cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Absorption and temperature distribution during ultrafast laser microcutting of polymeric materials

Material processing by ultrafast lasers is an attractive technology for high-precision fabrication, such as cutting, drilling, and surface modification, of a wide range of material, including dielectrics, semiconductor, metals, and polymer composites. However, it is still challenging to apply ultrafast laser processing in many applications because some key processes, such as absorption and heat accumulation, are not fully understood, especially for polymeric materials, which have a low melting temperature and, therefore, are more vulnerable to thermal damage. In this study, an analytical solution to a transient, two-dimensional thermal model is derived using Duhamel's theorem and Hankel’s transform method to understand the effect of laser parameters during ultrafast laser interactions with polypropylene (PP), which is a material widely used in many industrial applications. To correlate with theoretical calculation, laser cutting experiments are carried out on PP sheets. This study found that the total energy absorbed in the material and the laser intensity are two important factors to estimate the laser processing performance. In addition, time-resolved measurements are performed by using fast photodiodes and an oscilloscope to understand the dynamics of ultrafast laser interactions during the laser cutting process. Transmitted and reflected signals are monitored and analyzed to extract information on nonlinearity and the absorption coefficient.
Covid-19 control in islands

Peculiarities of the islands of the southwestern Indian Ocean enabled control of the spread of COVID-19: closing of ports of entry and lockdown with strict sanitary curfew whilst maintaining access to essential health services. There was an increase in violence, whether in the community or within the household, and challenges include meeting the needs of disadvantaged groups. Progressive relaxation of lockdown procedures was accompanied by social measures to promote wellbeing. Control measures were relatively successful to curtail the spread of COVID-19, the number of cases ranging from 81 in Seychelles to 2,603 in Mayotte by the end of June 2020.
Clinical Utility of Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing in the Evaluation of Low-Grade Lymphoproliferative Disorders.

Objectives We investigated the usefulness of a custom-designed 31-gene next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel implemented on a routine basis for the evaluation of low-grade lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs). Methods In total, 147 blood, bone marrow, and tissue specimens were sequenced, including 81% B-cell, 15% T-cell, and 3% natural killer (NK)-cell neoplasms. Results Of the cases, 92 (63%) of 147 displayed at least one pathogenic variant while 41 (28%) of 147 had two or more. Low mutation rates were noted in monoclonal B-cell lymphocytoses and samples with small T- and NK-cell clones of uncertain significance. Pathogenic molecular variants were described in specific disorders and classified according to their diagnostic, prognostic, and potential therapeutic value. Diagnostically, in addition to confirming the diagnosis of 15 of 15 lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas, 10 of 12 T large granular lymphocytic leukemias, and 2 of 2 hairy cell leukemias (HCLs), the panel helped resolve the diagnosis of 10 (62.5%) of 16 challenging cases lacking a specified diagnosis based on standard morphology, phenotype, and genetic analysis. Conclusions Overall, implementation of this targeted lymphoid NGS panel as part of regular hematopathology practice was found to be a beneficial adjunct in the evaluation of low-grade LPDs.
Sino-phobia in Russia and Kyrgyzstan

Sino-phobia, which has reportedly grown internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic, is a potential obstacle to China’s economic and foreign policy initiatives involving Russia and Central Asia. A...
A machine learning framework for damage mechanism identification from acoustic emissions in unidirectional SiC/SiC composites

In this work, we demonstrate that damage mechanism identification from acoustic emission (AE) signals generated in minicomposites with elastically similar constituents is possible. AE waveforms were generated by SiC/SiC ceramic matrix minicomposites (CMCs) loaded under uniaxial tension and recorded by four sensors (two models with each model placed at two ends). Signals were encoded with a modified partial power scheme and subsequently partitioned through spectral clustering. Matrix cracking and fiber failure were identified based on the frequency information contained in the AE event they produced, despite the similar constituent elastic properties of the matrix and fiber. Importantly, the resultant identification of AE events closely followed CMC damage chronology, wherein early matrix cracking is later followed by fiber breaks, even though the approach is fully domain-knowledge agnostic. Additionally, the partitions were highly precise across both the model and location of the sensors, and the partitioning was repeatable. The presented approach is promising for CMCs and other composite systems with elastically similar constituents.
Abiraterone acetate plus prednisone in non-metastatic biochemically recurrent castration-naïve prostate cancer.

