cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EPR spectra of [Cr(CO) 2 L(η-C 6 Me 6 ] + , L = PEt 3 , PPh 3 , P(OPh) 3 : analysis of line widths and determination of ground state configuration from interpretation of 3 1 P couplings

The preparation and characterization of [Cr(CO)2L(η-C6Me6)] (L = PEt3, PPh3, P(OEt)3 and P(OPh)3, are reported. One-electron oxidation affords unstable Cr(I) cations, [Cr(CO)2L(η-C6Me6)]+, EPR spectra of which are reported. Detailed analysis of the anisotropic 31P hyperfine interaction indicates that, in frozen CH2Cl2/THF, the phosphine and phosphite complexes have 2A‘ and 2A‘‘ ground states, respectively. The hyperfine anisotropy can be accounted for by dipolar interaction of the 31P nucleus with spin density on Cr and, in the case of the phosphite complexes, with ∼0.01 P 3py spin density resulting from π-backbonding. Line width anomalies observed in EPR spectra of these and other Cr(I) and Mn(II) “piano stool” complexes can be understood in terms of molecular distortions resulting from solvation in frozen solutions.
The inflammatory response to anaphylaxis and intravenous antibody or antigen.

The inflammatory process, as initiated by active or passive anaphylaxis or by the intravenous injection of antibody or antigen alone, was studied in the rabbit. Emphasis was placed on timing the events in inflammation. The inflammatory response was studied at three levels of experimentation: microscopic observation of the microvasculature and supporting tissue in the ear chamber, monitoring of the intravascular cellular elements during the reaction, and gross and microscopical study of ear chamber and visceral tissues secured just before death or sacrifice of the rabbit.
Fracture behavior of hybrid composite laminates

The tensile fracture behavior of 15 center-notched hybrid laminates was studied. Three basic laminate groups were tested: (1) a baseline group with graphite/epoxy plies, (2) a group with the same stacking sequence but where the zero-deg plies were one or two plies of S-glass or Kevlar, and (3) a group with graphite plies but where the zero-deg plies were sandwiched between layers of perforated Mylar. Specimens were loaded linearly with time; load, far field strain, and crack opening displacement (COD) were monitored. The loading was stopped periodically and the notched region was radiographed to reveal the extent and type of damage (failure progression). Results of the tests showed that the hybrid laminates had higher fracture toughnesses than comparable all-graphite laminates. The higher fracture toughness was due primarily to the larger damage region at the ends of the slit; delamination and splitting lowered the stress concentration in the primary load-carrying plies. A linear elastic fracture analysis, which ignored delamination and splitting, underestimated the fracture toughness. For almost all of the laminates, the tests showed that the fracture toughness increased with crack length. The size of the damage region at the ends of the slit and COD measurements also increased with crack length.
Action of methotrexate on metabolism of lipids and carbohydrates of the perfused isolated liver.

Liver obtained from fed rats was perfused with blood from fasted rats with and without the addition of methotrexate for 90 min. Addition of methotrexate (MTX) produced a greater increase in the levels of ketone bodies and urea. The glycogen content of the liver and glucose level and level of nonesterified fatty acids in the perfusate decreased when MTX was added. Levels of triglycerides, phospholipids, cholesterol esters and free cholesterol also decreased in the perfusate when MTX was added but after 60 min they tended to return to initial levels.
Silicon morphology modification in the eutectic Al-Si alloy using mechanical mold vibration

Abstract It is well documented that applying mechanical vibration to the mold during solidification has a profound effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties of castings. However, it is still not well understood how mechanical vibration change the resulting microstructure. Most of the available studies are qualitative and provide little quantitative information that can be used by the casting industry. In this work, mechanical mold vibration is applied to an Al–Si eutectic (Al–12.5% Si) alloy at a frequency of 100 Hz and variable amplitudes in the range of 18–199 μm. It is shown that the silicon morphology was strongly influenced by the level of vibration amplitude. Generally, increasing the vibration amplitude tends to reduce the lamellar spacing and change the silicon morphology to become more fibrous. However, exceeding a critical value of vibration amplitude tends to coarsen the silicon. The corresponding changes in mechanical properties are also investigated. It is shown that the maximum elongation is more influenced by vibration than the tensile strength for the range of conditions tested here.
Mechanisms of force loss in diabetic mouse skeletal muscle

Pathologic changes to alpha-motoneurons may contribute to decreases in skeletal muscle strength in diabetes. The present study examines this possibility. Female ICR mice (approximately 25 g) were given a single injection of streptozotocin (200 mg/kg). After 2, 4, and 8 weeks of diabetes, we measured maximum isometric tetanic torque of the fast-twitch anterior crural muscles at the ankle when stimulated through the common peroneal nerve, and maximal isometric tetanic force in the directly stimulated extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. After 4 weeks, the relative loss of torque via nerve stimulation (-43%) was greater (P = 0.02) than the force loss in the directly stimulated muscle (-24%), indicating a functional neural deficit. However, the percent changes in strength in these two methods of stimulation were not different (P = 0.41) in the 8-week diabetic animals, indicating that functional impairment resided in the muscle. This suggests an early distal motoneuron or neuromuscular junction deficit that improved as the intrinsic muscle deficit worsened. Preliminary evidence also suggests excitation-contraction uncoupling may contribute to the loss of strength in fast-twitch muscles.
Trends and topics in autism spectrum disorders research

