-P p X or P p X-PVP-P p X. The block polymers prepared by this approach were isolated and characterized. Even small blocks of P p X attached to polystyrene or poly(vinyl pyridine) make the resulting polymers insoluble in boiling solvents below 200°C.
Gruentzig Balloon Catheter Dilation for Acquired Bronchial Stenosis in an Infant

A long stricture of the left main bronchus, which was resistant to the traditional methods of treatment, developed in a 992-gm twin who was ventilated for 114 days. The patient had two bronchial dilations with the Gruentzig balloon catheter placed under fluoroscopic control and inflated to 6 atm of pressure. The treatment was well tolerated by the patient, and one year after the Gruentzig balloon dilation she had a normal chest roentgenogram. Gruentzig balloon catheter dilation is a new technique for repairing bronchial stenosis in infancy without major intrathoracic surgical intervention.
Systematic photonic crystal device global and local optimization, and sensitivity analysis

We present a set of modeling, sensitivity analysis, and design optimization methods for photonic crystal structures based on Wannier basis field expansion and efficient matrix analysis techniques. We develop the sensitivity analysis technique to analyze both refractive index perturbations and dielectric boundary shift perturbations. Our modeling method is ~1000X faster than FDTD for searching through a large number of similar device designs. We show that our optimization techniques, relying on the efficiency of the modeling and sensitivity analysis methods, enable systematic global and local optimizations of integrated optical components. We show that our design method can be controlled to favor designs without high-energy build-ups, potentially making them more fabrication-error tolerant. We present design examples and verify our designs with FDTD calculations.
Induced optical absorption in gamma, neutron and ultraviolet irradiated fused quartz and silica

Abstract We have investigated the effects of ultraviolet (4.7 eV), gamma (∼ 1 MeV), and neutron (∼ 1 MeV) irradiations on the optical properties of SiO2 glass samples. Samples from various sources were studied, including synthetic fused silicas and natural fused quartz. Several relationships among the different types of ionizing radiation were examined. For example, both UV light and gamma rays convert the germanium impurity to the B1 absorption band in fused quartz samples. On the other hand, only neutrons are capable of inducing the oxygen deficient centers (ODCs) with the ∼krad-level doses employed here; the ODCs are produced by way of direct knock-on collisions. The ODCs generated by the neutrons can be converted into E′ centers afterwards with γ-rays. Transient grating and pump-probe optical experiments show that only a small fraction of the induced defect absorption remains permanently, while nearly all recover to the original condition after a UV pulse. Finally, thermal annealing experiments indicate that the radiation-induced defects can be annealed away at temperatures > 350°C. We compare the impacts of gamma, neutron, and ultraviolet radiation in terms of the mechanism by which defects are generated.
Ventricular Septal Defect and Ventricular Aneurysm Secondary to Acute Myocardial Infarction Report of Four Cases with Successful Surgical Treatment

Four cases of ventricular septal defect and ventricular aneurysm after myocardial infarction are reported. The clinical findings and surgical results in these four cases and in eight previously reported patients with this combination of complications are summarized. Resection of the ventricular aneurysm and closure of the ventricular septal defect appear indicated, both on theoretical grounds and in view of the excellent results observed in six patients who underwent combined repair. In one of our patients, closure of the ventricular septal defect and resection of the ventricular aneurysm were possible with only a single suture line, as these defects were anatomically contiguous.
NMR spectroscopy with force-gradient detection on a GaAs epitaxial layer.

Abstract We demonstrate nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy on 35 μm3 of 69Ga in a GaAs epitaxial layer in vacuum at 5 K, and 5 T yielding a linewidth on the order of 10 kHz. This was achieved by a force-gradient magnetic resonance detection scheme, using the interaction between the force-gradient of a Ni sphere-tipped single crystal Si cantilever and the nuclear spins to register changes in the spin state as a change in the driven cantilever’s natural resonant frequency. The dichotomy between the background magnetic field (B0) homogeneity requirements imposed by NMR spectroscopy and the magnetic particle’s large magnetic field gradient is resolved via sample shuttling during the NMR pulse encoding. A GaAs sample is polarized in a B0 of 5 T for 3 * T1. The sample is shuttled away from the magnetic particle to a region of negligible magnetic field inhomogeneity. A (π/2)x pulse rotates the polarization to the xy-plane, the magnetization is allowed to precess for 2–200 μs before a (π/2)x or (π/2)y pulse stores the remaining spin along the z-axis that represents a single point of the free induction decay (FID). The sample is shuttled back to the established tip-sample distance. An adiabatic rapid passage (ARP) sweep inverts the spins in a volume of interest, causing the cantilever’s natural resonance frequency to shift an amount proportional to the spin polarization in the volume. By varying the delay between the first and second (π/2) pulses the entire FID is measured.
The Hermitage through the Centuries