Abstract Background Intermittent androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in biochemically recurrent castration-naive prostate cancer is non-inferior to continuous therapy. We hypothesised that finite-duration abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (Abi +P) added to ADT will further reduce the duration of treatment exposure by prolonging time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence without impacting eugonad state recovery. Methods This phase II, randomised, open-label trial enrolled patients with rising PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/ml after radical prostatectomy and/or a PSA ≥ 1 following radiotherapy. Patients were randomised 1:1 to receive Abi (1 g PO daily) + P (5 mg PO daily) + ADT or ADT alone for 8 months. The primary end-point was PSA-free survival difference at 1 year following completion of therapy. Results Between February 2013 and July 2016, 200 patients were enrolled. Of 100 patients randomised to each arm, 99 in the Abi +P arm and 98 in the ADT arm were evaluable. Median follow-up was 64.4 months. Median PSA-free survival was 27.0 months for the Abi +P-treated group versus 19.9 months for the ADT-treated group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47–0.87). The PSA-free survival at 1 year post-treatment completion was 98% for the Abi +P group and 88% for the ADT group. Median time to eugonad state was 13.1 months for the abiraterone-treated group and 12.8 months for the ADT-treated group. Median eugonad PSA-free survival was 12.5 months for the abiraterone-treated group versus 9.0 for the ADT-treated group (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53–0.98). There were no significant between-group differences in androgen deprivation-related adverse events. Conclusions In men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer following definitive treatment of the primary, finite duration treatment with ADT and Abi +P results in a significantly longer PSA relapse-free interval than treatment with ADT alone.
SAF-A mutants disrupt chromatin structure through dominant negative effects on RNAs associated with chromatin.

Here we provide a brief review of relevant background before presenting results of our investigation into the interplay between scaffold attachment factor A (SAF-A), chromatin-associated RNAs, and DNA condensation. SAF-A, also termed heterogenous nuclear protein U (hnRNP U), is a ubiquitous nuclear scaffold protein that was implicated in XIST RNA localization to the inactive X-chromosome (Xi) but also reported to maintain open DNA packaging in euchromatin. Here we use several means to perturb SAF-A and examine potential impacts on the broad association of RNAs on euchromatin, and on chromatin compaction. SAF-A has an N-terminal DNA binding domain and C-terminal RNA binding domain, and a prominent model has been that the protein provides a single-molecule bridge between XIST RNA and chromatin. Here analysis of the impact of SAF-A on broad RNA-chromatin interactions indicate greater biological complexity. We focus on SAF-A's role with repeat-rich C0T-1 hnRNA (repeat-rich heterogeneous nuclear RNA), shown recently to comprise mostly intronic sequences of pre-mRNAs and diverse long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Our results show that SAF-A mutants cause dramatic changes to cytological chromatin condensation through dominant negative effects on C0T-1 RNA's association with euchromatin, and likely other nuclear scaffold factors. In contrast, depletion of SAF-A by RNA interference (RNAi) had no discernible impact on C0T-1 RNA, nor did it cause similarly marked chromatin changes as did three different SAF-A mutations. Overall results support the concept that repeat-rich, chromatin-associated RNAs interact with multiple RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in a complex dynamic meshwork that is integral to larger-scale chromatin architecture and collectively influences cytological-scale DNA condensation.
Estimation of system arterial parameters for control of an electrically actuated total artificial heart

A novel method for estimating the parameters of a model of the systemic arterial system for control of an electrically actuated total artificial heart (TAH) has been developed and tested. The parameters have physical meaning, and are estimated on the basis of noninvasive measurement of aortic flow and pressure during systole. Performance of the estimation algorithm was tested on data generated by a model of the systemic arterial bed using normal canine parameters. Results demonstrate the ability of the estimator to converge quickly and track time-varying parameters. >
Intake of 25 g of Soybean Protein with or without Soybean Fiber Alters Plasma Lipids in Men with Elevated Cholesterol Concentrations

Twenty-one mildly hypercholesterolemic men consumed a diet that was low in fat (<30% of energy) and cholesterol (300 mg/d) and were given muffins containing 25 g protein+20 g dietary fiber daily from either isolated soybean protein+soybean cotyledon fiber, isolated soybean protein+cellulose, casein +soybean cotyledon fiber or casein+cellulose. All subjects progressed through the low fat, low cholesterol baseline period, lasting 2 wk, and then through all four dietary treatments, lasting 4 wk each, according to a Latin square design. Plasma concentrations of total, LDL, HDL and VLDL cholesterol, total and VLDL triacylglycerols, and apolipoprotein A-I and B were measured at the end of each period
An integrated environmental tracer approach to characterizing groundwater circulation in a mountain block

[1] The subsurface transfer of water from a mountain block to an adjacent basin (mountain block recharge (MBR)) is a commonly invoked mechanism of recharge to intermountain basins. However, MBR estimates are highly uncertain. We present an approach to characterize bulk fluid circulation in a mountain block and thus MBR that utilizes environmental tracers from the basin aquifer. Noble gas recharge temperatures, groundwater ages, and temperature data combined with heat and fluid flow modeling are used to identify clearly improbable flow regimes in the southeastern Salt Lake Valley, Utah, and adjacent Wasatch Mountains. The range of possible MBR rates is reduced by 70%. Derived MBR rates (5.5–12.6 × 104 m3 d−1) are on the same order of magnitude as previous large estimates, indicating that significant MBR to intermountain basins is plausible. However, derived rates are 50–100% of the lowest previous estimate, meaning total recharge is probably less than previously thought.
Preface - CSF 2012

Welcome to the IEEE 25th Computer Security Foundations Symposium (CSF). This year is a milestone: the 25th consecutive year of CSF. The Computer Security Foundations Workshop was created in 1988 as a workshop of the IEEE Computer Society's Technical Committee on Security and Privacy. In 2007, the workshop became an IEEE Symposium, with a policy for open, increased attendance. Over the years, many seminal papers and techniques have been presented first at CSF. This year CSF is at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A total of 101 papers were submitted to CSF 2012. Of these, the program committee accepted 25 papers, which were collected in this volume.
Designing a tokamak fusion reactor—How does plasma physics fit in?