Abstract The field of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is expanding at an exponential rate. New topics for study are forming and journals are emerging rapidly to handle the ever-increasing volume of publications. This study was undertaken to provide an overview of past and current research trends. Representative studies were evaluated for type of content for each study, frequency of publications on given topics, journals that publish ASD research, and trends in publications over time. Autism was by far the most frequently studied of the ASD, followed by Rett and Asperger's Syndromes. The number of studies published on ASD continues to increase and the most frequently studied topics include genetics, perception and cognition, neurobiology, physiology and nosology. Some observations relative to the status of the field are presented and implications for the future are described.
Increasing correct participation in an exercise class for adult day care clients

Facilities which provide services to the elderly offer a wide variety of activities to engage their clients. In many cases, however, clients do not participate in these activities, or they do not participate in ways which are likely to provide them with benefits. This study sought to increase meaningful participation in an exercise class by four elderly clients attending an adult day care program; in these four cases, the quality of their participation was seriously inadequate. Participants were praised when they participated correctly in an exercise, verbally prompted if they did not participate, and physically assisted to participate if they did not participate following verbal prompting. To show experimental control over exercise behaviors, a single subject multiple baseline design was used. The results suggest that clients attending facilities such as an adult day care program may be easily recruited to participate correctly in exercise sessions through the use of prompts and social reinforcers. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reaction of Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate with Fluoride

The intermediate formation of CaHPO4 · 2H2O and its subsequent conversion to Ca5 (PO4)3F or CaF2 may be a major factor in increased fluoride uptake when tooth enamel is pretreated with acid solutions before being exposed to fluoride. To obtain information concerning the form of fluoride incorporation, the reactions of CaHPO 4 ·2H2O with solutions containing various amounts of F-and PO43- ions were studied.
Power Persuasion, and Language: A Cririque of the Segmentary Model in the Middle East

A famous definition of power reads: In studying political organization, we have to deal with the maintenance or establishment of social order … by the organized exercise of coercive authority through the use, or the possibility of use, of physical force.
Systemic Chemotherapy for Resectable Hepatic Colorectal Metastases: Adjuvant, Neoadjuvant, or Not at All?

The contemporary management of hepatic colorectal adenocarcinoma metastasis relies on the multidisciplinary use of both local operative resection and systemic chemotherapy. This article will discuss the principles and data that are of relevance in determining the optimal way to combine these treatment modalities. In so doing, we will explore the issue of when and whether to administer chemotherapy for patients with resectable hepatic metastases.
Histiocytosis X involving the cervical dura.

A 1-year-old boy was treated for histiocytosis X involving the cervical dura which caused spinal cord compression.
Lymphangiogenesis and Lymphatic Remodeling Induced by Filarial Parasites: Implications for Pathogenesis

Even in the absence of an adaptive immune system in murine models, lymphatic dilatation and dysfunction occur in filarial infections, although severe irreversible lymphedema and elephantiasis appears to require an intact adaptive immune response in human infections. To address how filarial parasites and their antigens influence the lymphatics directly, human lymphatic endothelial cells were exposed to filarial antigens, live parasites, or infected patient serum. Live filarial parasites or filarial antigens induced both significant LEC proliferation and differentiation into tube-like structures in vitro. Moreover, serum from patently infected (microfilaria positive) patients and those with longstanding chronic lymphatic obstruction induced significantly increased LEC proliferation compared to sera from uninfected individuals. Differentiation of LEC into tube-like networks was found to be associated with significantly increased levels of matrix metalloproteases and inhibition of their TIMP inhibitors (Tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases). Comparison of global gene expression induced by live parasites in LEC to parasite-unexposed LEC demonstrated that filarial parasites altered the expression of those genes involved in cellular organization and development as well as those associated with junction adherence pathways that in turn decreased trans-endothelial transport as assessed by FITC-Dextran. The data suggest that filarial parasites directly induce lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic differentiation and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the pathology seen in lymphatic filariasis.
Recombinant Retroviral Production and Infection of B Cells

