cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulating interpersonal debt in the bishop's court of Carpentras: litigation, litigators and the court, 1486 and 1487

Using notarial records, this article explains who sued whom at the bishop's court at Carpentras, why they did so and how the court managed people and their debt disputes. In 1486 and 1487, creditors pursued 240 suits over unpaid loans (about three-quarters of the court's business). Litigants spanned the social spectrum and included both Christians and Jews, suggesting that the court was well embedded in the local economy. This diversity, as well as the predominance of ‘horizontal lending’, matches regional trends. Drawing upon anecdotal evidence and quantitative work, the court's procedures, functions and appeal are explained. Since most loans were made orally, proving their existence was difficult. Cases rarely reached rulings and creditors could not expect from ecclesiastical judges the coercive innovations adopted by secular courts. Yet, this church court was a popular forum to authenticate debts, pressure debtors into confession and encourage peaceful, private concords.
Long-Term Urological Response of Neonates With Myelodysplasia Treated Proactively With Intermittent Catheterization and Anticholinergic Therapy

AbstractPurpose: Urinary tract management in children with myelodysplasia is controversial. Some advocate observation alone, while others believe that the prophylactic institution of intermittent catheterization and anticholinergic therapy may help to prevent deterioration.Materials and Methods: A nonrandomized prospective study was instituted to compare the urological outcomes of a cohort of children who were at risk for urological deterioration on the basis of bladder-sphincter dyssynergia and/or high filling or voiding pressures. Those at risk were observed until deterioration occurred, or were placed on prophylactic intermittent catheterization with or without anticholinergic medication.Results: Of 44 children at risk 35 followed by observation alone had urinary tract deterioration, whereas only 3 of 20 at risk treated with prophylactic intermittent catheterization had deterioration with time.Conclusions: Proactive bladder treatment significantly reduced the incidence of upper urinary tract deteriorat...
Computer-administered testing with the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank

Despite studies finding relatively small differences between computer and traditional methods of administering objective personality and cognitive measures, no similar format equivalence research has been done for projective personality measures. The present study compares two groups of college students' responses to either a traditional administration or a computer administration of the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (ISB). No differences were found for subject characteristics of age or gender. The groups receiving different forms of administration differed on the ISB maladjustment score, a global index of psychological difficulties, with the computer administration group exhibiting fewer test signs of maladjustment than the traditional administration group. However, differences between the two forms were small and nonsignificant after adjusting for attitudes towards computers. The findings suggested that computer ISB administration was likely to yield a similar level of disclosure as the traditional ISB administration when nonclinical levels of maladjustment are present. Suggestions are made for further research, including the use of contrasting samples and additional projective instruments.
Non-homologous recombination of deoxyribonucleoside kinases from human and Drosophila melanogaster yields human-like enzymes with novel activities.

In antiviral and cancer therapy, deoxyribonucleoside kinases (dNKs) are often the rate-limiting step in activating nucleoside analog (NA) prodrugs into their cytotoxic, phosphorylated forms. We have constructed libraries of hybrid enzymes by non-homologous recombination of the pyrimidine-specific human thymidine kinase 2 and the broad-specificity dNK from Drosophila melanogaster; their low sequence identity has precluded engineering by conventional, homology-dependent shuffling techniques. From these libraries, we identified chimeras that phosphorylate nucleoside analogs with higher activity than either parental enzyme, and that possess new activity towards the anti-HIV prodrug 2′,3′-didehydro-3′-deoxythymidine (d4T). These results demonstrate the potential of non-homologous recombination within the dNK family for creating enzymes with new and improved activities towards nucleoside analogs. In addition, our results exposed a previously unknown role for the C-terminal regions of these dNKs in determining substrate selectivity.
Aerodynamic characteristics of an airfoil in a nonuniform wind profile

An experimental wind tunnel investigation was carried out to determine the influence of a nonuniform wind profile on the static longitudinal aerodynamic coefficients (c(, cd, cm) of an airfoil. Force balance and surface pressure measurements were obtained from an NACA 0018 airfoil in a linear velocity gradient. The airfoil was tested in a Reynolds number range from 7.5x I04 to 2.0 x 105, with endplates to simulate an infinite wing, and with the outboard endplate removed to simulate a finite wing. The effect of grit on the surface of the airfoil was also investigated. The influence of the velocity gradient on the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil was found to be small, especially in comparison to the effects of the grit.
A Concise Synthesis of the Pennsylvania Green Fluorophore and Labeling of Intracellular Targets with O6-Benzylguanine Derivatives

We report improved syntheses of the Pennsylvania Green and 4-carboxy-Pennsylvania Green fluorophores; the latter compound was prepared from methyl 4-iodo-3-methylbenzoate in a three-pot process (32% overall yield). Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase fusion proteins were treated with Pennsylvania Green and Oregon Green linked to O6-benzylguanine (SNAP-Tag substrates). Analysis of living cells by confocal microscopy revealed that Pennsylvania Green derivatives exhibit substantially higher cell permeability than analogous Oregon Green-derived molecular probes.
Feline cystinuria caused by a missense mutation in the SLC3A1 gene.