This paper attempts to bridge the gap between tokamak reactor design and plasma physics. The analysis demonstrates that the overall design of a tokamak fusion reactor is determined almost entirely by the constraints imposed by nuclear physics and fusion engineering. Virtually, no plasma physics is required to determine the main design parameters of a reactor: a, R0, B0, Ti, Te, p, n, τE, I. The one exception is the value of the toroidal current I, which depends upon a combination of engineering and plasma physics. This exception, however, ultimately has a major impact on the feasibility of an attractive tokamak reactor. The analysis shows that the engineering/nuclear physics design makes demands on the plasma physics that must be satisfied in order to generate power. These demands are substituted into the well-known operational constraints arising in tokamak physics: the Troyon limit, Greenwald limit, kink stability limit, and bootstrap fraction limit. Unfortunately, a tokamak reactor designed on the basi...
Domestic Politics of Trade Policy

Domestic politics shape international trade policy, but exactly how and why remains an open question. We explore the cutting-edge literature that focuses on how agents' interests are formed, whose interests are organized, and how those interests interact with each other via domestic political institutions to generate both trade policy and international cooperation over trade more broadly. In turn, trade policies operate as a feedback loop. International cooperation generates information via international organizations, treaties, and more informal regimes, which affects the domestic politics conflict in substantive ways. We explore each of these topics and suggest future research paths. Keywords: trade theory; GATT ; WTO ; Heckscher–Ohlin model; Stolper–Samuelson theorem; Ricardo-Viner model; new new trade theory
THE POLITICS OF MEMORY AND GENDER: WHAT HAPPENED TO SECOND‐WAVE FEMINISM IN GERMANY?

’68 has become a powerful cipher for the political renewal of post-war (West) Germany, but references to women and their impact on social (and political) changes are mostly absent from personal and collective memorials. Using the notion of cultural memory work as social constructivism, the paper explores how the politics of memory, femininity and gender reflecting un-negotiated gender issues, especially the lingering myth of traditional femininity, are pivotal in second-wave feminism's low visibility and esteem in spite of the movement's apparent success in promoting women's legal and social equality. Dating back to the contested relationship between '68ers and second-wave feminism, anti-feminist discourse in the media employs strategies of displacing the social arguments of equality feminism into the erotic and personal, presenting feminist gender negotiations as ridiculous, irrational, prudish, anti-democratic, and even dangerous. Equality feminism as a social movement promoted and supported mostly by women does not easily fit into the traditional categories of German paternalistic national history and present memory culture in Germany. Im heutigen Deutschland wird die Erinnerung an ’68 als wichtigste Phase in der politischen Erneuerung Westdeutschlands nach dem Krieg gepflegt, jedoch fehlen Frauen und deren Einfluss auf die sozialen (und politischen) Veranderungen weitgehend im personlichen wie im kollektiven Gedenken. Ausgehend von Arbeit am kulturellen Gedachtnis als sozialer Konstruktivismus, untersucht dieser Beitrag die Verquickung von Memoria, Weiblichkeit und Gender, wobei ungeloste Geschlechterprobleme – besonders der resistente Mythos traditioneller Weiblichkeitsbilder – sich als wichtige Faktoren erweisen, warum der Neue Feminismus in der Erinnerung wenig beachtet und geschatzt ist, obwohl die Bewegung offensichtige Erfolge in der Gleichberechtigung und Gleichstellung von Frauen aufzuweisen hat. Seit dem Streit zwischen den 68er Studenten und Feministinnen benutzt die Presse anti-feministische Diskursstrategien um die sozialen Argumente des Gleichberechtigungs-Feminismus ins Sexuelle und Personliche abzuschieben und die feministische Geschlechterdebatte als lacherlich, irrational, prude, undemokratisch und gefahrlich hinzustellen. Gleichstellungs-Feminismus als soziale Bewegung, die hauptsachlich von Frauen propagiert und getragen wird, passt schlecht in die Kategorien paternalistischer Nationalgeschichte und Erinnerungskultur im heutigen Deutschland.
The SLE: Philosophy or Theology?

Chapters 1 and 2 illustrated the nature of the SLE as a work intended to offset and to supplant previous interpretations of the Ethics, in particular, the Super Ethica of Albert the Great. Important in Aquinas’s eyes was the substitution of the SLE for those earlier commentaries that placed a dichotomy between the happiness Aristotle discussed in Ethics. I and that proposed in Ethics.X as associated with contemplation. Then, in Chapter 3, we examined some aspects of the situation of philosophy at Paris between 1215 and 1283. This led to the conclusion that it would not have been at all out of character for Aquinas to have proposed a philosophical interpretation of the Ethics. In the present Chapter, I propose to examine the grounds which appear to have provided the greatest support for concluding that the SLE is a theological work. In this regard, Jaffa’s comparative study of the Ethics and the SLE provides a useful focus.
Heterogeneous ice nucleation on particles composed of humic‐like substances impacted by O3