The transgenic expression of genes in eukaryotic cells is a powerful reverse genetic approach in which a gene of interest is expressed under the control of a heterologous expression system to facilitate the analysis of the resulting phenotype. This approach can be used to express a gene that is not normally found in the organism, to express a mutant form of a gene product, or to over-express a dominant-negative form of the gene product. It is particularly useful in the study of the hematopoetic system, where transcriptional regulation is a major control mechanism in the development and differentiation of B cells 1, reviewed in 2-4. Mouse genetics is a powerful tool for the study of human genes and diseases. A comparative analysis of the mouse and human genome reveals conservation of synteny in over 90% of the genome 5. Also, much of the technology used in mouse models is applicable to the study of human genes, for example, gene disruptions and allelic replacement 6. However, the creation of a transgenic mouse requires a great deal of resources of both a financial and technical nature. Several projects have begun to compile libraries of knock out mouse strains (KOMP, EUCOMM, NorCOMM) or mutagenesis induced strains (RIKEN), which require large-scale efforts and collaboration 7. Therefore, it is desirable to first study the phenotype of a desired gene in a cell culture model of primary cells before progressing to a mouse model. Retroviral DNA integrates into the host DNA, preferably within or near transcription units or CpG islands, resulting in stable and heritable expression of the packaged gene of interest while avoiding transcriptional silencing 89. The genes are then transcribed under the control of a high efficiency retroviral promoter, resulting in a high efficiency of transcription and protein production. Therefore, retroviral expression can be used with cells that are difficult to transfect, provided the cells are in an active state during mitosis. Because the structural genes of the virus are contained within the packaging cell line, the expression vectors used to clone the gene of interest contain no structural genes of the virus, which both eliminates the possibility of viral revertants and increases the safety of working with viral supernatants as no infectious virions are produced 10. Here we present a protocol for recombinant retroviral production and subsequent infection of splenic B cells. After isolation, the cultured splenic cells are stimulated with Th derived lymphokines and anti-CD40, which induces a burst of B cell proliferation and differentiation 11. This protocol is ideal for the study of events occurring late in B cell development and differentiation, as B cells are isolated from the spleen following initial hematopoetic events but prior to antigenic stimulation to induce plasmacytic differentiation.
Interexaminer reliability in physical examination of pediatric patients with abdominal pain.

Objective To test the interexaminer reliability of abdominal examinations performed by pediatric emergency medicine physicians and surgeons in an emergency department. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study in which 3 different types of physicians (pediatric emergency department residents, pediatric emergency department attending physicians, and pediatric surgeons in training) independently examined a convenience sample of children (aged 3-19 years) with initial complaint of abdominal pain. The interexaminer reliability of 6 components of the abdominal examination (the presence or absence of abdominal distension, abdominal tenderness to percussion, abdominal tenderness to palpation, abdominal guarding, rebound tenderness, and bowel sounds) and the clinical diagnosis of peritonitis was tested. Results Sixty-eight patients were examined by pediatric emergency department residents and pediatric emergency department attending physicians. All 3 physician types examined 46 of these 68 patients. When comparing residents and attending physicians, the components of the abdominal examination showed less than moderate chance-adjusted agreement (κ range, −0.04 to 0.38). When comparing attending physicians and surgeons, the presence of rebound tenderness showed moderate agreement (κ = 0.54). The rest of the components demonstrated less than moderate chance-adjusted agreement (κ range, −0.04 to 0.34). Conclusions The components of the abdominal examination are poorly reliable between physician types. Only the “rebound tenderness” component of the abdominal examination shows moderate agreement between the pediatric emergency department attending physicians and the surgeon. No component of the abdominal examination appears to be consistently reliable. Interexaminer agreement must be considered when developing management strategies for acute abdomen. Interventions to improve reliability should be developed.
Mechanism for c-axis conduction in graphite intercalation compounds.

The four-probe technique is used to measure the c-axis resistivity of various stages of ${\mathrm{FeCl}}_{3}$ acceptor graphite intercalated compounds. A comprehensive investigation of the resistivity behavior between room and liquid-helium temperatures for stages 2--5 and 9 and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite is presented. The data show a low-stage dependence where the resistivity increases with temperature, an intermediate stage where the temperature variation of the resistivity is small, and a high-stage dependence where the resistivity decreases with temperature. In our case, stage 5 plays the role of the intermediate stage. Stage 5 also exhibits the highest room-temperature resistivity. The c-axis resistivity data are analyzed in terms of the variable-range hopping-conduction model in parallel with band conduction.
Simulation study of World Wide Web traffic over the ATM ABR service

Asynchronous transfer-mode (ATM) is the technology chosen for implementing the broadband integrated services digital network. The performance of internet protocols over ATM is an extremely important research area. As web traffic forms a major portion of the Internet traffic, we model WWW servers and clients running over an ATM network using the available bit rate (ABR) service. The WWW servers are modeled using a variant of the SPECweb96 benchmark, while the WWW clients are based on a model proposed. The traffic generated is typically bursty, having active and idle transmission periods. A timeout occurs after a certain idle interval. During idle periods, the underlying TCP congestion windows remain large until the timer expires. This raises the possibility of large queues at the switches, if the source rates ar not controlled by ABR. We study this problem and show that ABR scales well to a large number of bursty TCP sources in the system.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Multivariate log-skew-elliptical distributions with applications to precipitation data.