Background Cystinuria is an inherited metabolic disease that is relatively common in dogs, but rare in cats and is characterized by defective amino acid reabsorption, leading to cystine urolithiasis. Objectives The aim of this study was to report on a mutation in a cystinuric cat. Animals A male domestic shorthair (DSH) cat with cystine calculi, 11 control cats from Wyoming, and 54 DSH and purebred control cats from elsewhere in the United States. Methods Exons of the SLC3A1 gene were sequenced from genomic DNA of the cystinuric cat and a healthy cat. Genetic screening for the discovered polymorphisms was conducted on all cats. Results A DSH cat showed stranguria beginning at 2 months of age, and cystine calculi were removed at 4 months of age. The cat was euthanized at 6 months of age because of neurological signs possibly related to arginine deficiency. Twenty-five SLC3A1 polymorphisms were observed in the sequenced cats when compared to the feline reference sequence. The cystinuric cat was homozygous for 5 exonic and 8 noncoding SLC3A1 polymorphisms, and 1 of them was a unique missense mutation (c.1342C>T). This mutation results in a deleterious amino acid substitution (p.Arg448Trp) of a highly conserved arginine residue in the rBAT protein encoded by the SLC3A1 gene. This mutation was found previously in cystinuric human patients, but was not seen in any other tested cats. Conclusions and Clinical Importance This study is the first report of an SLC3A1 mutation causing cystinuria in a cat, and could be used to characterize other cystinuric cats at the molecular level.
Effect of remote sea surface temperature change on tropical cyclone potential intensity

The response of tropical cyclone activity to global warming is widely debated. It is often assumed that warmer sea surface temperatures provide a more favourable environment for the development and intensification of tropical cyclones, but cyclone genesis and intensity are also affected by the vertical thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere. Here we use climate models and observational reconstructions to explore the relationship between changes in sea surface temperature and tropical cyclone 'potential intensity'--a measure that provides an upper bound on cyclone intensity and can also reflect the likelihood of cyclone development. We find that changes in local sea surface temperature are inadequate for characterizing even the sign of changes in potential intensity, but that long-term changes in potential intensity are closely related to the regional structure of warming; regions that warm more than the tropical average are characterized by increased potential intensity, and vice versa. We use this relationship to reconstruct changes in potential intensity over the twentieth century from observational reconstructions of sea surface temperature. We find that, even though tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures are currently at a historical high, Atlantic potential intensity probably peaked in the 1930s and 1950s, and recent values are near the historical average. Our results indicate that--per unit local sea surface temperature change--the response of tropical cyclone activity to natural climate variations, which tend to involve localized changes in sea surface temperature, may be larger than the response to the more uniform patterns of greenhouse-gas-induced warming.
NEURAL AND PHOTIC REGULATION OF 5-HYDROXYTRYPTOPHAN DECARBOXYLASE IN THE RAT PINEAL GLAND.

THE mammalian pineal gland has high concentrations of serotonin1–3 and of 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase (5-HTPD) (ref. 4), the enzyme which synthesizes serotonin. Innervation of the rat pineal gland is derived largely or solely from sympathetic nerve fibres the cell bodies of which are located in the superior cervical ganglia5. Fluorescent microscopic findings indicate that a large part of pineal serotonin content is localized in sympathetic nerve endings2. Following superior cervical ganglionectomy, the specific indole fluorescence in these nerves disappears2 and there is a 50 per cent decrease in pineal serotonin2,3.
Executive functioning in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: questioning the notion of planning deficits with heart rate reactivity.

This study employed a paired stimulus paradigm to compare phasic changes in heart rate among children (age categories 6–8, 9–10, and 11–12) and adults (age categories 18–19 and 20–22) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and age-matched controls. A sample of 95 participants (19 ADHD-diagnosed children, 34 controls, 20 ADHD-diagnosed adults, and 22 controls) solved a planning task, the Tower of London, through 4 levels of difficulty. It was hypothesized that groups with ADHD would show greater heart rate acceleration and less final deceleration than would controls, and that these heart rate responses would change with age and difficulty level as well. Though heart rate differences were found among age categories and difficulty levels, none were found between participants with ADHD and controls. The lack of ADHD differences are not consistent with the behavioral evidence that planning by itself is one of the marked executive function deficits in ADHD. Because ADHD differences were not evident, the effects either were not present or were smaller than that of difficulty level and age. Possible explanations for this lack of difference and future directions are discussed.
Intracardiac echocardiography for the detection of left atrial appendage thrombus

