cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Paths of Carbon in Gluconeogenesis and Lipogenesis II. CONVERSION OF PRECURSORS TO PHOSPHOENOLPYRUVATE IN LIVER CYTOSOL

Previous studies have indicated that, in rat liver, gluconeogenesis from pyruvate and lactate involves carboxylation of pyruvate in mitochondria but the oxalacetate formed does not diffuse to the cytosol. Instead it is reduced to malate or transaminated to aspartate. The present study indicates that aspartate and malate may be converted to phosphoenolpyruvate by enzymes in rat liver cytosol almost as rapidly as is oxalacetate. The rates of conversion are sufficient to account for the formation of carbohydrate in livers of normal rats and are greatly elevated in preparations from livers of diabetic rats. The synthesis of phosphoenolpyruvate from pyruvate via the malic enzyme or pyruvate carboxylase in the cytosol was found to be insignificant. Quantitative measurements of enzymes in the cytosol indicate that fumarase is elevated in diabetes and fasting but is not altered by adrenalectomy or administration of hydrocortisone. Malate dehydrogenase is elevated in diabetes and after hydrocortisone. Both glutamate-oxalacetate and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase are elevated in diabetes, in fasting, and after hydrocortisone. In agreement with other workers, citrate cleavage enzyme was depressed in diabetes and fasting, and elevated after insulin administration and refeeding of fasted animals. The enzyme adaptations and the rates of metabolite conversion in rat liver cytosol are thus in keeping with the proposed pathway of carbon in gluconeogenesis.
The hybrid stage 1 operation in hypoplastic left heart syndrome: A new alternative

Hospital survival after the Norwood stage I palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) or related anomalies has remarkably improved over the last decade. However, results remain suboptimal. In recent years, hybrid techniques (interventional cardiologists and surgeons working together) have been developed and refined for problems (such as multiple muscular ventricular septal defects) that had no satisfactory solutions with either discipline. The hybrid stage I is a less invasive hybrid approach that allows for a non-pump 1st stage palliation, followed by a comprehensive second stage. The hybrid stage I is typically performed in a hybrid room. Via a median sternotomy, both branch pulmonary arteries (PA) are banded and a ductal stent is delivered via a main PA puncture and positioned under fluoroscopic guidance. Despite the learning curve, hospital survival has been > 80%. The second stage operation consist of aortic arch reconstruction, atrial septectomy and cavopulmonary shunt. Several patients have undergone the last palliative step in the form of a Fontan procedure. The most acute problem after the hybrid stage I has been the development of a so-called retrograde coarctation from ductal tissue in patients with aortic atresia. In conclusion, primary experience with this new off-pump palliation has been satisfactory. This approach can be employed in selected patients.
Content Matters: An Investigation of Feedback Categories within an ITS

The primary goal of this study was to investigate the role of feedback in an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) with natural language dialogue. One core component of tutorial dialogue is feedback, which carries the primary burden of informing students of their performance. AutoTutor is an ITS with tutorial dialogue that was developed at the University of Memphis. This article addresses the effectiveness of two types of feedback (content & progress) while college students interact with AutoTutor on conceptual physics. Content feedback provides qualitative information about the domain content and its accuracy as it is covered in a tutoring session. Progress feedback is a quantitative assessment of the student's advancement through the material being covered (i.e., how far the student has come and how much farther they have to go). A factorial design was used that manipulated the presence or absence of both feedback categories (content & progress). Each student interacted with one of four different versions of AutoTutor that varied the type of feedback. Data analyses showed significant effects of feedback on learning and motivational measures, supporting the notion that “content matters” and the adage “no pain, no gain.”
Dimensions of Culture (Shalom H. Schwartz) – Mastery

The aspiration to be a high achiever is not unique to any one culture. Achievement, unlike some of the values in the Schwartz hierarchy, is considered truly pan-cultural. Consequently, it would not be unusual to meet a high achiever regardless of where you find yourself. In fact, you might be a high achiever. Keywords: cross-cultural psychology; Shalom H. Schwartz
Challenges in the verification of mobile ad-hoc networking systems

MANET techniques are critical to the success of emerging modern warfare concepts and are required to support communications for mobile military platforms, including ships, aircrafts, and ground vehicles operating in a highly dynamic and mobile tactical communications network without fixed infrastructure. Research in Mobile Ad Hoc Networking has increased dramatically over the last few years with significant work in hardware architectures, media access routing, and protocols. Until now, most of the work has been in simulation and small-scale laboratory demonstrations due to the significant resources required to implement an actual network with sufficient nodes to fully exercise the capabilities of both the hardware and software. Harris has built a flexible demonstration environment that enables the exercising of numerous network functions while still accomplishing research and development of the network protocols. The testbed, assumed in this paper, allows the system to be exercised in an outdoor environment that closely approximates the physical environment that the system will be operated in
Nonholonomic motion planning using Stoke's theorem