SUMMARY We introduce a family of multivariate log-skew-elliptical distributions, extending the list of multivariate distributions with positive support. We investigate their probabilistic properties such as stochastic representations, marginal and conditional distributions, and existence of moments, as well as inferential properties. We demonstrate, for example, that as for the log-t distribution, the positive moments of the log-skew-t distribution do not exist. Our emphasis is on two special cases, the log-skew-normal and log-skew-t distributions, which we use to analyze US national (univariate) and regional (multivariate) monthly precipitation data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is the lateral cervical spine plain film obsolete

Background The objective of this study was to determine the utility of a lateral cervical spine plain film in the evaluation of blunt trauma patients. Methods We prospectively evaluated blunt trauma patients from February 2004 to September 2006 who had both a lateral cervical spine (LCS) film and a computed tomography of the cervical spine (CTC), comparing the diagnostic accuracy of the LCS to the CTC. Results There were 1004 patients who met inclusion criteria. Eighty-four patients had a cervical spine fracture while 920 patients had no fracture on CTC. Of the 84 patients with fractures by CTC, 68 had a negative or incomplete LCS. Of the 920 negative CTC, there were 7 false positive LCSs. LCS compared with CTC showed a sensitivity of 19% (16/84) and positive predictive value of 69.6% (16/23). Of the 981 negative or incomplete LCS films, 96.9% were incomplete (951/981). Of the seven patients with a false positive LCS (negative CTC), none was subsequently found to have a cervical spine fracture on further evaluation. Elimination of the LCS would result in charge savings of $265,056.00 (LCS charges with interpretation, $264 each) and increase patient safety by eliminating error. Conclusions LCS has no value as a screening tool in the blunt trauma patient since most are either inaccurate or incomplete. It should be eliminated from the Advanced Trauma Life Support algorithm, and CTC should receive emphasis as the diagnostic gold standard.
LAMP: the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project aboard the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission

The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) is an ultraviolet imaging spectrograph recently selected for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission. Its main objectives are to (i) identify and localize exposed water frost in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), (ii) characterize landforms and albedos in PSRs, (iii) demonstrate the feasibility of using natural starlight and sky-glow illumination for future lunar surface mission applications, and (iv) characterize the lunar atmosphere and its variability. The LAMP UV spectrograph will accomplish these objectives by measuring the signal reflected from the nightside lunar surface and in PSRs using both the interplanetary HI Lyman-α sky-glow and FUV starlight as light sources. Both these light sources provide fairly uniform, but faint, illumination (e.g., the reflected Lyman-α signal is expected to be ~10 R). Thanks to LAMP's sensitivity, by the end of the 1-year LRO mission the SNR for a Lyman-α albedo map will be >100 in polar regions exceeding 1 km 2 (and >15 for 100×100 m 2 polar regions), allowing the characterization of subtle compositional and structural features. The LAMP instrument is based on the flight-proven ALICE series of spectrographs that are flying on Rosetta and built for flight on NASA's New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission.
Survey in central Kentucky for prevalence of Anoplocephala perfoliata in horses at necrospy in 1992

Abstract A total of 118 horses was examined at necrospy in central Kentucky for the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata . The examination period was between 28 August and 21 December 1992. Prevalence was 64% for Thoroughbreds ( n = 81 examined) and 54% for non-Thoroughbreds ( n = 37 examined). The number of tapeworms per infected horse varied from one to 853. Data on infections are categorized by breed, sex ( n = 38 males, 8 geldings, ad 72 females), age (1–31 years), and month of necropsy of the horses.
Stimulation and inhibition of phytoplankton growth by low molecular weight hydrocarbons

Experiments on 4 phylogenetically different phytoplankton exposed in culture to a range of concentrations of benzene, toluene and xylene showed a variety of growth responses for marine microalgae. The degree of influence of these aromatic hydrocarbons, all components of fuel oils and crude oils, varied with concentration, compound and species. Stimulation of growth in Dunaliella tertiolecta resulted from low μg/l concentrations of all three compounds, Skeletonema costatum showed no growth enhancement, while Cricosphaera carterae and Amphidinium carterae were intermediate in their reactions. Closed culture vessels were found to be necessary to retain these volatile hydrocarbons. Many of the previous laboratory studies on oil using standard methods — cotton plugs, screw caps or beakers — have overlooked the important influence of the volatile fraction. The species-specific stimulation of low concentrations was further shown in experiments with mixtures of No. 2 fuel oil. The volatile fraction was most biologically reactive, being the source of growth enhancement at low levels and a major growth inhibitor at high concentrations. Thus, a significant environmental effect of oil on marine primary production could be the growth stimulation of particular species by low molecular weight aromatic compounds resulting in an alteration of the natural phytoplankton community structure and its trophic relationships.
Petrological, Magnetic and Chemical Properties of Basalt dredged from an Abyssal Hill in the North-east Pacific