(2003). The Hermitage through the Centuries. Museum International: Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 9-11.
A position paper on compile-time program analysis

Current challenges to the compile-time analysis research community include unifying the nomenclature in program analysis, embedding analyses in practical software tools, influencing programming language design to allow analysis, and adapting analyses to the blend of architectures, languages and operating systems common in modern software. These challenges must be met to ensure that compile-time analyses will continue to be of practical benefit.
Interdisciplinary Lessons for the Teaching of Biology from the Practice of Evo-Devo

Evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-devo) is a vibrant area of contemporary life science that should be (and is) increasingly incorporated into teaching curricula. Although the inclusion of this content is important for biological pedagogy at multiple levels of instruction, there are also philosophical lessons that can be drawn from the scientific practices found in Evo-devo. One feature of particular significance is the interdisciplinary nature of Evo-devo investigations and their resulting explanations. Instead of a single disciplinary approach being the most explanatory or fundamental, different methodologies from biological disciplines must be synthesized to generate empirically adequate explanations. Thus, Evo-devo points toward a non-reductionist epistemology in biology. I review three areas where these synthetic efforts become manifest as a result of Evo-devo’s practices (form versus function reasoning styles; problem-structured investigations; idealizations related to studying model organisms), and then sketch some possible applications to teaching biology. These philosophical considerations provide resources for life science educators to address (and challenge) key aspects of the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy.
Compression of Packed Particulate Systems: Simulations and Experiments in Graphitic Li-ion Anodes

Increased thermal conductivity, electronic conductivity, and reversible capacity (i.e., reduced irreversible capacity loss, or ICL) have been demonstrably achievable by compression of anodes into higher volume fraction plates, though excessive compression can impair Li-ion battery performance. In our previous study, we correlated conductivity and compression of these materials. Here, we further investigated the effects of friction and deformability of particles on the compressibility of model carbons of Li-ion anodes. First, we implemented a statistically unbiased technique for generating a range of random particulate systems, from permeable to impermeable arrangements, along with a contact model for randomly arranged triaxial ellipsoidal particles, suitable for implementation in finite element analysis of compression of a random, porous system. We then quantified the relationship between interfacial friction and jamming fraction in spherical to ellipsoidal systems and applied these models to correlate maximum stresses and different frictional coefficients, with morphology (obtained by image analysis) of graphite particles in Li-ion anodes. The simulated results were compared with the experiments, showing that the friction coefficient in the system is close to 0.1 and that the applied pressure above 200 kg/cm 2 200 MPa can damage the materials in SL-20 electrodes. We also conclude that use of maximum jamming fractions to assess likely configuration of mixtures is unrealistic, at best, in real manufacturing processes. Particles change both their overall shapes and relative orientations during deformation sufficient to alter the composite properties: indeed, it is alteration of properties that motivates post-processing at all. Thus, consideration of material properties, or their estimation post facto, using inverse techniques, is clearly merited in composites having volume fractions of particles near percolation onset. DOI: 10.1115/1.2130733
A process-based model for colluvial soil depth and shallow landsliding using digital elevation data

A model is proposed for predicting the spatial variation in colluvial soil depth, the results of which are used in a separate model to examine the effects of root strength and vertically varying saturated conductivity on slope stability. The soil depth model solves for the mass balance between soil production from underlying bedrock and the divergence of diffusive soil transport. This model is applied using high-resolution digital elevation data of a well-studied site in northern California and the evolving soil depth is solved using a finite difference model under varying initial conditions. The field data support an exponential decline of soil production with increasing soil depth and a diffusivity of about 50 cm 2 / yr. The predicted pattern of thick and thin colluvium corresponds well with field observations. Soil thickness on ridges rapidly obtain an equilibrium depth, which suggests that detailed field observations relating soil depth to local topographic curvature could further test this model. Bedrock emerges where the curvature causes divergent transport to exceed the soil production rate, hence the spatial pattern of bedrock outcrops places constraints on the production law. The infinite slope stability model uses the predicted soil depth to estimate the effects of root cohesion and vertically varying saturated conductivity. Low cohesion soils overlying low conductivity bedrock are shown to be least stable. The model may be most useful in analyses of slope instability associated with vegetation changes from either land use or climate change, although practical applications may be limited by the need to assign values to several spatially varying parameters. Although both the soil depth and slope stability models offer local mechanistic predictions that can be applied to large areas, representation of the finest scale valleys in the digital terrain model significantly influences local model predictions. This argues for preserving fine-scale topographic detail and using relatively fine grid sizes even in analyses of large catchments.
Electromyostimulation from a clinical perspective. A review.