Aims: Analysis of the real time impedance changes obtained between the tip of an 8 mm ablation catheter and the ground patch as predictors of the entry into the Pulmonary veins (PV) before and after circumferential isolation of PV. Methods: We performed a circumferential ablation of the PV in 42 patients (35 males; mean age :49 9 years) using CARTO (Biosense-Webster) for left atrium electroanatomic reconstruction. The identification of the venoatrial junction was done by the catheter jump on fluoroscopy to the atria on the pull-back from the PV and by the voltage inversion of the bipolar electrograms between the distal and proximal electrodes of an 8 mm tip Navistar (Biosense-Webster) catheter. We compared the real time impedance 1 cm inside the PV and at the periostial wall before and after ablation. Results: We observed a progressive decrease of impedance as the catheter was withdrawn from the PV before and after PV circumferential ablation. The values of impedances after ablation were significantly lower in and outside the PV although the impedance gradient was maintained.
Nanostructured manganese oxides as lithium battery cathode materials

We have designed and synthesized a novel nanocrystalline manganese oxide with a nanofibrous morphology by employing an electrodeposition process in the presence of a non-ionic surfactant. This unique nanoporous/nanocrystalline material effectively accommodates the structural transformation during lithium insertion and avoids deleterious morphological changes as observed in battery materials composed of large particles. Consequently, the material exhibits outstanding cycling stability in addition to its high discharge capacity.
A regression approach for estimating the parameters of the covariance function of a stationary spatial random process

Abstract We consider the problem of estimating the parameters of the covariance function of a stationary spatial random process. In spatial statistics, there are widely used parametric forms for the covariance functions, and various methods for estimating the parameters have been proposed in the literature. We develop a method for estimating the parameters of the covariance function that is based on a regression approach. Our method utilizes pairs of observations whose distances are closest to a value h > 0 which is chosen in a way that the estimated correlation at distance h is a predetermined value. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our procedure by simulation studies and an application to a water pH data set. Simulation studies show that our method outperforms all well-known least squares-based approaches to the variogram estimation and is comparable to the maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters of the covariance function. We also show that under a mixing condition on the random field, the proposed estimator is consistent for standard one parameter models for stationary correlation functions.
P53-independent downregulation of p73 in human cancer cells treated with Adriamycin

P73, a new p53 homologue, has been recently identified as a candidate tumor suppressor gene. Purpose: We studied the alterations in p73 in a panel of human cancer cell lines treated with the chemotherapeutic agent, Adriamycin (ADR), in comparison with the changes in p53. Methods: P73 and p53 mRNA and protein were determined using semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. ADR cytotoxicity was examined by a trypan blue dye exclusion assay. Results: The cell lines bearing wild-type p53 were more susceptible to ADR than the cell lines bearing mutant p53. ADR treatment resulted in a significant accumulation of p53 protein and mRNA expression in the wild-type p53 cell lines and caused little (slight increase) or no influence on p53 expression in the cell lines with p53 mutation and deletion. However, in striking contrast to the alterations in p53, a decline in p73 at both the protein and mRNA levels was observed in all the cell lines examined following ADR treatment. Further studies indicated that this p53-independent downregulation of p73 was induced by ADR in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, the p73 protein decline was abrogated by the presence of proteasome inhibitors. Conclusions: Our findings revealed that although p73 shares a similar structural and functional composition with p53, there is a significant difference in the mechanisms that govern the responses of p53 and p73 to ADR-induced DNA damage.
Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors Enhance Chemotherapy Killing in Gastrointestinal/Genitourinary Cancer Cells

The present studies determined whether clinically relevant phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors interacted with clinically relevant chemotherapies to kill gastrointestinal/genitourinary cancer cells. In bladder cancer cells, regardless of H-RAS mutational status, at clinically achievable doses, PDE5 inhibitors interacted in a greater than additive fashion with doxorubicin/mitomycin C/gemcitabine/cisplatin/paclitaxel to cause cell death. In pancreatic tumor cells expressing mutant active K-RAS, PDE5 inhibitors interacted in a greater than additive fashion with doxorubicin/gemcitabine/paclitaxel to cause cell death. The most potent PDE5 inhibitor was sildenafil. Knock down of PDE5 expression recapitulated the combination effects of PDE5 inhibitor drugs with chemotherapy drugs. Expression of cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein-short did not significantly inhibit chemotherapy lethality but did significantly reduce enhanced killing in combination with sildenafil. Overexpression of B-cell lymphoma–extra large suppressed individual and combination drug toxicities. Knock down of CD95 or Fas-associated death domain protein suppressed drug combination toxicity. Combination toxicity was also abolished by necrostatin or receptor interacting protein 1 knock down. Treatment with PDE5 inhibitors and chemotherapy drugs promoted autophagy, which was maximal at ∼24 hour posttreatment, and 3-methyl adenine or knock down of Beclin1 suppressed drug combination lethality by ∼50%. PDE5 inhibitors enhanced and prolonged the induction of DNA damage as judged by Comet assays and γhistone 2AX (γH2AX) and checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2) phosphorylation. Knock down of ataxia telangiectasia mutated suppressed γH2AX and CHK2 phosphorylation and enhanced drug combination lethality. Collectively our data demonstrate that the combination of PDE5 inhibitors with standard of care chemotherapy agents for gastrointestinal/genitourinary cancers represents a novel modality.
ESTIMATING MEDIAN VELOCITY INSTEAD OF MEAN VELOCITY AT SINGLE LOOP DETECTORS