OVER the years, samples of basalt from the oceanic crust have been taken mainly from seamounts, fracture zones and ridge and rise crests1–6, and rarely from the vast fields of abyssal hills which cover a large part of the deep-sea floor. The basalt sampled from the deeper regions of the oceanic crust (for example, on fault scarps) is a distinct variety of tholeiitic basalt, while alkali basalt is restricted to the volcanic edifices4. Oceanic tholeiitic basalt differs from alkali basalt and continental tholeiite chiefly in having a relatively low percentage of K2O (0.2 weight per cent)4. Some authors have speculated that this type of tholeiitic basalt is the major extrusion from the upper mantle and constitutes the predominant rock type in the upper oceanic crust.
A compliant end-effector for microscribing

A new end-effector was designed and built for microscribing processes using principles of compliant mechanisms. Initial testing of a chemomechanical microscribing process showed that low forces produce lines that are significantly smoother, more uniform, and exhibit less material chipping. From the testing it is apparent that there is a need for a specialized precision end-effector that (1) is passively controlled, (2) has low axial stiffness, and (3) has high lateral stiffness. To meet these needs a three segment folded-beam compliant mechanism was chosen. This design is passively controlled, has a high axial/lateral stiffness ratio, is ideal for clean sensitive applications, and can be designed for a range of low forces. The axial stiffness of the end-effector was modeled using both the compliant mechanism pseudo-rigid body model and linear-elastic beam theory. The lateral stiffness was modeled using FEA techniques. Ratios of lateral stiffness to axial stiffness were found to be nearly 1000:1. A fatigue analysis was also performed and it was determined that the mechanism could reach approximately 1 billion cycles before failure. The compliant end-effector design is a significant improvement over existing scribing alternatives and can produce smooth and uniform scribed lines that exhibit less material chipping.
PROBLEMS IN SLA

PROBLEMS IN SLA. Michael H. Long. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2007. Pp. v + 201. 27.50 paper.Long's lengthy and productive career as a specialist in SLA affords him exceptional experience and perspective to write about the field, and his latest work does not disappoint. This volume is divided into three sections of unequal lengths: “Theory,” “Research,” and “Practice.” There is a copious list of references, and Long introduces many interesting citations and topics that are new, even to a veteran scholar like me.
Bilateral asymmetry of skin conductance responses during auditory and visual tasks.

Bilateral skin conductance (SC) was recorded while dextral subjects engaged in tasks designed to differentially engage the right (RH) and left (LH) hemispheres. Subjects compared strings of speech sounds (LH) and musical chords (RH). They also decided whether written words rhymed (LH) and viewed pictures of faces in a continuous recognition paradigm (RH). SCRs in the right hand were larger during the chords task than the syllables task. The left hand did not differ for the two stimuli. In the visual experiment a comparable effect was obtained in males only. SCRs in the left hand were larger for rhymes than faces; the right hand did not differentiate between stimuli. Sex differences in laterality are considered. Subjects who were more equally balanced in awareness of the two sides of their bodies and subjects with familial sinistrals were more likely to show task appropriate SC changes. Using rote repetition and visual imagery as mnemonics did not affect SC asymmetries.
PROPERTIES OF ZINC AND MAGNESIUM METHYL BACTERIOPHEOPHORBIDE d AND THEIR AGGREGATES

— Light-harvesting bacteriochlorophylls are believed to he aggregated in oligomcric forms in chlorosomes of green photosynthetic bacteria. Zn and Mg methyl bacteriopheophorhides d (MBPd) were synthesized from chlorophyll a and studied as model compounds for bacteriochlorophyll d. Monomeric Zn and Mg MBPd in methanol have Qy absorption maxima at 650 nm and 657 nm and fluorescence decay lifetimes of 5.1 ns and 5.4 ns, respectively, comparcd to 5.6 ns for bactcriochlorophyll d. Zn and Mg MBPd both form oligomers in nonpolar solvents and exhibit Q, absorption maxima at 728 nm and 731 nm and fluorescence decay lifetimes of 14 ps and 19 ps, respectively, compared to 730 nm and 9 ps for similar bacteriochlorophyll d aggregates. One of the diastereomers at the 3l position, R-Mg MBPd, forms intermediate-sized aggregated species that are equivalent to the dimer and a highly fluorescent species formed by bacteriochlorophylls c and d. The similarities of quantitative propcrtics between the model compounds, and the antenna pigments bacteriochlorophyll c and d indicate that Mg and Zn MBPd are good models for studying pigment interactions in chlorosomes and that the long hydrocarbon tail in the natural pigment is not required for oligomer formation. The dimer and the highly fluorescent species do not appear to be the building blocks of the oligomcr.
Improving the quality of online discussion: the effects of strategies designed based on cognitive load theory principles

This article focuses on heavy cognitive load as the reason for the lack of quality associated with conventional online discussion. Using the principles of cognitive load theory, four online discuss...
Molybdenum perfluorocarbene complexes

Treatment of (η5-C5H5)Mo(CO)3CF3, (η5-C5H5)Mo(CO)2(PPh3)CF3 and (η5-C5H5)Mo(CO)3C3F7 with SbF5 in liquid SO2 yielded the first known fluorocarbene complexes [(η5-C5H5)Mo(CO)3CF2]SbF6, [(η5-C5H5)Mo(CO)2(PPh3)CF2]SbF6, and [(η5-C5H5)Mo(CO)3CFC2F5]SbF6. These have been shown to exist in solution using NMR spectroscopy, but could not be isolated as the pure solids. Also, BF3 can apparently abstract fluoride ion from perfluoroalkyl compounds although in this case no carbene complexes could be observed directly by spectroscopic techniques. These results support earlier spectroscopic studies which indicated a weakening of the carbon—fluorine bonds at the α carbon in perfluoroalkylmetal complexes.
Augmentation of alimentary insulin secretion despite similar gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP) responses in juvenile obesity.