An algorithm for planning admissible trajectories for nonholonomic systems that will take the system from one point in its configuration space to another is developed. In this algorithm, the independent variables are converged to their desired values. Closed trajectories of the independent variables are used to converge the dependent variables. Stoke's theorem is used in the algorithm to convert the problem of finding a closed path into that of finding a surface area in the space of the independent variables such that the dependent variables converge to their desired values as the independent variables traverse along the boundary of this surface area. The salient features of this algorithm are illustrated in the example of a disk rolling without slipping on a flat surface. >
An Evaluation of Pressure Measurement Technology and Operating Performance Using Sandia's Molten Salt Test Loop

Abstract Sandia National Laboratories has recently completed the design, construction, commissioning, and initial operation of a Molten Salt Test Loop (MSTL) facility in Albuquerque, NM, USA. MSTL provides three parallel test loops for customers to evaluate new and existing technology in flowing molten nitrate salt at plant-like conditions of up to 70 kg/s flow rate, 40 bar pressure, and 300-585 °C temperature. The test loop furnace contains 40metric tons of 60% sodium nitrate / 40% potassium nitrate salt that is pumped through the parallel test loops by a 9-stage, vertical turbine pump. The three parallel test legs provide locations that can accommodate small component tests such as flow instrumentation devices or valves to large solar collection systems for on-sun testing using molten nitrate salt. The system was designed with 1.4MW of heat removal capability – equivalent to the solar gain of a large aperture trough module. During startup and commissioning of the system, the pressure transducers were identified as having a significant amount of thermally induced drift. This drift came from both diurnal ambient variations as well from operational heating from the process fluid. Exacerbating these difficulties is the requirement of MSTL that the pressure transducers operate over a wide temperature range in the course of a single test operation cycle. Sandia has taken steps to evaluate the pressure variation and to reduce this variation through temperature control. This work has greatly reduced the variability in the pressure transducers, but further improvements are on-going. The presentation will report on the efforts taken to reduce variability and the resulting performance of the transducer systems. In the course of describing the pressure transducer efforts, the system performance will also be presented along with some lessons-learned in the commissioning and startup of this test capability.
Brauer groups of fields algebraic over Q

In this paper we will be concerned with division rings that are finite dimensional and central over a field K which is an algebraic (possibly infinite dimensional) extension of the rational field Q. In Section 1 we determine necessary and sufficient conditions for an abelian group to occur as the Brauer group of such a field. It should be emphasized that there is little difficulty in showing that our Brauer groups satisfy the requisite properties; the problem is in showing that every group satisfying these properties actually occurs as the Brauer group of some field algebraic over Q. Section 2 is devoted to the proof of a stability property of the Brauer group, one which is preserved under finite extensions. In Section 3 we investigate which of the theorems of [3] and [6] fail in the case where K/Q is infinite dimensional. Many of our theorems hold with only slight modification when the field K is assumed to be algebraic over the function field Zp(t) for some prime p; when this is the case we will mention the relevant result with only an indication of the proof. Thus all fields considered will be algebraic extensions of Q. The notation and terminology of [3, 41 will be in force throughout this paper. In particular, a division ring D which is finite dimensional and central over a field K will be called a K-division ring. If D is a K-division ring with K/Q algebraic, it is well known that the index and exponent of D are equal;
A Closer Look at the Long Civil Rights Movement

Erik S. Gellman. Death Blow to Jim Crow: The National Negro Congress and the Rise of Militant Civil Rights . Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2012. 368 pp., $39.95, ISBN 978-0807835...
Functional Activities of the A and B Forms of the Human Androgen Receptor in Response to Androgen Receptor Agonists and Antagonists

The androgen receptor (AR) is present in many cells in two forms. The B form migrates with an apparent mass of 110 kDa and constitutes more than 80% of the immunoreactive receptor in most cell types. The A form of the AR migrates with an apparent mass of 87 kDa, appears to derive from internal translation initiation at methionine-188 in the AR open-reading frame, and usually constitutes 20% or less of the immunoreactive AR present. Previous experiments designed to examine the functional capacity of the A and B forms of the AR have been hampered by marked differences in the expression levels of the two isoforms, as the nucleotide sequence surrounding the codon encoding methionine-188 causes it to be used inefficiently as a translation initiation site. To circumvent this, we altered the nucleotide sequence surrounding methionine-188 to render it more similar to that surrounding the codon encoding methionine-1. Transfection of a cDNA containing these changes resulted in similar levels of expression of A and B forms of the AR as assessed by immunoblot assays using antibodies directed at an epitope preserved in both. Functional activities of these cDNAs were assessed using cotransfection assays that employed two model androgen-responsive genes (MMTV-luciferase and PRE2-tk-luciferase) in response to mibolerone, a potent androgen agonist, in three different cell lines. These studies demonstrated subtle differences in the activities of the A and B isoforms, which depended on the promoter and cell context. Additional studies failed to reveal any major differences in the responses of the AR-A and AR-B isoforms to a variety of androgen agonists and antagonists, suggesting that the previously reported functional defect of the AR-A is due principally to its level of expression. When assays of AR function are performed under conditions in which levels of expression of the two isoforms are equivalent, the AR-A and AR-B possess similar functional activities.
Patterns and Causes of Neonatal and Postneonatal Mortality in Rural Bangladesh