[1] Heterogeneous ice nucleation plays important roles in cirrus and mixed-phase cloud formation, but the efficiency of organic particles to act as ice nuclei (IN) is still not well understood. Furthermore, the effect of particle oxidation by O3 on corresponding IN efficiencies has not yet been sufficiently assessed. We present heterogeneous ice nucleation on kaolinite, Suwannee River standard fulvic acid (SRFA), and leonardite standard humic acid particles as a function of particle temperature (Tp), relative humidity with respect to ice (RHice), nucleation mode, and O3 exposure. Ice nucleation and water uptake were studied for Tp >203 K and RHice up to water saturation using a novel ice nucleation apparatus. This study shows that SRFA, leonardite, and corresponding O3-exposed particles can nucleate ice via different modes at relevant atmospheric conditions. These particles nucleated ice via deposition mode at Tp ≤ 231 K, and for higher Tp water was taken up or ice was nucleated via deposition or immersion mode. Oxidation of leonardite and SRFA particles by O3 led to a decrease in deposition nucleation efficiency and to water uptake at lower temperatures for the former and to an increase in the lowest temperature at which deposition nucleation was observed for the latter. Activated IN fractions and heterogeneous ice nucleation rate coefficients (Jhet) were derived, and corresponding contact angles (θ) were calculated. A parameterization of θ as a function of RHice is presented which allows derivation of Jhet for various deposition IN and corresponding ice crystal production rates for application in cloud-resolving models.
Is the effect of the NAO on North‐east Arctic cod, Gadus morhua, recruitment stock‐dependent?

There is considerable interest in understanding the effect of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on recruitment to North Atlantic cod stocks. An earlier analysis of data for the North-east Arctic cod stock showed that, while there is an empirical relationship between recruitment and the NAO over the period 1973–96, this relationship was absent over the period 1946–72. It has recently been suggested that the effect of the NAO on recruitment depends on the size of the spawning stock. Here, the possibility that this explains the earlier result for North-east Arctic cod is tested and rejected.
Interaction of modeling and experimental approaches to understanding renal salt and water balance.

Understanding of renal function has profited greatly from quantitative and modeling approaches throughout this century. One of the most salient examples is the concentration and dilution of the urine—a fundamental characteristic of the mammalian kidney. Only in the last three decades have the necessary components of this and other renal mechanisms been confirmed at the molecular level, but there have also been surprises. For example, the high water permeability of the proximal tubule has been shown to be imparted by the water channel, aquaporin AQP1; however, genetic knockout of this water channel is at least partially compensated by intrarenal feedback mechanisms. Also, the critical role played by the fine regulation of Na+ reabsorption in the collecting duct for the maintenance of normal blood pressure presents challenges to our understanding of the integrated interaction among systems. As a first step in placing the kidney in the physiome paradigm, we need to integrate our currently restricted mathematical models, to develop accessible databases of critical parameter values together with indices of their degrees of reliability and variability, and to describe regulatory mechanisms and their interactions from the molecular to the interorgan level. However, even greater will be the challenge to anticipate, and hopefully predict, the subtle ways in which the organism typically adapts to aberrations in these normal functional parameters, but sometimes does not. © 2000 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC00: 8716Uv, 8715Aa
Circadian rhythm of pulmonary embolism in patients with acute spinal cord injury.

Thrombotic events with a circadian rhythm have been described during the past several years, with onset of myocardial infarction and stroke predominating in the morning hours.1,2 Recently, a circadian rhythm for pulmonary thromboembolism has been reported; the onset of these events also prevailed in the morning hours.3 Patients with spinal cord injury are known to be at risk for pulmonary embolism during the early course of their paralysis.4 Because all of the patients with acute spinal cord injury are a hospitalized population in whom the onset of pulmonary embolic events can be observed and documented, we examined the issue of a circadian rhythm for pulmonary embolism.
The conditioning of the human fetus in utero.

“Utilizing a vibrotactile CS and a loud noise as US, it was possible to establish a CR in the human fetus in utero during the last 2 months of gestation. Some 15-20 paired stimulations were required to establish the response to the point at which one could anticipate 3 or 4 successive responses to CS alone, but additional practice made possible as many as 11 successive CRs. Experimental extinction, spontaneous recovery, and retention of the response over a 3 weeks interval were demonstrated, as well as a significant degree of agreement between direct records of fetal movements and maternal report of perception of fetal movement.” 16 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)
Immunochemical evidence for the involvement of adrenal ferredoxin in the side-chain cleavage of 20α-hydroxycholesterol

A goat antibody produced against homogeneous bovine adrenal ferrodoxin has been employed to study the involvement of this iron-sulfur protein in the side-chain cleavage of 20α-hydroxycholesterol catalyzed by a soluble fraction, supernatant S1, prepared from sonicated bovine adrenocortical mitochondria. When added to this supernatant, the antibody inhibited the side-chain cleavage of 20α-hydroxycholesterol as well as the side-chain cleavage of cholesterol, the 11β-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone, and the NADPH-dependent reduction of cytochrome c. These results demonstrate that, similar to the NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and both the cholesterol side-chain cleavage and steroid 11β-hydroxylase reactions, adrenal ferredoxin is also required for the side-chain cleavage of 20α-hydroxycholesterol.
Differential effects of inferior temporal cortex lesions upon visual and auditory-evoked potentials in the amygdala of the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)

Visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) and auditory-evoked potentials (AEPs) were elicited from amygdala nuclei and inferior temporal (IT) cortex in chaired, alert squirrel monkeys to diffuse flash and click stimuli. VEPs were recorded from electrodes placed in basalis lateralis amygdalae (BLA) and basalis medialis amygdalae (BMA) while AEPs could also be obtained from additional electrode sites in basalis accessorius medialis (BAM), centralis amygdalae (CeA), and lateralis amygdalae (LA). The amygdala-evoked potentials resulting from stimulation of the two modalities were similar in terms of component configuration. AEPs recorded from the IT cortex had shorter latencies than the amygdala VEPs that were recorded. Both modalities of stimulation elicited potentials with shorter onset latencies in the amygdala than those recorded from the surface of IT cortex. Bilateral ablation of the IT cortex eliminated VEPs recorded from the BMA but not the BLA amygdala region. AEPs recorded from BMA as well as other amygdala areas were not consistently affected by these IT cortical ablations.
Using nucleophilic substitution reactions to understand how a remote alkyl or alkoxy substituent influences the conformation of eight-membered ring oxocarbenium ions.

A remote alkoxy substituent strongly stabilizes one particular conformer of an eight-membered ring oxocarbenium ion by a through-space electrostatic effect. X-ray crystallographic analysis of a crystalline derivative proves that kinetically controlled nucleophilic substitution favors the 1,4-trans product. Nucleophilic substitution of the corresponding alkyl-substituted acetate, however, is unselective. A computational model has been developed and experimentally validated to predict the low-energy conformers of C3-, C4-, or C5-alkyl- or alkoxy-substituted eight-membered ring oxocarbenium ions.
Isolation of a yeast centromere and construction of functional small circular chromosomes

The centromeric DNA (CEN3) from yeast chromosome III has been isolated on a 1.6 kilobase-pair segment of DNA located near the centromere-linked CDC10 locus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When present on a plasmid carrying a yeast chromosomal replicator, CEN3 enables that plasmid to function as a chromosome both mitotically and meiotically. Minichromosomes containing CEN3 are stable in mitosis and segregate as ordinary yeast chromosomes in the first and second meiotic divisions.
Instantaneous spectroscopic SS-OCT imaging using a simultaneous dual-band swept laser and common-path fiber probe

A simultaneous 1310/1550 swept-source optical coherence tomography system is implemented by combining a novel dual-band swept laser source and an integrated common-path GRIN lensed fiber interferometer/probe. Highspeed synchronized dual-wavelength tuning is performed by using two laser cavities with a single dual-window polygonal. Simultaneous in vivo OCT imaging at 1310 and 1550 nm is demonstrated. This dual-band technique bring together common-path fiber probe potentially allows instantaneous in situ functional OCT imaging with high quality spectroscopic contrast and stable phase measurements.
Pharmacological Activation of Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors for the Small GTPase Rap1 Recruits High-Affinity β1 Integrins as Coreceptors for Parvovirus B19: Improved Ex Vivo Gene Transfer to Human Erythroid Progenitor Cells

Parvovirus B19 has potential as a gene therapy vector because of its restricted tropism for human erythroid progenitor cells in the bone marrow. B19 binds to the cell surface through P antigen and we identified activated β1 integrins as coreceptors for internalization. Because differentiation with phorbol ester induces β1 integrin coreceptor activity, but cell differentiation is not desirable in gene transfer to human progenitor cells and one of the downstream effectors of phorbol esters is the small GTPase Rap1, the role of Rap1 in the recruitment of β1 integrins on hematopoietic cells was examined. Expression of a constitutively active Rap1 (63E) was sufficient to recruit β1 integrin coreceptors in erythroleukemic K562 cells by inducing high-affinity integrin conformation. A crucial role of actin polymerization in Rap1-mediated β1 integrin recruitment was documented by complete inhibition of the 63E Rap1 effect with low-dose cytochalasin D and by the ability of a constitutively active mutant of the actin cytoskeleton regulator Rac1 to sensitize K562 cells to the pharmacological activation of endogenous Rap1, using the Rap1 exchange factor-specific 8-pCPT-2′-O-Me-cAMP [8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2′-O-methyladenosine-3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate]. Interestingly, in primary human erythroid progenitor cells, 8-pCPT-2′-O-Me-cAMP was sufficient to significantly increase B19-mediated gene transfer, suggesting that these cells possess the cytoskeleton organization capacity required for efficient recruitment of β1 integrins by brief pharmacological stimulation of Rap1 GTP loading. Because 8-pCPT-2′-O-Me-cAMP has been implicated in enhanced homing of progenitor cells, these results identify a novel tool with which to optimize ex vivo B19-mediated gene transfer and potentially improve homing of transduced cells by Rap1–β1 integrin activation with 8-pCPT-2′-O-Me-cAMP.
Biological effects of 15 MeV neutrons.