Loop detectors are the preeminent vehicle detector for freeway traffic surveillance. Although single loops have been used for decades, debate continues on how to interpret the measurements. Many researchers have sought better estimates of velocity from single loops. The preceding work has emphasized techniques that use many samples of aggregate flow and occupancy to reduce the estimation error. Although rarely noted, these techniques effectively seek to reduce the bias due to long vehicles in measured occupancy. This paper presents a different approach, using a new aggregation methodology to estimate velocity and reduce the impact of long vehicles in the original traffic measurements. In contrast to conventional practice, the new estimate significantly reduces velocity estimation errors when it is not possible to control for a wide range of vehicle lengths.
The effect of conceptual complexity on information search in a complex problem-solving task

Individuals varying in their level of integrative complexity (Schroder, Driver, & Streufert, 1966) requested information about a novel environment for use in solving a complex problem. Ss who are integratively complex are more active in this type of learning task (ask more questions) and request different types of information than their integratively simple counterparts.
The appeal of minimum wage laws: A dynamic analysis

In an article appearing in an earlier issue of this Journal, Frank Steindl (1973), presented a model explaining why politicians might support a minimum wage law even if they believe that it will cause some unemployment. Briefly, Steindl's argument was that a minimum wage law would injure some workers because they would be unable to find work at the minimum wage, but that it would benefit other workers by raising their wages. Presumably, a politician voting for the minimum wage would gain support among the second group and lose support among the first group. Therefore, if the number of individuals receiving higher wages is larger than the number of individuals who are unable to find jobs as a result of the minimum wage law, a vote-maximizing politician would favor the law. In Figure 1, which shows the demand and supply of the class of labor that would be affected by the minimum wage, workers ON1 favor the law, and workers N1N2 would be opposed, where W1 is the minimum wage. The purpose of this paper is to extend Steindl's model by demonstrating that the character of the analysis is substantially modified when examined within a dynamic framework. Steindl's model implies that one group of individuals will become permanently unemployed as a result of the minimum wage law. In a dynamic setting this normally will not be true. New job openings are constantly appearing as employees quit their jobs or are fired, and the excess supply of labor caused by the minimum wage law would not keep the currently unemployed from ever finding new jobs. It will only make their job search more difficult, and, therefore, increase the average length of time that they remain unemployed. There is a rapid rate of turnover for unskilled workers, who are the ones affected by the minimum wage law. As a result, over a period of time, the average unskilled worker will be employed part of the time and unemployed part of the time. If the workers in this group do not differ significantly from one another in their propensity to quit or be fired, then over a period of time, the unemployment created by the minimum wage will be shared by the members of the group. Each individual will find that when moving from one job to another, the time he is unemployed will increase. He will also find that when working, his wages will be higher than before. Therefore, the gains due to the increased wages are also shared by members of the group. When estimating the effect of the minimum wage law, the members of this group should consider the average effect of the law during periods of employment and unemployment, rather than viewing themselves as either permanently unemployed or permanently receiving higher wages as a result of the laws.1
The primary structure af sheep pituitary growth hormone

Abstract The complete amino acid sequence of the sheep growth hormone molecule has been elucidated. The proposed structure is shown. It consists of 191 amino acid residues with two disulfide bridges formed by residues 53–164 and 181–189.
Thyroid and adrenal regulation in the steroid-sterilized rat.

Female rats, which had been rendered anovulatory by postnatal injection of testosterone propionate or estradiol benzoate, were subjected to 0.05% propylthiouracil (PTU) feeding or unilateral adrenalectomy. Following treatment normal goiter developed. Although significant hypertrophy occurred after unilateral adrenalectomy, this response was below that of normal rats. The steroidsterilized rat apparently can respond to a decrease in thyroxin or adrenal corticoid levels. (Endocrinology 77: 406, 1965)
Transport of a novel anti-cancer agent, fenretinide across Caco-2 monolayers.