Community-level research data from a Maternal-Child Health and Family Planning (MCH/FP) program and comparison areas in rural Bangladesh indicate that 60 percent of infant deaths occurred in the neonatal period in both areas. Since the inception of the MCH/FP program, mortality rates declined relative to those in the comparison area. This decline, however, was confined to the neonatal period death rates only, with mortality rates in the postneonatal period remaining similar in the two areas. Prematurity accounted for approximately 40 percent of deaths in the neonatal period. Cause-of-death data indicated that the differences in the neonatal mortality rates between the two areas was mainly due to a marked decline in tetanus neonatorum deaths in the MCH/FP program area, because of the tetanus toxoid immunization of pregnant women there. The interventions in the MCH/FP area, however, did not significantly influence mortality due to any other cause. This study provides an explanation for the limited impact on infant mortality of health interventions that focus on diarrheal diseases and immunizations of children.
Re-Os systematics in pallasite and mesosiderite metal

Re-Os data on pallasite metal yield a sufficient range in Re/Os to permit the determination of a whole rock isochron, if pallasites from different groups are considered together. The results are indistinguishable from the data obtained on Groups IAB, IIAB, IID, IIIAB, IVA, and IVB iron meteorites. Pallasite data were obtained on samples of the Main Group, which have been considered related to Group IIIAB irons, and on samples of the distinctive pallasites Eagle Station, Finmarken, and Marjalahti. It appears that iron meteorites and pallasites crystallized within a time interval of 20 Ma. This result is consistent with the evidence from the short-lived chronometers ^(107)Pd-^(107)Ag and ^(53)Mn-^(53)Cr. It is also consistent with the evidence from ^(182)Hf-^(182)W that the time interval over which molten FeNi metal from different iron meteorites equilibrated with and became segregated from silicates was ∼10 Ma. The well-defined ^(187)Re-^(187)Os whole-rock isochron for pallasites and iron meteorites requires that they were formed in parent bodies that had been partially molten and segregated FeNi metal and FeS and then all crystallized within a 20 Ma time interval. This conclusion appears to apply to members of distinct groups of iron meteorites and pallasites which are viewed as not being cogenetic. The short time-scale requires that the irons and pallasites were formed in small parent planets of ≲10 km radius or near the surface of larger bodies. In contrast to the pallasites, we find that FeNi samples from mesosiderites have a narrow range in Re/Os so that it is not possible to determine a whole-rock isochron for these samples. The mesosiderite data also lie somewhat displaced from the iron meteorite and pallasite isochron indicating a more complex multi-stage evolution. Based on Sm-Nd data on mesosiderite silicate clasts, the Re-Os results on mesosiderite metal are compatible with the model of melted or partially molten FeNi cores or pods still preserved in protoplanetary bodies when these bodies were disrupted up to 150 Ma after early formation and the FeNi was splashed onto the surfaces of other small, differentiated planetesimals.
Alexithymia in chronic pain patients

Prior studies of alexithymia in chronic pain patients have used unvalidated alexithymia measures or have not controlled for treatment-seeking status. In this study, we compared 30 patients with chronic pain and patients seeking treatment for two other problems: nicotine dependence (n = 32) or moderate obesity (n = 25). Alexithymia was assessed with the well-validated Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and also with the Alexithymia Provoked Response Questionnaire (APRQ). On both alexithymia measures, chronic pain patients were more alexithymic than nicotine-dependent and obese patients; the latter two groups did not differ. Chronic pain patients had greater psychopathology on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), and both alexithymia measures correlated positively with certain types of psychopathology. We conclude that alexithymia is increased among patients with chronic pain, that this relationship is not confounded by a treatment-seeking bias, and that alexithymia may contribute to both chronic pain and psychopathology.
Effects of contrast baths on skin blood flow on the dorsal and plantar foot in people with type 2 diabetes and age-matched controls.