A proliferation of the research analysis and clinical use of electromyostimulation has occurred in sports medicine in the last decade. This manuscript will review the important findings from a clinical perspective. Specifically, this article will address the advantages of electromyostimulation over voluntary exercise indicating its greater effectiveness in the early period of rehabilitation when reflex inhibition is dominant. Other advantages of electromyostimulation include its: usefulness in training one component of an agonist muscle group; effectiveness during joint immobilisation; and possible role in altering spe- cific muscle fibre types and enzymes.
Optical modulation of continuous terahertz waves towards cost-effective reconfigurable quasi-optical terahertz components

We report optical modulation of continuous terahertz (THz) wave in the frequency range of 570-600 GHz using photo-induced reconfigurable patterns on a silicon wafer. The patterns were implemented using programmable illumination from a commercially-available digital light processing (DLP) projector. A modulation depth of 20 dB at 585 GHz has been demonstrated. Modulation speed measurement shows a 3-dB bandwidth of ~1.3 kHz which is primarily limited by the DLP system. A photo-induced polarizer with tunable polarization angle has been demonstrated, showing a 3-dB extinction ratio. Reconfigurable aperture-arrays (4 x 4 pixels) have been attempted for room-temperature coded-aperture imaging using a single Schottky diode detector at 585 GHz. We envision that this technique will provide a simple but powerful means to realize a variety of cost-effective reconfigurable quasi-optical THz circuits and components.
Interactions of the non-coding RNA DsrA and RpoS mRNA with the 30 S ribosomal subunit.

Abstract Expression of ςs, the gene product of rpoS, is controlled translationally in response to many environmental stresses. DsrA, a small 87-nucleotide non-coding RNA molecule, acts to increase translational efficiency of RpoS mRNA under some growth conditions. In this work, we demonstrate that DsrA binds directly to the 30 S ribosomal subunit with an observed equilibrium affinity of 2.8 × 107 m −1. DsrA does not compete with RpoS mRNA or tRNA for binding to the 30 S subunit. The 5′ end of DsrA binds to 30 S subunits with an observed equilibrium association constant of 2.0 × 106 m −1, indicating that the full affinity of the interaction requires the entire DsrA sequence. In order to investigate translational efficiency of RpoS mRNA, we examined both ribosome-binding site accessibility and the binding of RpoS mRNA to 30 S ribosomal subunits. We find that that ribosome-binding site accessibility is modulated as a function of divalent cation concentration during mRNA renaturation and by the presence of an antisense sequence that binds to nucleotides 1–16 of the RpoS mRNA fragment. The ribosome-binding site accessibility correlates with the amount of RpoS mRNA participating in 30 S-mRNA “pre-initiation” translational complex formation and provides evidence that regulation follows a competitive model of regulation.
Stable second-order nonlinearity in SiO 2 -based waveguides on Si using temperature/electric-field poling

A stable second-order nonlinearity established by temperature/electric-field poling of a SiO2-based waveguide stack on a Si substrate with a nonlinearity comparable to that observed in bulk fused silica samples (approximately 1 pm/V) is described. Samples with various layer thickness and composition are compared to determine important parameters in generating the second-order nonlinearity. Temperature and voltage studies are also presented to help understand the dynamics of the nonlinearity.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
NF-κB and STAT3 signaling hubs for lung innate immunity

Innate immune responses to lung pathogens involve the coordinated expression of myriad affector and effector molecules of innate immunity, which must be induced and appropriately regulated in response to diverse stimuli generated by microbes or the infected host. Many intercellular and intracellular signaling pathways are involved, but we propose NF-κB and STAT3 transcription factors to be especially important signaling hubs for integrating these pathways to orchestrate effective host defense without excessive inflammatory injury.
Proximal Isovelocity Surface Area (PISA) in the Evaluation of Fixed Membranous Subaortic Stenosis