Insulin secretion rates are greater after oral glucose than after parenteral administration of an equivalent glucose load. This augmented β-cell secretory response to an oral glucose load results from the release of mainly two gut hormones: gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1, which potentiate glucose-induced insulin secretion. Because of their insulinotropic action, their abnormal secretion may be involved in the pathogenesis of the hyperinsulinemia of childhood obesity. In this study, we used the hyperglycemic clamp with a small oral glucose load to assess the effect of childhood obesity on GIP response in seven prepubertal lean and 11 prepubertal obese children and in 14 lean adolescents and 10 obese adolescents. Plasma glucose was acutely raised to 11 mM by infusing i.v. glucose and kept at this concentration for 180 min. Each subject ingested oral glucose (30 g) at 120 min, and the glucose infusion was adjusted to maintain the plasma glucose plateau. Basal insulin and C-peptide concentrations and insulin secretion rates (calculated by the deconvolution method) were significantly greater in obese children compared with lean children (p < 0.001). Similarly, during the first 120 min of the clamp, insulin secretion rates were higher in obese than lean children. After oral glucose, plasma insulin, C-peptide, and insulin secretion rates further increased in all four groups. This incretin effect was 2-fold greater in obese versus lean adolescents (p < 0.001). Circulating plasma GIP concentrations were similar at baseline in all four groups and remained unchanged during the first 120 min of the clamp. After oral glucose, plasma GIP concentrations rose sharply in all groups (p < 0.002). Of note, the rise in GIP was similar in both lean and obese children. In conclusion, under conditions of stable hyperglycemia, the ingestion of a small amount of glucose elicited equivalent GIP responses in both lean and obese children. However, despite similar GIP responses, insulin secretion was markedly augmented in obese adolescents. Thus, in juvenile obesity, excessive alimentary β-cell stimulation may be independent of the increased release of GIP.
The Chen–Chvátal conjecture for metric spaces induced by distance-hereditary graphs

Abstract A classical theorem of Euclidean geometry asserts that any noncollinear set of n points in the plane determines at least n distinct lines. Chen and Chvatal conjectured a generalization of this result to arbitrary finite metric spaces, with a particular definition of lines in a metric space. We prove it for metric spaces induced by connected distance-hereditary graphs—a graph G is called distance-hereditary if the distance between two vertices u and v in any connected induced subgraph H of G is equal to the distance between u and v in G .
Declining threshold for hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.

The northwestern Gulf of Mexico shelf has been nicknamed "The Dead Zone" due to annual summertime (May-September) bottom-water hypoxia (dissolved oxygen 20 000 km2) and last for several months. Hypoxia has been attributed to eutrophication caused by increasing nitrogen loads, although directly linking hypoxia to nitrogen is difficult. While the areal extent of hypoxia has been shown to increase with Mississippi River flow, it is unclear whether this increase results from enhanced vertical water-column stratification or from eutrophication caused by river-borne nutrients. Disentangling the relative contributions of eutrophication versus stratification has important management consequences. Our analysis indicates that the top:bottom salinity difference is an important predictor of hypoxia, exhibiting a threshold, where the probability of hypoxia increases rapidly, at approximately 4.1 ppt. Using a Bayesian change-point model, we show that this stratification threshold decreased from 1982 to 2002, indicating the degree of stratification needed to induce hypoxia has gone down. Although this declining threshold does not link hypoxia and nitrogen, it does implicate a long-term factor transcending yearly flow-induced stratification differences. Concurrently, we show that surface temperature increased, while surface dissolved oxygen decreased, suggesting that factors in addition to nitrogen may be influencing the incidence of hypoxia in the bottom water.
Comparative in-vitro activity of SCH 27899, a novel eveminomicin, and vancomycin

The antibacterial activity of SCH 27899, was compared with vancomycin in vitro against 210 recent clinical isolates representing eight major genera of Gram-positive organisms. MIC 90 values for everninomicin were consistently better than those of vancomycin for all Gram-positive bacteria tested. Although everninomicin was less bactericidal than vancomycin against staphylococci, it was inhibitory against vancomycin-resistant enterococci. This novel antibiotic may, therefore, provide a clinical alternative to penicillin and vancomycin for therapy of Gram-positive infections.
Desistance and Protection from Binge Drinking between Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Study of Turning Points and Insulators