Contrast baths have been used for therapy for over 2,000 years. The basic concept is to alternate warm and cool water baths during a treatment session. It is believed that this will increase circulation better than just placing the limb in a warm water bath. However, there is little supportive evidence for this assertion. Further, for subjects with diabetes, with underlying impairments in their circulation, this may not work at all. Fourteen people with type 2 diabetes were compared to 14 age-matched controls. Skin blood flow of the foot (BF) was measured during 16 minutes of contrast baths at two different intervals: 3 minutes warm and 1 minute cold and 6 minutes warm and 2 minutes cold. In control subjects, warm and cold contrast baths with the ratio 3 minutes warm to 1 minute cold elicited significantly (p < 0.01) greater BF than placing the limb continuously in warm water or using a 6:2 ratio of warm to cold bath time. In control subjects, there was also a greater plantar than dorsal BF. For subjects ...
Measurements and stochastic time and space series simulations of spectral radiation in a turbulent non-premixed flame

Experimental data are essential for the validation of radiation submodels, which have been found to be important for predicting pollutant formation in turbulent flames. Instantaneous radiation signals also provide fundamental information about scalar properties in turbulent combustion. Motivated by this, we report measurements of line-of-sight spectral radiation intensities from a non-premixed CH 4 /H 2 /N 2 turbulent jet flame. The burner and the operating conditions are selected to take advantage of extensive scalar property and velocity measurements available in the literature. At three axial locations in the flame, a fast IR array spectrometer was used to capture the instantaneous radiation intensities for diametric radiation paths. Radiation intensities for the chord-like paths along various radial positions at one of the axial locations were also measured. By using stochastic time and space series (TASS) analysis, the instantaneous emission spectra were also simulated accounting for the turbulence/radiation interactions. In the simulations, the measurements of scalar statistics and mean velocity data were adopted to avoid uncertainties of a combustion model. The calculated mean and root mean square spectral radiation intensities are within 10% of the experimental data. Since the calculated root mean square values are strongly dependent on the integral length scales used in the TASS, these scales were estimated by fitting the calculation to the data. A tomography-like technique was also adopted to simulate the radiation intensities for chord-like paths from the flame edge to the center to examine the radial variation of the integral length scale. The results show factors of 3 variations in the integral length scale that have been ignored in the past work.
Acute Inflammatory Response in Spinal Cord Following Impact Injury

Numerous factors are involved in the spread of secondary damage in spinal cord after traumatic injury, including ischemia, edema, increased excitatory amino acids, and oxidative damage to the tissue from reactive oxygen species. Neutrophils and macrophages can produce reactive oxygen species when activated and thus may contribute to the lipid peroxidation that is known to occur after spinal cord injury. This study examined the rostral-caudal distribution of neutrophils and macrophages/microglia at 4, 6, 24, and 48 h after contusion injury to the T10 spinal cord of rat (10 g weight, 50 mm drop). Neutrophils were located predominantly in necrotic regions, with a time course that peaked at 24 h as measured with assays of myeloperoxidase activity (MPO). The sharpest peak of MPO activity was localized between 4 mm rostral and caudal to the injury. Macrophages/microglia were visualized with antibodies against ED1 and OX-42. Numerous cells with a phagocytic morphology were present by 24 h, with a higher number by 48 h. These cells were predominantly located within the gray matter and dorsal funiculus white matter. The number of cells gradually declined through 6 mm rostral and caudal to the lesion. OX-42 staining also revealed reactive microglia with blunt processes, particularly at levels distant to the lesion. The number of macrophages/microglia was significantly correlated with the amount of tissue damage at each level. Treatments to decrease the inflammatory response are likely to be beneficial to recovery of function after traumatic spinal cord injury.
Formation of self-assembled monolayers of alkylphosphonic acid on the native oxide surface of SS316L

Phosphonate−steel interactions have been industrially significant for decades, but details of the phosphonate−steel interface have not yet been characterized. Self-assembled monolayers of phosphonic acids were formed on stainless steel 316L by room-temperature solution deposition. The acids are covalently bound to the surface as phosphonates in a bidentate manner, as determined by diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Complete coverage of the surface is confirmed by contact angle measurement and atomic force microscopic imaging. This method of monolayer formation contrasts the requirement for heating and long reaction times found to be necessary to form phosphonate monolayers on other metal oxide substrates, such as titanium and silicon.
Integrated constructed wetlands for treatment of dairy operation runoff in Eastern Tennessee during first year establishment

Abstract Integrated constructed wetlands (ICWs) were implemented to reduce nutrient and sediment transport from a confined-animal dairy operation in East Tennessee. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize first flush concentrations of potential pollutants from a typical confined animal dairy operation, and (2) determine if two ICWs have acted as hydrologic and physicochemical buffers in agricultural drainages during the establishment phase (first year after construction). Nine events between the two ICWs were sampled within the first year of construction and flow rates were continuously measured at the inlets and outlets. First flush sampling showed that phosphorus concentrations exceeded critical levels in six of the eight sampled events and nitrogen concentrations exceeded critical levels in half of the sampled events. Suspended solids, organic carbon, and phosphate were the most commonly detected pollutants of concern carried by runoff leaving the dairy operation. The documented performance of ICWs indicated that the practices generally reduced sediment and nutrient concentrations in runoff flowing to receiving waterways during wet weather conditions during the first year following construction and acted to buffer hydrologic pulses by reducing peak flow rates. In four sampled storm events spanning the time of late summer through winter, a total of over 2200 kg of suspended solids and 0.22 kg of nitrogen were retained in one ICW. Organic carbon was exported from the ICW practices during most events. Overall, the practice removed significant amounts of suspended solids and nitrogen, and event-based phosphorus.
A New Synthesis and the 13C-NMR OF β-Cyperone 1,3-Dibromo-2-Pentene, A New Ethyl Vinyl Ketone Equivalent