The evaluation of the severity of subaortic stenosis is usually expressed by the magnitude of the subvalvular gradient. Calculation of the membrane orifice area noninvasively is difficult by the standard means. We present a patient in whom the area was calculated using the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method. This method should have clinical applicability because it is not flow dependent and can be used in patients with normal, reduced, or increased stroke volume.
The Holy Man in the History of Thailand and Laos

Holy men were respected leaders in early Thai and Lao society. As Thai society became more complex, traditional holy men disappeared, to be replaced by modern charismatic monks. But, in Southern Laos and the Khorat Plateau, holy men found a new role as leaders of protest movements.
Harmonic gyrotron interaction in circular and rectangular waveguides

Coupling between waveguide and fast cyclotron modes, as expressed by the interaction impedance, is a function of waveguide geometry and mode, orbit radius, and orbit location within the guide. This paper analytically determines the impedance as a function of these variables in rectangular and circular waveguide. Plots and tables of numerical results are presented, and specific recommendations are made.
Richard II's Archers of the Crown

The reign of Richard II has been one of the most popular subjects of attention for medievalists in recent years. As a result of this renewed interest, the 'tyranny' of Richard II's final years has been resurrected in the past decade in a new form by R. H. Jones as well as in its more traditional guise which can be found in the pages of T. F. Tout by Caroline Barron. This resurrection has not, however, gone unchallenged. Richard G. Davies has recently demonstrated the inadequacies of such a view in relation to Richard II's ecclesiastical policy, and research is now under way in regard to both Ireland and the Ricardian household which seems to limit
Dynamic Computer Aided Video Holometry

Currently, high spatial density/high resolution data bases of the deformation of structures are available using Computer Aided Holometry (CAH) for (1) static deformation, (2) periodic motion and (3) dynamic deformation at widely separated instances of time. However, many practical structures are nonlinear and there exists a need to measure how a surface moves as a function of time. This paper presents a high frame rate, shifted phase video holographic method for measuring surface motion as a function of time. The theory, hardware, simulation results and limitations are discussed.
Wound infection in gynecologic surgery.

Objective: We sought to determine the wound infection rate among patients undergoing elective gynecologic surgery at a single tertiary care center and to determine the predictive value ofvarious factors that contribute to infection. We further investigated the adequacy of hospital records in documenting infection rates as well as the timing of presentation of wound infections. Methods: The records of 115 patients undergoing elective gynecologic surgery at our institution were reviewed. Patients were further subdivided based on route of surgery. We analyzed the importance of antibiotic prophylaxis, route of surgery, smoking, diabetes, and body mass index (BMI). Results: The overall wound infection rate was 12.17% with no significant difference in the subgroups by route of surgery. Overall, antibiotic prophylaxis significantly decreased infection rates (P 0.0118), but the route of surgery, BMI, smoking, and diabetes were not significant predictors of infection. Only one case of infection was detected during the initial hospital stay (6.1%). Fifty percent of the patients with infection required readmission, and of these 35.7% required an additional surgical procedure. The average length of hospital stay was 2.4 days longer in patients with infection. Conclusions: Antibiotic prophylaxis has a role in the management of patients undergoing abdominal gynecologic surgery. In today’s environment ofcost containment, an increased hospital stay and the added likelihood of additional surgical intervention associated with wound infection are important targets for prevention. Most patients with wound infection were diagnosed after discharge from the hospital. In our population, among whom transportation problems and remote residence are prevalent, strategies for infection surveillance should be integral to discharge planning. Infect. Dis.
The experimental production of renaut bodies

Abstract Renaut bodies are loosely-textured whorled, cell-sparse structures found in the subperineurial space of peripheral nerves. Although described in 1881, their significance is still debated. Rats were placed in wire-mesh cages for 4 days to 6 weeks and the lateral and medial plantar nerves were sequentially removed. The initial change was the presence of endoneurial edema which dissected and displaced nerve fibers producing an endoneurial cleft. With the influx of fibroblasts, these clefts became discretely separated by circumferentially oriented processes. Over time the clefts enlarged and became filled with loosely-textured amorphous and fibrillar material as well as collagen. The Renaut bodies ranged from 15 to 80 μm in diameter. In this model the Renaut bodies formed at the maximum site of compression of the lateral plantar nerve. The fibroblasts appeared to be derived from the endoneurial connective tissue and were not the result of degenerating endoneurial structures. Renaut body formation was independent of axonal degeneration. The present study strongly suggests that Renaut bodies are a response to repeated mechanical stress.
Partitioning of niches among four species of orb-weaving spiders in a grassland habitat.