Abstract To study the RBE of 15 MeV neutrons for normal tissues, the responses of jejunal crypt cells, lung, and esophagus to 15 MeV neutrons generated from a deuterium-tritium neutron generator were compared with responses to 137Cs (cesium) γ- or 300 kVp X-rays in the mouse. For jejunal crypt cell survival, the RBE was 1.5 at a survival of 10 crypt cells per circumference. The RBE for pulmonary lethal dose LD 50 160 and esophageal LD 50 28 was 1.2 and 3.02, respectively. Data available in the literature on the effects of 15 MeV neutrons on tumor and normal tissues were reviewed; additional studies which should be performed prior to the clinical use of 15 MeV deuterium-tritium neutron generators are suggested.
Early community context, genes, and youth body mass index trajectories: an investigation of gene-community interplay over early life course.

Abstract Purpose To investigate additive and interactive influences of community adversity and cumulative genetic sensitivity on youth body mass index (BMI) trajectories over adolescence and young adulthood. Methods We used latent growth curve modeling to examine BMI trajectories over three waves (1995, 2001, and 2008) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 14,563). We measured genetic sensitivity by a cumulative index of genes associated with serotonin and dopamine functions. Results Community adversity was positively associated with the initial level and rate of change in BMI trajectories over time. Adolescents experiencing community adversity had a higher BMI at Wave 1 and gained weight more quickly than those who did not live in adverse communities. Community adversity interacted with cumulative genetic sensitivity to explain variation in the rate of change in BMI trajectories. The influence of community adversity was greater for those with more sensitivity alleles than those with fewer sensitivity alleles. Gender, race/ethnicity, and family contexts were also associated with youth BMI trajectories. Conclusions Community adversity in early adolescence, and its interaction with genes, has far-reaching consequences, including the rate of change in BMI trajectories extending into adulthood. This work has practical implications for future intervention/prevention programs.
Evidence for symmetry reduction in excited states of [Ru(bpy)3]+ and related compounds

Abstract Photoselection and other spectroscopic data for [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ , [Ru(phen) 3 ] 2+ , [Ru(bpy)(py) 4 ] 2+ and [Os(bpy) 3 ] 2+ suggest that the emitting state for the tris compounds may be localized on a single ring.
A potentially general intramolecular biaryl coupling approach to optically pure 2,2′-BINOL analogs

Abstract Tethering of two equivalents of mono-protected 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene gives an intermediate which allows for eventual copper-catalyzed intramolecular biaryl coupling to afford a new nonracemic BINOL documenting a new strategy to modified binaphthyl ligands.
A Perspective on Achieving Equality in Mathematics for Fourth Grade Girls: A Special Case

AbstractHow can and do teachers create equal access within everyday classroom lessons and establish opportunities for girls to participate fully? What contexts contribute to equity? In contrast to classrooms where boys receive more attention, encouragement, and content-area instruction, Ms. Jeffreys conducts whole class lessons in her fourth grade classroom where girls participate equally and successfully with boys during mathematics. To ascertain what contributes to the equal participation, I use interactional analysis to closely examine two mathematics lessons. Part of Ms. Jeffreys’ success lies in altering normative classroom discourse and in the assertive context created and sustained by the math, science, and technology magnet school setting. However, another layer of complexity is introduced: to teach her students at their instructional level, Ms. Jeffreys groups her students by their ability to pass timed multiplication tests. By instituting a form of tracking, Ms. Jeffreys also legitimates girls a...
Nucleocapsid Protein Locally Melts The Iib Region Of Hiv-1 Rre Rna, But Rev Protein Does Not: A Single-molecule Spectroscopic Study

The focus of this work is to develop a single molecular-level understanding of how the binding of two important viral proteins of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), Rev and nucleocapsid (NC) proteins, locally change the secondary structures of the IIB stem-loop region of the Rev-Responsive Element (RRE) of the HIV-1 viral genomic RNA. Rev and NC represent two types of nucleic acid-binding proteins in HIV with distinct structures, behaviors and functionalities. Rev is a sequence-specific RNA-binding protein that binds to stem IIB and other regions of the RRE, facilitating nuclear export of unspliced HIV RNAs. In contrast to Rev, NC is a multifunctional protein that plays a role in almost every step of the retroviral life-cycle. NC can bind both DNA and RNA hairpin structures using its CCHC-type zinc fingers and basic domains. Here we systematically investigate how the binding of Rev and NC on the 42-nt IIB RNA hairpin locally changes the RNA secondary structures using a single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (SM-FRET) approach. A series of RNA and DNA oligonucleotides containing appropriate dyes have been designed to probe the local melting of the IIB RNA hairpin using a single-molecule oligonucleotide annealing assay. Our study shows that NC locally melts the IIB RNA hairpin but Rev does not, illustrating how two proteins that use dramatically different nucleic acid recognition motifs can give rise to very different secondary structural changes upon RNA binding. This SM-FRET-based approach provides a unique way to gain insight into the secondary structural change of HIV viral RNAs induced by protein binding with minimal interference from protein aggregation.
Realization of in-situ sub two-dimensional quantum structures by strained layer growth phenomena in the In x Ga 1−x As/GaAs system

We confirm that as the misfit strain in pseudomorphic epitaxial layer increases, surface thermodynamics controlled growth modes can change from a layer-by-layer to a three-dimensional (3-D) island mode. Both in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction studies and in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy studies are utilized to demonstrate this transition to 3-D growth. This concept allows one to grow GaAs/InxGa1-xAs/GaAs heterostructures where the electrons in InxGa1-xAs are possibly confined in lower dimensions.
Purification and characterization of laccases from the white-rot basidiomycete Dichomitus squalens.