Fenretinide is a synthetic retinoid with chemotherapeutic activity against various malignancies. Upon oral administration to animals, fenretinide was found to be incompletely absorbed and excreted primarily in feces. The purpose of this study was to determine the possible reasons for poor oral absorption of fenretinide using Caco-2 cell monolayers. To achieve this purpose, a solid dispersion of fenretinide with Povidone K25 was used. The apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) of fenretinide across Caco-2 monolayers in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the receiver was determined. Apical to basolateral (AP-BL) and basolateral to apical (BL-AP) flux studies were performed to determine the role of an efflux mechanism. In the presence of 4% BSA in the receiver, the Papp was found to be (8.8 ± 0.5) × 10−8 cm/sec. The AP-BL flux increased linearly with an increase in fenretinide concentration (125–640 μM) in the presence of 4% BSA in the receiver. Efflux and paracellular pathways played an insignificant role in the permeability of fenretinide. A significant amount of drug, approximately 13–15% of the initial amount accumulated in the cell membrane. The amount of fenretinide in the donor decreased by 16% over a 3 h period. However, only 0.12% of the initial amount was found in the receiver. Also, the Papp increased with an increase in plasma protein concentration in the receiver. On the basis of these results, the poor permeability of fenretinide can be attributed to its accumulation in the lipophilic cell membrane and poor partitioning into the receiver medium.
Florence Kelley: A Factory Inspector Campaigns Against Sweatshop Labor

FLORENCE KELLEY WAS perhaps the most famous and effective of the labor commissioners, appointed in Progressive Era America, to inspect factory working conditions and determine their level of compliance with the new protective labor legislation passed in the early 20th century.1 Kelley began life as a feminist and social democrat. She studied at the University of Zurich, at that time the only European university to grant degrees to women; married a Russian Jewish socialist medical student; joined the German Social Democratic Party; and translated into English Friedrich Engels’ The Condition of the Working Class in England.2–4 Back in America, she left her by now abusive husband, moved to Chicago, lived in Jane Addams’ Hull House, completed a law degree, and became a leader of the fight against unsafe labor conditions. She visited roughly a thousand “sweaters’ victims” in the garment industry, recording their conditions both at work and at home. Hearing of her reputation, Carroll Wright, head of the US Department of Labor, hired her to direct a cadre of workers to collect data on every house, tenement, and room in the Nineteenth Ward of Chicago. Kelley often spoke at protest meetings against sweatshop conditions. In 1892 she wrote a sweeping report on the sweat-shop problem, from which this selection is a brief extract. (Extracts from the entire report can be accessed at http://womhist.binghamton.edu/factory/doclist.htm.) Her recommendations were adopted by the Illinois legislature, which in 1893 passed a law limiting women and children’s working hours to 8 per day, prohibiting sweatshops, and creating a factory inspector’s office with a staff of 12, half of whom had to be women. Kelley was immediately appointed chief factory inspector, and she summarized her highly effective reform strategy in 4 words: “investigate, educate, legislate, enforce.”5 Although the Illinois Manufacturers Association fought Kelley and won a Supreme Court battle declaring the limitation of women’s wage labor to 8 hours per day to be unconstitutional, and although Kelley lost her job as chief factory inspector, she was undeterred. She agreed to serve as secretary of the newly formed National Consumers League (NCL) and transformed that organization into the nation’s leading exponent of protective labor legislation for women and children. Kelley built 64 local consumer leagues across the country to help promote and pass labor legislation. In 1908, a case between the Oregon NCL and a local laundry owner was argued by Louis D. Brandeis; the court upheld as constitutional an Oregon law limiting women’s wage labor to 10 hours a day. Other states would soon agree to limit the hours of labor for women and children and, ultimately, for all workers.
Rapid in vivo labeling of identified zebrafish neurons

We report a simple and rapid method to label individual neurons in live zebrafish embryos and to examine their gene expression profiles. Injection of plasmid DNA encoding an alpha-tubulin promotor driving GFP expression results in mosaic embryos containing a limited number of GFP-positive neurons. Labeled neurons express GFP in their soma and axon, providing the opportunity to analyze pathfinding behaviors of identified neurons in vivo. Moreover, the presence of only a small subset of GFP tagged neurons permits the rapid anatomical identification of these neurons based on soma position and axonal trajectory. Analysis of injected embryos reveals that most, if not all, spinal cord cell types and many other neuronal cell types elsewhere in the nervous system can be GFP tagged. Finally, by combining GFP labeling of individual neurons with fluorescent in situ hybridization, we demonstrate the potential of this method to elucidate gene expression patterns at single cell resolution.
Mothers' Parenting and Young Economically Disadvantaged Children's Relational and Overt Bullying

We examined links between mothers' parenting and children's relational bullying and overt bullying in a sample of children attending a Head Start program. Mothers completed surveys and face-to-face interviews. Head Start teachers completed assessments on children. Results indicated that a small percentage of children in the sample was rated by teachers as engaging in relational bullying “frequently to almost always,” and slightly over half of the sample was rated by teachers as engaging in relational bullying “occasionally to about half of the time.” Similar results were found for the frequency with which children engaged in overt physical bullying. Regarding mothers' parenting, maternal empathy was most strongly correlated with both children's relational bullying and overt physical bullying. In addition, mothers' inappropriate developmental expectations for children and mothers' need to exert power over children rather than grant them independence were related to children's relational bullying. A composite variable for mothering predicted 11% of the variance in children's relational bullying. No gender differences were found for children's relational bullying and children's overt bullying.
Radiation Effects on Graphite Fiber Reinforced Composites