Partitioning of niches can play an important role in structuring faunal communities. We tested the hypothesis that differences between four species of orb-weaving spiders (Araneidae) in body size and the structure and position of their webs resulted in their partitioning the available prey. The study species are sympatric in a grassland habitat and included Argiope trifasciata (Forskal), Cyclosa turbinata (Walckenaer), Mangora gibberosa (Hentz), and Neoscona arabesca (Walckenaer). The spider species differed in body size, web diameter, height of web above the ground, spacing of mesh within webs, and the type of plant to which the web was attached. The spider species had a generalist diet and captured prey of multiple trophic levels. Nevertheless, the hypothesis was supported: the spider species differed in the types of prey that they captured. Partitioning of the available prey was influenced by body size, with larger spiders capturing larger prey, but not by the structure or position of their webs. Differences between spider species in niche may reduce competitive interactions and allow them to coexist in sympatry.
Reconfiguring the Empty Center: Drinking, Sobriety, and Identity in Native American Women’s Narratives

Although anthropologists have paid little attention to popular American psychological discourse about addiction and recovery, the cultural politics of its engagement by Native North American communities warrant closer examination. By ethnographically contextualizing personal narratives, this paper describes how addiction/recovery discourse has been selectively engaged by younger generations of women in a northern Plains reservation community. Sobriety is not only a therapeutic transformation but also a socially negotiated identity change in this community and, therefore, engages ongoing local identity politics. Many community members evaluate the legitimacy of claims to Native identity by essentializing boundaries between Native and non-Native, as well as between past and present—a discursive convention that O’Nell has called “the rhetoric of the empty center” (Disciplined Hearts: History, Identity and Depression in an American Indian Community. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996, p. 55). Yet by selectively appropriating elements of addiction/recovery discourse, younger women in the 1990s increasingly positioned emotional experience and expression as central arbiters of the legitimacy of Native identity. In so doing, they reconfigured the rhetoric of the empty center, eliciting both controversy and support from the larger community. This analysis highlights new dimensions of the social life of addiction/recovery discourse in contemporary Native North America, and calls for increased ethnographic attention to how localized cultural politics can orient the ways in which communities engage therapeutic discourses.
Environmental Factors Inducing Human Cancers

Background:An explosion of research has been done in discovering how human health is affected by environmental factors. I will discuss the impacts of environmental cancer causing factors and how they continue to cause multiple disruptions in cellular networking. Some risk factors may not cause cancer. Other factors initiate consecutive genetic mutations that would eventually alter the normal pathway of cellular proliferations and differentiation. Genetic mutations in four groups of genes; (Oncogenes, Tumor suppressor genes, Apoptosis genes and DNA repairing genes) play a vital role in altering the normal cell division. In recent years, molecular genetics have greatly increased our understanding of the basic mechanisms in cancer d evelopment and utilizing these molecular techniques for cancer screening, diagnosis, prognosis and therapies. Inhibition of carcinogenic exposures wherever possible should be the goal of cancer prevention programs to reduce exposures from all environmental carcinogens.
How Recognizing “Comorbidities” in Psychopathology May Lead to an Improved Research Nosology

A short history of the roots of DSM-III and the politics of its creation help to explain the extensive occasions it offers for fulfilling criteria for multiple diagnoses. With use of standardized interviews, it becomes possible to discover all the diagnoses a single person can qualify for. This should prompt rethinking how diagnoses are selected and what rules for preemptions accord with the nature of psychopathology.
NOAA's Resurrection of Program Budgeting: Déjà Vu All Over Again?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration instituted a Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System (PPBES) in 2002. As supplemented by matrix management, PPBES was appealing as an effort to rationalize the performance of an agency with an especially high degree of functional overlap among its component parts. Although PPBES has had some salutary effects, the agency's experience to date consistent with accounts of the difficulties that led to the abandonment of program budgeting by the civilian bureaucracy almost 40 years ago. As such, it speaks to the limits of performance assessment as a means of reallocating resources and responsibilities across organizational boundaries.
Relative Substituent Effects on Alkaline Solvolysis of β-Lactams (2-Azetidinones) and Amides