Abstract Two chromatographic forms of laccase c1 and c2 were purified approximately 225-fold from the extracellular culture fluid of ligninolytic cultures of Dichomitus squalens, using DEAE–Sepharose and Mono-Q fast protein liquid chromatography. Each homogeneous laccase (c1 and c2) has a molecular mass of approximately 66 kDa as determined by SDS–PAGE. Both forms are glycoproteins, and each contains four copper atoms per molecule of protein. The first 20 amino acids of the N-terminal sequences of these two laccases are identical and are similar to those of laccases from other lignin-degrading fungi. The electronic absorption spectra of these laccases exhibit bands at 610 and 330 nm, indicative of type I and type III copper. The EPR spectrum of laccase c1 exhibits bands indicative of type I and type II copper. Each laccase oxidizes a variety of phenolic substrates, has a pH optimum of 3.0 for the oxidation of 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, and is inhibited strongly by fluoride and azide.
Electron-capture, capillary column gas chromatographic determination of low-molecular-weight diols in serum

Research on alcoholism has revealed that concentrations of 1, 2-propanediol, d, l-2, 3-butanediol andmeso-2, 3-butanediol may be greater in the serum of chronic alcoholics than in the serum of social drinkers and nondrinkers. In connection with one of these studies, we developed methodology to determine these diols at the micromolar levels in 500 serum samples. The procedure consisted primarily of extraction of the serum with acetonitrile containing internal standard. The extract was then concentrated to dryness and reacted withp-bromophenylboric acid. The reaction mixture was injected into a gas chromatograph fitted with a capillary column and an electron-capture detector. The total coefficients of variation were best for 1, 2-propanediol, 6.82 and 10.00%, and worst ford, l-2, 3-butanediol, 13.64 and 19.22%. The observed means for the analytes were all within 10% of the spiked level.
Metal pollution in Tokyo as recorded in sediments of the Palace Moat

A record of metal pollution in the Tokyo atmosphere is developed for the past 30 years in sediments from the Palace Moat. Zinc, copper, chromium, silver, lead, cadmium, cobalt and nickel are identified as pollutants on the basis of higher contents in recently deposited strata. On the other hand, aluminum, vanadium and iron were essentially uniform in concentration throughout the sedimentary record. Manganese showed an increasing concentration with depth in the deposit. Apparently it diffuses to the overlying waters following reduction of higher valence state species to the more soluble divalent state. Elemental carbon, most probably arising from the combustion of wood, varied between 0.30 and 0.78% by weight. Opalline tests contributed between 21 and 31% of the weight of the dried sediment. The ages of the strata were determined by Pb-210, Pu-239+240 and Cs-137 geochronologies. The amounts of the pollutants do not bear a direct relationship to their atmospheric levels inasmuch as there is an enhancement in the sediment concentrations through the entry of soil debris containing anthropogenic metals. This magnification of direct fallout appears to be between four and five-fold.
Dermal collagen fibrils are hybrids of type I and type III collagen molecules

It has been suggested that dermal collagen fibrils with 67-nm periodicity consist of hybrids of type I and type III collagens. This is based on the assumption that all these banded fibrils are coated with type III collagen regardless of their diameter. However, conclusive evidence for this form of hybridization is lacking. In order to clarify this problem dermal collagen fibrils were disrupted into microfibrils using 8 M urea. Single and double indirect immunoelectron microscopy showed type III collagen at the periphery of intact collagen fibrils but no labeling with type I collagen antibodies, suggesting that the epitopes for this collagen were masked. Disrupted collagen fibrils revealed type I collagen throughout the fibril except for the periphery which was coated with type III collagen. Almost no type III collagen was noted in the interior of the collagen fibrils. Since type III collagen is present only at the periphery it suggests that this collagen has a different role than type I collagen and may have a regulatory function in fibrillogenesis.
Monoclonal antibodies incorporated into Neotyphodium coenophialum fungal cultures: inhibition of fungal growth and stability of antibodies.