The effects of radiation on graphite fiber reinforced composites, particularly those using an epoxy matrix, are reviewed. Specifically, it is concluded that there is no catastrophic deterioration o...
Cyclic oxidation resistance of a reaction milled NiAl-AlN composite

Based upon recent mechanical property tests a NiAl-AlN composite produced by cryomilling has very attractive high temperature strength. This paper focuses on the oxidation resistance of the NiAl-AlN composite at 1473 and 1573 K as compared to that of Ni-47Al-0.15Zr, one of the most oxidation resistant intermetallics. The results of cyclic oxidation tests show that the NiAl-AlN composite has excellent properties although not quite as good as those of Ni-47Al-0.15Zr. The onset of failure of the NiAl-AlN was unique in that it was not accompanied by a change in scale composition from alumina to less protective oxides. Failure in the composite appears to be related to the entrapment of AlN particles within the alumina scale.
A simple method for the quantitative microextraction of polychlorinated biphenyls from soils and sediments.

Abstract We demonstrate the quantitative extraction of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from environmental solids by using a microscale adaptation of pressurized fluid extraction (μPFE). The stainless steel extraction cells are filled with a solid sample and solvent and are heated at elevated temperature. After cooling the cell to room temperature, we determined PCBs in the extract by direct injection to a gas chromatograph with an electron capture detection system. This extraction method was tested on a set of PCB-spiked solid matrices and on a PCB-contaminated river sediment (KIST SRM 1939). Recoveries were measured for eight PCB congeners spiked into two soil types with hexane extraction at 100°C (>81.9 ± 5.4% to 112.5 ± 10.1 %). The extraction process for SRM 1939 with hexane at 300°C provided significantly higher recoveries for several representative PCB congeners than reported for a duplicate 16-hour Soy-Wet extraction with a mixture of organic solvents (acetone/hexane).
Towards implementing the menon report: A systems approach using ISM

This paper discusses one procedure for examining technology policy objectives. A set of technology policy objectives was selected from a report prepared by a group of Commonwealth experts. These were then partially structured using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) methodology. The resulting structure is presented and discussed. Deductions made from these are used to indicate a possible mode of efficiently implementing the main policy recommendations of the expert report consistent with the value system of the society concerned.
Recommended Modification Of LOWTRAN 4 To Include First Order Solar Scattering

The atmospheric transmittance and radiance code LOWTRAN 4 has been modified to include first order scattering of sunlight into the line of sight. This scattering becomes important for wavelengths shorter than 5μm under daytime conditions. The radiance due to both aerosol and molecular scattering is combined with atmospheric extinction and thermal emission already contained in the model. A mean phase function is defined by averaging over a given aerosol size distribution, composition, and wavelength in order to simplify the calculations. A comparison of the model with observational data is presented.© (1979) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An investigation of electro-thermal instabilities in 150 GHz SiGe HBTs fabricated on SOI

We investigate, for the first time, the electro-thermal stability of 150 GHz SiGe HBTs that were optimized for bulk-Si and then fabricated on SOI substrates to enable a direct comparison. AC, DC and pulsed measurements are used to characterize the devices and study the onset of electro-thermal instabilities. Implications of electro-thermal feedback induced instabilities resulting from self-heating are discussed, along with consequent electrical biasing constraints imposed on the device. Figures-of-merit are proposed as effective tools for comparing devices with strong self-heating effects. TCAD is used to predict the implications for performance scaling and BiCMOS technology development for SiGe on SOI platforms.
The subdiffusive targeting problem.

Recent experiments in living cells have observed subdiffusive motion, where the mean squared displacement of a molecule grows sublinearly with time as 〈x 2〉 ∼ tα. Motivated by these experiments, we develop a theory for subdiffusion-limited bimolecular enzyme kinetics. As in normal diffusion, the statistics of the reaction times depend on the ratio between the distance to the target and the reaction rate in a scale invariant manner. Contrary to some studies, we find no critical value of α and therefore no evidence to suggest that it has been a target of evolutionary optimization.
Quantifying urban land cover change between 2001 and 2006 in the Gulf of Mexico region

We estimated urbanization rates (2001–2006) in the Gulf of Mexico region using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 and 2006 impervious surface products. An improved method was used to update the NLCD impervious surface product in 2006 and associated land cover transition between 2001 and 2006. Our estimation reveals that impervious surface increased 416 km2 with a growth rate of 5.8% between 2001 and 2006. Approximately 1110.1 km2 of non-urban lands were converted into urban land, resulting in a 3.2% increase in the region. Hay/pasture, woody wetland, and evergreen forest represented the three most common land cover classes that transitioned to urban. Among these land cover transitions, more than 50% of the urbanization occurred within 50 km of the coast. Our analysis shows that the close-to-coast land cover transition trend, especially within 10 km off the coast, potentially imposes substantial long-term impacts on regional landscape and ecological conditions.
God-Mediated Control and Change in Self-Rated Health