Abstract In connection with another study underway i n this lab we have been investigating the use of vinylogous thioester 1 as a synthon f o r sesquiterpene synthesis. We have found that 1 is useful for ring annelations and introduction of multiple substituents when pursuing carbocyclic synthesis. In recent studies with thioesters we have found that the lithium enolate of 1 (LDA/THF) will undergo 1,4-addition to Michael acceptors such as ethyl vinyl ketone (2, - EVK) in moderate yields (∼60).
Yawn contagion in humans and bonobos: emotional affinity matters more than species

In humans and apes, yawn contagion echoes emotional contagion, the basal layer of empathy. Hence, yawn contagion is a unique tool to compare empathy across species. If humans are the most empathic animal species, they should show the highest empathic response also at the level of emotional contagion. We gathered data on yawn contagion in humans (Homo sapiens) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) by applying the same observational paradigm and identical operational definitions. We selected a naturalistic approach because experimental management practices can produce different psychological and behavioural biases in the two species, and differential attention to artificial stimuli. Within species, yawn contagion was highest between strongly bonded subjects. Between species, sensitivity to others' yawns was higher in humans than in bonobos when involving kin and friends but was similar when considering weakly-bonded subjects. Thus, emotional contagion is not always highest in humans. The cognitive components concur in empowering emotional affinity between individuals. Yet, when they are not in play, humans climb down from the empathic podium to return to the "understory", which our species shares with apes.
Interdisciplinary policy analysis in economic forecasting

Abstract Economic policy formulation suffers from many ills, not the least of which is a basic inadequacy in the methods of long-range economic forecasting. This article discusses the need for a longer time perspective in economic policy and the shortcomings of current methods in regard to philosophical assumptions, theoretical limitations, economic modeling problems, and institutional issues. Interdisciplinary policy modeling is suggested as a partial solution to these shortcomings, and two examples are offered—one in regional policy simulation and other in world food-supply modeling.
Reducing Earth Topography Resolution for SMAP Mission Ground Tracks Using K-Means Clustering

The K-means clustering algorithm is used to reduce Earth topography resolution for the SMAP mission ground tracks. As SMAP propagates in orbit, knowledge of the radar antenna footprints on Earth is required for the antenna misalignment calibration. Each antenna footprint contains a latitude and longitude location pair on the Earth surface. There are 400 pairs in one data set for the calibration model. It is computationally expensive to calculate corresponding Earth elevation for these data pairs. Thus, the antenna footprint resolution is reduced. Similar topographical data pairs are grouped together with the K-means clustering algorithm. The resolution is reduced to the mean of each topographical cluster called the cluster centroid. The corresponding Earth elevation for each cluster centroid is assigned to the entire group. Results show that 400 data points are reduced to 60 while still maintaining algorithm performance and computational efficiency. In this work, sensitivity analysis is also performed to show a trade-off between algorithm performance versus computational efficiency as the number of cluster centroids and algorithm iterations are increased.
The opposition to Perikles

In the critical years that followed the death of Kimon, it is clear that Thoukydides son of Melesias played an important role in opposition. It is less clear what he stood for positively, and Wade-Gery's brilliant and controversial article ( JHS lii [1932] 205–27 = Essays in Greek History 239–70), for all its sensitivity to the values of the Athenian aristocracy, did not succeed in settling this issue. My argument here is mainly negative, that Plutarch's description ( Per. 11–12 and 14) of the conflict between Thoukydides and Perikles, our only detailed witness, is worthless and has seriously distorted our picture of this period and of Athenian attitudes to the empire; and that the colony at Thourioi, as Ehrenberg maintained, was meant to serve strictly Athenian interests. 1. Plutarch and the Anti-Imperialists For Ed. Meyer ( Forschungen zur alten Geschichte ii 86; Gd A iv 2 1.690 n. 1) it was beyond doubt that Plutarch here preserves an authentic account of the debate over the building programme. Wade-Gery assumed the same (240–3, cf. Hesp. xiv [1945] 224–5), and D. L. Stockton ( Hist. viii [1959] 69), arguing against Wade-Gery, still calls this a good and possibly contemporary source. 2 Since the most notable characteristic of these chapters is their vehement rhetoric and the high proportion of nonsense, this position needs more defence than it has received.
Dioxin-induced immortalization of normal human keratinocytes and silencing of p53 and p16INK4a.