This study examines Sampson and Laub's concept of turning point as process as well as event in the explanation of changes and stability in the behavior of binge drinking between adolescence and emerging adulthood. It is hypothesized that marriage and involvement in religious and volunteer activities during the transition to adulthood decrease binge drinking among those who engaged in the behavior during adolescence. For those who did not, marriage and prosocial involvement are expected to function as an insulator protecting them from initiating such use during emerging adulthood. Results from estimating OLS, logistic, and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models, using five waves of national survey data, provide support for the hypothesis about marriage and religious involvement, but not participation in volunteer work.
Surgical management of thyroid disease

The surgical management of thyroid disease and its indications continue to evolve. Selecting the appropriate management can often be challenging to both physician and patient. This article describes the surgical management of various thyroid pathologies. Using contemporary guidelines and clinical experience a framework for selecting appropriate surgical treatment is provided.
Potential use of robots in Taiwanese nursing homes

Nursing homes and long-term care institutions often need technological assistance because of the high ratio of low-functioning residents coupled with a shortage of caregivers. To explore the potential uses of emerging robotic technologies in nursing homes, we apply Forlizzi's concept of the product ecology and a user-centered design approach involving field study and focus groups to understand what kind of robot design would be suitable in the nursing home context. Our preliminary results show that instead of a robot which completely replaces human labor, nursing home staff prefer robot assistants who fit into their working process. We also learned the most appropriate functions for robots in nursing homes were helping with minor tasks and encouraging social interaction among residents.
The Stochastic Volatility of Short‐Term Interest Rates: Some International Evidence

This paper estimates a stochastic volatility model of short-term riskless interest rate dynamics. Estimated interest rate dynamics are broadly similar across a number of countries and reliable evidence of stochastic volatility is found throughout. In contrast to stock returns, interest rate volatility exhibits faster meanreverting behavior and innovations in interest rate volatility are negligibly correlated with innovations in interest rates. The less persistent behavior of interest rate volatility reflects the fact that interest rate dynamics are impacted by transient economic shocks such as central bank announcements and other macroeconomic news. THE PAST DECADE HAS WITNESSED UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH in the market for fixedincome derivatives, domestically as well as internationally. In light of this growth, recent research has attempted to empirically characterize the dynamics of short-term riskless interest rates necessary for the valuation of many of these securities. With few exceptions much of this evidence has been concerned with the behavior of U.S. interest rates. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamics of short-term interest rates across a number of countries. A particularly noteworthy feature, at least of the U.S. evidence, is that the volatility of short-term interest rates is itself volatile. The stochastic nature of volatility is an important property of interest rate dynamics which we wish to focus on in our comparison. To do so practically, this paper implements a computationally efficient and statistically reliable method for estimating stochastic volatility models in finance. We apply this method to Chan et al.'s (1992) specification of short-term riskless interest rate dynamics augmented with stochastic volatility. For a clean international comparison, we use proxies for short-term riskless interest rates drawn from the same market, the London interbank market, over the same sample period. Unlike Nowman (1997), we find that the
Generalized latency-insensitive systems for single-clock and multi-clock architectures

Latency-insensitive systems were recently proposed by Carloni et al. as a correct-by-construction methodology for single-clock system-on-a-chip (SoC) design using predesigned IP blocks. Their approach overcomes the problem of long latencies of global interconnects in deep-submicron technologies, while still maintaining much of the inherent simplicity of synchronous design. In particular, wires whose latency is greater than a clock cycle are segmented using "relay stations", and IP blocks are made robust to arbitrary communication delays. This paper shows, however, that significant extensions are needed to make latency-insensitive systems useful for the practical design of large-scale SoC's. In particular, this paper proposes three extensions. The first extension allows each synchronous module to treat its input and output channels in a much more flexible manner, i.e., with greater decoupling. The second extension generalizes inter-module communication from point-to-point channels to more complex networks of arbitrary topologies. Finally, the third extension is to target multi-clock SoC's. The net impact of our extensions is the potential for improved throughput, reduced power consumption, and greater flexibility in design.
Critical role for Ipaf in Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced caspase-1 activation.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative human pathogen that is responsible for a broad range of infections in individuals with a variety of predisposing conditions. After infection, P. aeruginosa induces a marked inflammatory response in the host. However the mechanisms involved in bacterium recognition and induction of immune responses are poorly understood. Here we report that the Nod-like receptor family member Ipaf is required for optimal bacterial clearance in an in vivo model of P. aeruginosa lung infection. Further analysis showed that bacterial flagellin was essential for caspase-1 and IL-1b and this activity depended on Ipaf and the adaptor ASC but not TLR5. Notably, P. aeruginosa induced macrophage cell death and this event relied on flagellin and Ipaf but not on ASC. Analysis of Pseudomonas mutants revealed that different amino acid residues of flagellin were critical for sensing by Ipaf and TLR5. Finally, activation of caspase-1 and IL-1b secretion by P. aeruginosa required a functional type III secretion system, but not the effector molecules ExoS, ExoT and ExoY. These results provide new insight into the interaction of P. aeruginosa with host macrophages and suggest that distinct regions of flagellin are sensed by Ipaf and TLR5.
An enhanced prediction error filter design for hopped direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) receivers