The purpose of this study was to see if feelings of God-mediated control are associated with change in self-rated health over time. In the process, an effort was made to see if a sense of meaning in life and optimism mediated the relationship between God-mediated control and change in health. The following hypothesized relationships were contained in the conceptual model that was developed to evaluate these issues: (1) people who go to church more often tend to have stronger God-mediated control beliefs than individuals who do not attend worship services as often; (2) people with a strong sense of God-mediated control are more likely to find a sense of meaning in life and be more optimistic than individuals who do not have a strong sense of God-mediated control; (3) people who are optimistic and who have a strong sense of meaning in life will rate their health more favorably over time than individuals who are not optimistic, as well as individuals who have not found a sense of meaning in life. Data from a longitudinal nationwide survey of older adults provided support for each of these hypotheses.
An elastic, plastic theory of longitudinal growth stresses

The problem of predicting the distribution of longitudinal growth stresses in a symmetrical, standing, woody stem is treated. It is assumed that coupling effects between longitudinal and transverse stress components are negligible so that the longitudinal stress distribution can be determined independently. One novel feature introduced in this analysis is that the material behaviour is assummed to be elastic, plastic rather than wholly elastic as in previous analyses of this problem. This assumption successfully limits the maximum intensity of the longitudinal compressive stress near the center of the stem. Another novel feature of the present analysis is that the initial, longitudinal, tensile stress at the periphery of the stem varies inversely with the size of the stem rather than being assumed constant as in previous analyses. Results obtained from this analysis are compared with previously published experimental data for curvatures and length changes of strips cut from diametral planks. The agreement is very good with the length change data over a wide range of stem sizes.
The electronic structure of some non-kekule conjugated polymers

Summary form only given. Unique new ladder polymers, made recently by Scherf and Mullen and consisting of condensed succession of six and five membered conjugated carbon rings, open up the opportunity to synthesize polymeric materials with surprising properties. The electronic structures of several isomers have been studied, using geometry optimization, self-consistent field calculations and spin-unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculations. The fundamental parameters of the electronic structure of these non-Kekule polymers is very sensitive to the topology of the isomers. Some are intrinsically small band gap polymers, others have intermediate bandgaps. In some instances the high spin ground state is favored over a Peierls-distorted small bandgap state, or an antiferromagnetically coupled state. Calculated data are compared with experiment, where data are available. These comparisons include planarized poly-phenylenes.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of red blood cell membranes

Three reversed-phase (Hi-Pore RP-318, Hi-Pore RP-304, and Bio-Gel TSK Phenyl-RP+) and one hydrophobic-interaction (Bio-Gel TSK Phenyl-5PW) columns were used in a Bio-Rad chromatography system to separate the membrane proteins of human erythrocytes. A linear gradient, starting with 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid and ending with 95% acetonitrile and 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid was used. The four columns demonstrated slightly different selectivities for the proteins in ghosts. These profiles were further altered when ghosts were solubilized with 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. The columns with less hydrophobic packings and larger pore sizes appear to be best suited for reversed-phase analyses of erythrocyte membrane proteins. Detergent solubilization was unnecessary for good resolution of the protein components.
Premature fractures of platinum-cured Silastic shunts.

Experience with one unitized ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt system has disclosed an unacceptably high rate of premature distal shunt tube fracturing. From March, 1986, to February, 1989, 114 new or replacement unitized. VP shunts were placed; the patients were followed through November, 1991. Twenty-two (19.3%) returned with peritoneal limb fractures, with a mean time from shunt implantation to fracture of 31.5±11.3 months (range 15–62 months). All shunts broke in the neck 1.1–11.2 cm below the valve. Of the 22 cases, there were no instances of infection, previous peritoneal limb revisions, or recognizable iatrogenic shunt injury at placement. These fractures also occurred earlier than the usual time expected for biodegradation of shunt tubing. The Silastic tubing in all of these shunts had been manufactured using a more recent platinum-curing process. This tubing has decreased elastance and is more brittle than tubing cured with the previously used dichlorobenzoyl peroxide (DCBP) catalyst. Our studies suggest that the premature shunt tube fractures were related to changes in physical characteristics of the platinum-cured Silastic tubing. Therefore, the DCBP-cured Silastic is to be considered preferable for shunting products. Neurosurgeons are asked to report recurring patterns of shunt system failure.
The Never-Married in Later Life

Sources or consequences of singlehood are analyzed for the 162 never-married persons aged 50 and over from the six years of the NORC General Social Surveys. Highly-educated older women are most likely to remain single, but family background was not a predictor. Although the never-married find life more exciting than other marital statuses among younger (25 to 49) respondents, this reverses in later life. The never-married are also less happy than the married, and only slightly happier than the widowed and divorced. The characteristic that best explains their relative unhappiness is greater dissatisfaction with family life. The lower well-being of the never-married is attributable either to changes accompanying aging which lessen the viability of single life styles, or to less support of single living among current older cohorts.
Calculation of semiclassical transition frequencies from short-time classical trajectories