Dioxin, a potent tumor promoter, activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor belonging to the basic helix-loop-helix-PAS family, to enhance tumorigenesis via unknown mechanisms. We undertook this study to determine the mechanisms underlying the impact of dioxin on cell fate, in particular senescence that occurs in normal human cells and is considered to play important tumor suppressive function. We have previously shown that in primary human keratinocytes, dioxin attenuates senescence while retaining the proliferative capacity and represses expression of the tumor suppressors, p16INK4a and p53. Here, we show that repression of p16INK4a and p53 transcriptional activity by dioxin absolutely requires the AHR and is accompanied by promoter methylation. Furthermore, dioxin alone is sufficient to immortalize normal human keratinocytes. Our data introduce a previously unrecognized regulatory pathway, that of the AHR, that impacts senescence. More importantly, this is the first report of a tumor promoter capable of inhibiting senescence in a receptor mediated manner and introduces a novel mechanism by which this carcinogen may contribute to human malignancies.
Mechanical hole burning spectroscopy in an SIS tri-block copolymer

We have previously developed a mechanical hole burning spectroscopy (MSHB) technique that promises to be a powerful tool for the investigation of dynamic heterogeneity of polymeric materials. This is because, unlike its dielectric analogue, MSHB can be used to characterize materials having a weak dielectric response, a particular feature of polymeric materials. However, while both mechanical and dielectric hole burning show behaviors that are consistent with dynamic heterogeneity in the materials, it is still unclear what the relationship between the hole properties, for example, frequency and amplitude, and the actual nature of the heterogeneity and particularly the length scale being probed. Here, we provide first evidence that a known length scale can be probed by the MSHB method by using a tri-block copolymer as a “calibration” sample. The heterogeneity of a styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer was investigated in the vicinity of the order-disorder transition temperature (ODT). It was found that the amplitudes of the mechanical holes gradually decrease as the order-disorder transition is traversed from the region with ordered structures. In the disordered state of the block copolymer, no apparent mechanical holes were detected. In contrast, mechanical holes were burned in the heterogeneous region and the hole amplitude increased as the depth into the ordered structure increased. Hence, the MSHB technique provides a qualitative correlation between the amplitude of the burned holes and the corresponding heterogeneity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 3277–3284, 2007
Autoimmune mechanisms in movement disorders.

A number of disorders, including childhood-onset obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (TS), are now known to be neurobiological in nature. Both TS and OCD are neuropsychiatric diagnoses that involve congitive and perceptual dysfunction in addition to motor and psychiatric manifestations. The association of the B-cell marker with both Sydenham's chorea and a group of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as OCD, tics, and TS, has been useful as a marker in these diseases. This evidence, coupled with the recent finding of anti-brain antibodies in the sera of these patients, raises a number of interesting questions concerning the pathological mechanisms involved in these diseases. Thus, further molecular characterization of the brain and streptococcal antigens will be crucial to our understanding of the neurophysiological processes involved in these disorders.
Stability of parallel cracks in solids reinforced by bars

Abstract Investigated is the effect of one layer of steel reinforcement on the instability of a system of parallel equidistant shrinkage or cooling cracks in a concrete halfspace or parallel equidistant cracks due to bending of a beam. The cracks are assumed to propagate along straight lines normal to halfspace surface. The instability mode consists in the closing of every other crack at the expense of an extension and increase of the width of the remaining cracks. The previous formulation of stability conditions in terms of the derivatives of the stress intensity factors with respect to the crack lengths is used and numerical results are obtained by finite elements. It is found that instabilities of cracks in reinforced concrete do exist and are profoundly affected by the presence of reinforcement. Assuming a relatively limited length of bond slip near the crack, one finds that the presence of a reinforcement layer greatly increases the penetration depth of cooling or drying at which the instability occurs, but does not prevent the instability from occurring deeper beneath the reinforcement. A small amount of reinforcement, smaller than that required by the building codes, is sufficient to achieve this effect while a further increase of the reinforcement amount has relatively little effect.
Early detection of cancerous changes by mammogram comparison