Prediction error filter (PEF) design for narrowband interference (NBI) excision is examined for a hopped direct-sequence spread-spectrum system. The PEF is obtained by application of the Levinson Durbin algorithm (LDA). Several enhancements are utilized: unbiased autocorrelation estimation and normalization. LDA modification, and PEF weight normalization. The resulting composite technique provides a high-performance excision algorithm. >
Comparison of the abilities of grepafloxacin and clarithromycin to eradicate potential bacterial pathogens from the sputa of patients with chronic bronchitis: influence of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variables.

A randomized open-label study was conducted to compare the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of grepafloxacin with those of clarithromycin in patients with chronic bronchitis whose sputa were colonized with potential bacterial pathogens. Patients received oral grepafloxacin 400 mg od for 10 days (n = 15) or oral clarithromycin 500 mg bd for 10 days (n = 10). Sputum samples were collected before the first dose, 1, 4 and 8 h after a dose on day 1 and then before a dose on days 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 to determine the time to eradication (T(erad)) of the potential bacterial pathogens. Blood samples for measurement of grepafloxacin or clarithromycin and 14-hydroxyclarithromycin concentrations were obtained before a dose and 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 h after doses on days 1 and 5. The area under the inhibitory serum concentration-time curve over 24 h (AUIC(24)), peak serum concentration:MIC ratio (C(max):MIC) and the percentage of the dosing interval during which the serum concentration exceeded the MIC (%tau >MIC) were calculated and serum inhibitory titres (SITs) were determined. Haemophilus spp. were the predominant potential bacterial pathogens and were recovered from the sputa of 24 patients. Strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae were isolated from two patients in the grepafloxacin group and a strain of Moraxella catarrhalis was isolated from one patient in the clarithromycin group. Haemophilus spp. isolates were eradicated from the sputa of 13 of 14 (93%) patients given grepafloxacin, but from only two of 10 (20%) patients given clarithromycin (P MIC (100% versus 0%). A Hill-type model adequately described the relationship between the percentage probability of eradicating potential bacterial pathogens from sputa and the plasma grepafloxacin concentration.
The Relationship Between Maladaptive Eating Behaviors and Racial Identity Among African American Women in College

Research on eating disorders has shown that European American women suffer from eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction more than African American women. However, recent meta-analyses sugge...
The Surface Glycoprotein of Feline Leukemia Virus Isolate FeLV-945 Is a Determinant of Altered Pathogenesis in the Presence or Absence of the Unique Viral Long Terminal Repeat

ABSTRACT Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a naturally transmitted gammaretrovirus that infects domestic cats. FeLV-945, the predominant isolate associated with non-T-cell disease in a natural cohort, is a member of FeLV subgroup A but differs in sequence from the FeLV-A prototype, FeLV-A/61E, in the surface glycoprotein (SU) and long terminal repeat (LTR). Substitution of the FeLV-945 LTR into FeLV-A/61E resulted in pathogenesis indistinguishable from that of FeLV-A/61E, namely, thymic lymphoma of T-cell origin. In contrast, substitution of both FeLV-945 LTR and SU into FeLV-A/61E resulted in multicentric lymphoma of non-T-cell origin. These results implicated the FeLV-945 SU as a determinant of pathogenic spectrum. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that FeLV-945 SU can act in the absence of other unique sequence elements of FeLV-945 to determine the disease spectrum. Substitution of FeLV-A/61E SU with that of FeLV-945 altered the clinical presentation and resulted in tumors that demonstrated expression of CD45R in the presence or absence of CD3. Despite the evident expression of CD45R, a typical B-cell marker, T-cell receptor beta (TCRβ) gene rearrangement indicated a T-cell origin. Tumor cells were detectable in bone marrow and blood at earlier times during the disease process, and the predominant SU genes from proviruses integrated in tumor DNA carried markers of genetic recombination. The findings demonstrate that FeLV-945 SU alters pathogenesis, although incompletely, in the absence of FeLV-945 LTR. Evidence demonstrates that FeLV-945 SU and LTR are required together to fully recapitulate the distinctive non-T-cell disease outcome seen in the natural cohort.
A Compact Model of Phase-Change Memory Based on Rate Equations of Crystallization and Amorphization

In this paper, a compact model of phase-change memory based on the rate equations of crystallization and amorphization will be presented and confirmed by measurement. The model reproduces the nonlinear current-voltage behavior of both the "set" and "reset" states. Temperatures in the phase-change layer are calculated by a thermal equivalent circuit. The temperature-dependent crystallization and amorphization of the phase-change layer are taken into account in order to express resistance changes between the "set" and "reset" states. The crystallization rate is calculated based on the nucleation-growth model. The heat of fusion (the latent heat) is taken into account in the calculation of the amorphization rate.