Abstract The multiple signal classification method (MUSIC) for frequency estimation is used to compute semiclassical transition frequencies for the Henon-Heiles potential and a three-mode model of H 2 O. Only very short-time correlation functions are needed to compute transition frequencies, and classically chaotic dissociative trajectories can be used in some cases. The method is shown to lead to very significant reduction of necessary trajectory integration times.
Symmetrical Compounds in Khmer

Binomial coordinate compounds like English give and take are frequent in Khmer. Once the semantic motivation of these is opaque, the ones that survive are predominantly those which manifest some formal symmetry in the structure of their conjoined roots. The result is that Khmer has an enormous number of words like pell mell or zigzag, but, unlike the English examples, these have neither playful nor pejorative connotations. Moreover, the structural basis of their symmetry is neither rhyme, as in pell mell, nor ablaut, as in zigzag, but alliteration. A cursory survey of some other languages in which symmetrical reduplicative compounds exist reveals that alliteration is extremely rare outside of Southeast Asian languages. At the very least, the abundance of compounds of the spic and span type is an areal feature. But it may be that it correlates with an even more restricted typological feature as well. Khmer, like Thai, is an exclusively prefixing language. There is a well-known cognitive basis for preserving parallelism or symmetry in the backgrounded rather than the focussed portions of things that are brought together. It may be that this principle can account for the tendency to mark symmetry in the initial portion of words in a prefixing language.
A novel rearrangement of 2(5H)-furanones

A novel rearrangement of 2(5H)-furanones is described. When refluxed in aq. Ethanolic solution in the presence of excess KOH, the 2,5-dihydro-2-oxofuran-3-carboxamides 6 underwent a novel rearrangement to the corresponding 4,5-dihydro-4-oxo-2-(phenylamino)-3-furancarboxylic acids 1 in moderate-to-excellent yields.
Changes in brachytherapy-based APBI patient selection immediately before and after publication of the ASTRO consensus statement

Purpose In July 2009, American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) released a consensus statement (CS) to guide patient selection for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). The goal of this study was to examine how practice patterns changed following the guideline's release. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried from 2008 to 2010 for females aged ≥20 years receiving breast conservation via brachytherapy. Among the APBI cohort, characteristics and CS grouping (“suitable,” “cautionary,” or “unsuitable”) of patients receiving APBI in the 18 months before (January 2008 to June 2009) and after (July 2009 to December 2010) guideline publication were analyzed. Results A total of 87,528 patients undergoing breast conservation therapy were identified. Of this, 4,253 patients (4.9%) received brachytherapy-based APBI. Limiting the analysis to patients not missing data that would affect their CS classification rendered 3,828 patients. The proportion of breast conservation patients receiving brachytherapy-based APBI before and after CS release remained the same (4.9% vs. 4.8%, p = 0.36). Among patients receiving brachytherapy-based APBI, the unsuitable category decreased (15.8 vs. 11.1%, p < 0.01), whereas the suitable category increased (37.7% vs. 42.1%, p = 0.03), and the cautionary category was stable (46.5% vs. 46.7% p = 0.90) after guideline publication. Joinpoint regression analysis failed to reveal that the changes in practice patterns corresponded with the CS publication date. Conclusions The period before and after publication of the ASTRO CS was associated with a decrease in “unsuitable” patients and an increase in “suitable” patients being treated with brachytherapy-based APBI. This trend began before guideline release and thus cannot be definitively attributed to the ASTRO CS.
Second response to comments by M.J. Neatrour on Maxwell's equations

For original papers by Harmuth see ibid., vol.28, no.4, p.250, p.259, p.267 (1986). For Neatrour's article see ibid., vol.29, no.3, p.258 (1987). The question of whether the authors' previous modification of Maxwell's equations adds anything new to physics is addressed. Several plots of electric field strength under various conditions are presented, of which the authors claim about half could not have been derived from Maxwell's original equations. Since they claim these plots are accurate, the modified equations do, indeed, add something to physics. >
Demonstration of α-Glycerophosphate Dehydrogenase in the Human Pituitary Gland with Special Reference to the Cells of the Pars Tuberalis

The demonstration of α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (α-GPD) in epithelial cells of the pars tuberalis in man is reported. This method provides a clear means of staining these usually poorly displayed cells. The proximal, or cranial, terminus of these cells appears to be at the median eminence. Caudally, within the pituitary gland proper, the cells seem to blend with the basophilic (periodic acid-Schiff positive) cells of the pars distalis, many of which are also α-GPD positive. Staining is limited to the cytoplasm of the positive cells; there is no nuclear staining and there is no staining of connective tissue, colloid and other epithelial cells. The widespread distribution of the α-GPD positive cells in the human pituitary weakens our earlier hypothesis, based on results in the rat, that this enzyme might be a histochemical hallmark of TSH production or release. Its limitation to periodic acid-Schiff positive cells suggests its association with the cellular sites of TSH, FSH, LH or ACTH synthesis. (End...