ABSTRACTThis paper describes an approach to mammogram analysis which detects cancerous sighs by comparing newly acquired mammograms with previous screenings of the same patient. The corn- parison is carried out regionally between appropriate mammograms in three sequential steps: (i)mammograrn registration, (ii) mammogram partitioning, and (iii) analysis and comparison of re-gional iiitensity statistics. The registration is established pairwise between the new inarninograinand the corresponding one acquired in the previous screening. The objective of registration is toallow interpretation of the newly acquired mammograms in terms of the earlier screenings. Thenewly acquired mammogram is partitioned by using the hierarchical region growing techniquethat models relationships between pixels by the fuzzy membership function. By changing parain-eters of the function obtained regions are split further (when needed) to allow analysis of smallerregions. Region splitting is required in order to achieve higher sensitivity to sniall changes suchas appearance of microcalcifications. The intensity statistics of a region in the newly acquiredrnaiinnograrn is compared to the intensity statistics of the corresponding region in the previousnianunograrn. The comparison is carried out by assuming that intensity differences in the case ofcancerous changes are primarily related to higher intensities. The approach was tested on twelvecases represented by 96 mammograms. In all cases the approach performed satisfactorily.Keywords: mammograms, database, registration, segmentation, intfnity stat jstjcs1. INTRODUCTIONDue to the importance of mammograms in early cancer detection and successful treatment,
Long-Term Durability of Crohn’s Disease Treatment with Infliximab

Background There is a paucity of data providing insight into the durability of Crohn’s disease treatment with infliximab for periods longer than 12 months. Our aim was to assess the long-term durability of infliximab therapy. Materials and Methods A total of 198 Crohn's patients under a maintenance regimen with infliximab, with at least a 30-month follow-up, were evaluated retrospectively. Long-term response maintenance was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. The effect of specific variables was calculated using logistic regression and proportional hazard regression analyses. Results Maintenance of response rates at 72 months was estimated to be 66.4% for initial responders and 58.2% for all patients treated. Concurrent immunomodulators enhanced response maintenance in all patients treated, particularly if started >3 months before the initiation of infliximab therapy. Smoking significantly decreased the maintenance of response in initial responders. Conclusions Infliximab treatment of Crohn’s disease is reasonably durable beyond 12 months. Concurrent immunosuppressive therapy may increase – and smoking may decrease – long-term response maintenance.
Verification of the Mechanism of Oxidative Ring Expansion in the Biosynthesis of Stipitatic Acid by Talaromyces stipitatus

Abstract The pattern of incorporation of 13 C from 13 C-labeled acetate into stipitatic acid by Talaromyces stipitatus was studied by 13 C NMR. The results obtained were consistent with the biosynthetic routes previously elucidated for similar fungal tropolones. These studies, which both required and enabled the first complete 13 C NMR assignments of stipitatic acid, also demonstrated that the decarboxylation step in the biosynthesis of stipitatic acid occurs after the formation of the tropolone ring. The biosynthetic pathway to stipitatic acid includes an oxidative expansion of the benzene ring of 3-methylorsellinic acid to a seven-membered tropolone ring. As a prelude to mechanism-based enzyme inactivation studies, the mechanism of this step was reinvestigated by the biosynthetic incorporation of 18 O into stipitatic acid from 18 O 2 . The 13 C NMR spectrum of the resulting [ 18 O]stipitatic acid showed an 18 O-induced isotope shift for the tropolone-ring carbonyl resonance with no evidence of 18 O enrichment at the C-6 hydroxyl group. This result provides conclusive evidence in support of the earlier report that the ring expansion involves oxidation by a monooxygenase to form a hydroxymethyl intermediate, which undergoes a pinacol rearrangement to form the tropolone ring.
Renoprotective role of the vitamin D receptor in diabetic nephropathy

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 negatively regulates the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), which plays a critical role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. We tested if mice lacking the vitamin D receptor (VDR) are more susceptible to hyperglycemia-induced renal injury. Diabetic VDR knockout mice developed more severe albuminuria and glomerulosclerosis due to increased glomerular basement membrane thickening and podocyte effacement. More fibronectin (FN) and less nephrin were expressed in the VDR knockout mice compared to diabetic wild-type mice. In receptor knockout mice, increased renin, angiotensinogen, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and connective tissue growth factor accompanied the more severe renal injury. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitmain D3 inhibited high glucose (HG)-induced FN production in cultured mesangial cells and increased nephrin expression in cultured podocytes. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitmain D3 also suppressed HG-induced activation of the RAS and TGF-β in mesangial and juxtaglomerular cells. Our study suggests that receptor-mediated vitamin D actions are renoprotective in diabetic nephropathy.
Effects of sampling bias on gas-particle partitioning of semi-volatile compounds

Semi-volatile compounds distribute mass between gas and particle phases in air. Gas–particle partition coefficients [Kp=(F/TSP)/A] are used to predict the fate and transport of these compounds in the atmosphere. Measurements of gas–particle partition coefficients are biased if: (1) a fraction of mass is not quantified due to mass penetration through the sampler or reactions of collected species during sampling, (2) a fraction of particle-phase mass is measured erroneously as gas-phase, or (3) a fraction of gas-phase mass is measured erroneously as particle-phase. The latter two biases can lead to serious errors in measured partition coefficients. Generalized equations were developed to predict the impact of these errors for three sampling methods: filter–adsorbent, filter–filter–adsorbent, and denuder–filter–adsorbent. Two cases were considered: (1) the level of bias is equal for compounds of varying Kp and (2) the sampling bias is compound dependent and, hence, varies with Kp. These artifacts cause deviations to the slope and intercept in log–log plots of compound partition coefficients vs. subcooled, liquid vapor pressures that are similar to the deviations seen from non-equilibrium effects, temperature and concentration changes, and the presence of non-exchangeable material in the particle.
Diversificationas a Strategic Preemptive Weapon