The effect of aliphatic and aromatic substituents, in the 1- and 3-positions of β-lactams, on the rate of solvolysis were examined and compared to analogous substituent effects in the model linear amides. It was found that substituent effects in the β-lactams could be quantitated using the Taft equation, and that a greater sensitivity to polar effects exists in the β-lactams as compared to the model linear amides. In addition, for single substituents in the 1- and 3-positions of the lactams, there is less steric influence on the rate of solvolysis as compared to linear amides. The mechanism of alkaline hydrolysis of these β-lactams appears to be the rate-limiting attack of hydroxide ion at the carbonyl carbon of the amide group and not the breakdown of an ionized tetrahedral intermediate as has been proposed for γ-lactams. Hydrolytic studies on β-lactams at 80° yield a different pathway of degradation, because deamination of the amino acid appears to be rate limiting; thus, elevated temperature studies on β-lactams should be carried out with caution. Finally, it is concluded that β-lactams are not unusually stable in their reactivity toward nucleophiles, such as hydroxide and methoxide ions, and their lability closely follows the parent linear amides.
Transistor-Level Optimization of Supergates

The chip area and delay in digital VLSI design depends on the number of transistors that are used for the logic gates involved. While the determination of a series-parallel implementation can be straightforward once a simplified expression of the function is available, this may not be an optimum solution. In the current paper an improved approach for determining a satisfactory solution for complex gates is presented. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the approach.
Optical alignment of the TES cryogenic interferometer

This paper contains a description of the methodology used to align the interferometer optics in the TES cryogenic Fourier Transform Spectrometer. By means of a combination of a laser-based component state-of-alignment measurements and a detailed opto-mechanical model, both geometric and physical optics performance are predicted and optimized. The TES instrument is scheduled to be flown on EOS-CHEM in December 2002.
Genetic Variability and Relationships in Pacific Salmon and Related Trout Based on Protein Variations

Utter, F. M., F. W. Allendorf and H. 0. Hodgins (Northwest Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Division of Environmental Conservation, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington 98112) 1973. Genetic Variability and Relationships in Pacific Salmon and Related Trout based on Protein Variations. Syst. Zool. 22:257-270.-An investigation was made of the biochemical genetic variation within and among Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and related trout (Salmo spp.). Estimates (based on 19 to 23 loci) of proportion of loci polymorphic and average heterozygosity respectively were: pink salmon (O. gorbuscha)-.111 and .014, chum salmon (O. keta)-.100 and .006, sockeye salmon (O. nerka)-.087 and .018, coho salmon (O. kisutch)-.130 and .018, chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha)-.130 and .015, and rainbow trout (S. gairdneri)-.261 and .037. The differencesof these two parameters between populations of salmon and rainbow trout were significant and may reflect the greater habitat diversity of rainbow trout contrasted with Pacific salmon species. Interspecies comparisons were made among the above species plus masu salmon (O. masou) and cutthroat trout (S. clarkii), based on allelic proteins of eight loci and more complex protein patterns assumed to reflect four additional loci. A dendrogram, constructed from indices of similarity which reflected pairwise interspecies protein differences, separated the species into two major groups; one group contained the two trout species which were paired closely and-more distantly-the masu salmon, while the other group contained the remaining five species of salmon. In the latter group the chinook and coho salmon were paired together as were the pink and sockeye salmon; the chum salmon was intermediate between the two subgroups.
Effects of antenatal exposure to anorectic drugs.

Abstract In a large prospective, observational study of pregnancy and child development, the anorectic drugs (amphetamines and phenmetrazine) prescribed to gravid women during different stages of pregnancy were evaluated for their teratogenicity. The severe congenital anomaly rate (SCA) per 100 live-born children at age five years did not differ from the SCA rate of the group of children whose mothers did not use these drugs. There was, however, an excess of oral clefts in the offspring of mothers who had amphetamines prescribed in the first 56 days from the last menstrual period. A rough test of efficacy of anorectic drugs by comparing mean weight gains in four-week periods before and after the prescription showed only short-term and limited reduction of weight gain.