Three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) produced against proteins from the tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) fungal endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum hybridize exclusively to a fungal protein under denaturing conditions. The protein is approximately 88 kDa in size. These mAbs were individually incorporated into liquid medium to determine their effects on fungal growth in culture. Neotyphodium-specific mAbs inhibited fungal growth for the duration of the study. Fungal cultures grown in the presence of Neotyphodium-naive mAbs or in the absence of all mAbs grew unimpeded. Bright-field microscopy and immunohistochemical studies of cultures containing Neotyphodium-specific mAbs revealed a change in mycelia morphology with clumps exhibiting a gelatinous matrix containing sparse hyphae, while cultures receiving Neotyphodium-naive mAbs in medium demonstrated unrestricted growth with overlapping and branched hyphae. In liquid culture devoid of fungal isolates, mAbs were stable and detected throughout the experiment, but were below threshold detection levels within 15 min following inclusion in liquid cultures containing Neotyphodium spp., indicating rapid binding to fungal mycelia. Monoclonal antibodies may provide a new method to help control plant pathogenic fungi where chemical or genetic means are not feasible.
Psychopathology in offspring from multiplex alcohol dependence families with and without parental alcohol dependence: A prospective study during childhood and adolescence

Multiplex families ascertained through multiple alcohol dependent individuals appear to transmit alcohol and drug use disorders at higher rates than randomly selected families of alcoholics. Our goal was to investigate the risk of developing specific psychiatric diagnoses during childhood or adolescence in association with familial risk status (high-risk [HR] or low-risk [LR]) and parental diagnosis. Using a prospective longitudinal design, HR offspring from three generation multiplex alcohol dependence families and LR control families were followed yearly. Data analysis was based on consensus diagnoses from 1738 yearly evaluations conducted with the offspring and a parent using the K-SADS, and separately modeled the effects of familial susceptibility and exposure to parental alcohol dependence. Multiplex family membership and parental alcohol and drug dependence significantly increased the odds that offspring would experience some form of psychopathology during childhood or adolescence, particularly externalizing disorders. Additionally, parental alcohol dependence increased the odds that adolescent offspring would have major depressive disorder (MDD). While it is well known that parental substance dependence is associated with externalizing psychopathology, the increased risk for MDD seen during adolescence in the present study suggests the need for greater vigilance of these children.
Flexible spatial dependence structures for unordered multinomial choice models: formulation and application to teenagers’ activity participation

The current article proposes an approach to accommodate flexible spatial dependency structures in discrete choice models in general, and in unordered multinomial choice models in particular. The approach is applied to examine teenagers’ participation in social and recreational activity episodes, a subject of considerable interest in the transportation, sociology, psychology, and adolescence development fields. The sample for the analysis is drawn from the 2000 San Francisco Bay Area Travel Survey (BATS) as well as other supplementary data sources. The analysis considers the effects of a variety of built environment and demographic variables on teenagers’ activity behavior. In addition, spatial dependence effects (due to common unobserved residential neighborhood characteristics as well as diffusion/interaction effects) are accommodated. The variable effects indicate that parents’ physical activity participation constitutes the most important factor influencing teenagers’ physical activity participation levels, In addition, part-time student status, gender, and seasonal effects are also important determinants of teenagers’ social-recreational activity participation. The analysis also finds strong spatial correlation effects in teenagers’ activity participation behaviors.
A bolus of conivaptan lowers intracranial pressure in a patient with hyponatremia after traumatic brain injury.

Hyponatremia may complicate brain injury and exacerbate cerebral edema and intracranial pressure (ICP). Vasopressin-receptor antagonists (such as conivaptan) are promising novel agents to treat hyponatremia that act by inducing aquaresis. It is unclear whether raising serum sodium in this way could also confer an acute osmotic benefit, reducing brain water and thereby ICP. We evaluated the effect of a bolus of conivaptan on ICP in a patient with hyponatremia after traumatic brain injury (TBI). A 22-year-old suffered severe TBI with occlusive left carotid dissection. Her course was complicated by left hemispheric infarcts with cerebral edema and intermittently elevated ICP. Conivaptan 20-mg IV was given as a bolus when serum sodium rapidly dropped to 128 mEq/l. This dose resulted in significant aquaresis, with over 1 l per hour of dilute urine peaking at 3–5 h after the dose. By 8 h, sodium had risen to 146 mEq/l. ICP had been stable at 11–15 mmHg for several hours prior to the dose, remained in this range for 2 h after, but then fell to 2 mmHg at 4 h, and remained reduced out to 8 h. Cerebral perfusion pressure, initially stable at 60–80 mmHg, rose to over 90 mmHg at 4 h. In this preliminary case report, a single dose of conivaptan not only resulted in rapid correction of acute hyponatremia, but also a significant fall in ICP temporally associated with peak aquaresis. Vasopressin-receptor antagonists, by reversing osmotic shifts, may be novel agents to control ICP and cerebral edema, especially in the setting of falling sodium.
Phosphate absorption and root respiration of different plant growth forms from northern Alaska

Rate of phosphate absorption measured on field-collected, excised roots of eight species from a tundra site and a taiga forest was more strongly correlated with growth form traits than with type of community. In the taiga forest phosphate absorption rate ranged tenfold among species and was higher in graminoids than in shrubs. In both sites deciduous shrubs tended to have higher rates than evergreens. Phosphate absorption rate was not strongly reduced at low temperature in any species examined and there was a temperature optimum of about 20°C in Eriophorum vaginatum. Phosphate absorption rates were higher in lateral than primary roots, although both root types had substantial respiration rates. At one tundra site, calculations suggest that roots of E. vaginatum require 30–40 d to absorb a quantity of phosphorus equivalent to that required to synthesize the root and another 5–6 d to provide the net phosphorus requirements for the remainder of the plant.