This article examines the role that multimarket operations play in a firm's ability to preempt entry into new markets when presence in a market does not commit the firm to remain there. Success in one market affects a firm's incentives and, in turn, strategic power, to fight a rival fur survival in a related market. This is modeled as a way of attrition, and the risk-dominant equilibrium is derived. The model supports brand proliferation as a credible preemptive strategy for an established firm and also has implications regarding the strategic role of economies of scope and “deep pockets.”
Integrating nanophotonic concepts and topics into optics curricula

Nanophotonics has emerged as a new and important field of study, not only in research, but also in undergraduate optics and photonics education and training. Beyond the study of classical and quantum optics, it is important for students to learn about how the flow of light can be manipulated on a nanoscale level, and used in applications such as telecommunications, imaging, and medicine. This paper reports on our work to integrate basic nanophotonic concepts and topics into existing optics and optical electronics courses, as well as independent study projects, at the undergraduate level. Through classroom lectures, topical readings, computer modeling exercises, and laboratory experiments, students are introduced to nanophotonic concepts subsequent to a study of physical and geometrical optics. A compare and contrast methodology is employed to help students identify similarities and differences that exist in the optical behavior of bulk and nanostructured media. Training is further developed through engineering design and simulation exercises that use advanced, vector-diffraction-based, modeling software for simulating the performance of various materials and structures. To date, the addition of a nanophotonics component to the optics curriculum has proven successful, been enthusiastically received by students, and should serve as a basis for further course development efforts that emphasize the combined capabilities of nanotechnology and photonics.
Establishing the use of color-noun combinations in the spontaneous speech of disadvantaged children

This study was designed to test the long-term effectiveness of an approach used by B. Hart and T. Risley ( Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis , 1968 , 1 , 253–262) to increase the use of color-noun combinations in the spontaneous speech of disadvantaged children. The approach consisted of making access to classroom materials contingent upon appropriate color-noun descriptions. A 2-week baseline was established for six subjects in each of two Head Start classrooms. During the next 4 weeks, the contingencies were enforced in the intervention classroom but not in the no-intervention classroom. Four weeks after the contingencies were removed, follow-up data were collected. The mean rate of colornoun combinations used by the children in the intervention group increased from 0.8/hr during baseline to 6.4/hr during intervention, then fell to 0.5/hr during follow-up. In the no-intervention group, the mean rate of color-noun usage ranged only from 0.3 to 0.8 across all periods. It was concluded that there was no evidence of natural contingencies which would maintain the behavior after artificial contingencies were removed.
Metastable SiC and SiGeC alloys by carbon implantation and solid phase epitaxy

We demonstrate the formation of metastable Si[sub 1-y]C[sub y] and Si[sub 1-y-x]Ge[sub x]C[sub y] alloys by C ion implantation and solid phase epitaxial regrowth. Carbon was introduced into Si and SiGe layers by 5, 12 and 25 keV implants to achieve nearly uniform profiles of 0.7 and 1.4 at. % C. The 0.7 at. % C specimens exhibit the highest quality epitaxial layers after SPE regrowth, whereas in higher C concentration specimens solid phase regrowth was impeded. The localized vibrational mode of C occupying substitutional lattice sites in the diamond lattice provides a signature of the metastable phase and is used to monitor the loss of stability due to precipitation of silicon carbide. The SiC and SiGeC alloys retained substitutional carbon during 30 minute isochronal anneals up to 850[degree]C.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR FEDERAL WILDLIFE POLICY

This article is one of the first efforts to describe and assess the environ- rricntal impact asscssmcnt process iri the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The FWS environmental impact assessment process has evolved from a procedural requirement limited to biological concerns to a more c o m p r e 11 ensi ve pro ce ss i nvol vi n g soc i a 1 and economic consider at i ons. 7'h i s historical overview describes changes in agency actions. Recent FWS en- vironmental impact assessments are examined that concern translocation of the Southern Sea Otter in California; master planning efforts related to thc heavily-visited Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge; use of steel shot for hunting fowl; antf comprehensive use plans for Alaskan national wildlife refuges.
Brain development in ADHD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with underlying brain anatomical and functional measures, as well as familial/genetic factors that are major foci of neuropsychiatric research. Advances in imaging technology have shown structural and functional brain differences between individuals with and without ADHD. Longitudinal studies have enabled the elucidation of differences in developmental course. Studies comparing persisting and remitting cases of ADHD are particularly promising. Therapeutic doses of psychostimulants normalize many measures of brain anatomy and function.