cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Determination of Catalytic Surface Adsorption Sites by Fourier Transform Infrared Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

The use of Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FT-IR/PAS) as a method for quantitative analysis of surface adsorption site is demonstrated. Mid-IR information about the amount of adsorption is available with the sampling advantages of PAS: ability to analyze opaque materials with minimal sample preparation, qualitative information about both gas [CO(g)] phase and adsorbed [CO(ads)] species, a sealed sample environment for control of the gas phase in contact with the sample, and the ability to monitor in situ reaction kinetics. In this study a calibration curve is constructed for the amount of CO(g) in the sample cell with a silica internal reference. This calibration curve is utilized to calculate the amount of CO(ads) by subtraction on a catalytic surface where both CO(g) and CO(ads) exist at equilibrium. Using standard parameters from gas titration/volume uptake studies, the surface covered and the percentage of active sites on the surface are determined. This analysis combines the qualitative analytical capabilities of PAS with quantitative analysis, thus demonstrating another facet of the usefulness of FT-IR/PAS in addressing unusual problems.
Hospital-Based Shootings in the United States: 2000 to 2011

Study objective Workplace violence in health care settings is a frequent occurrence. Emergency departments (EDs) are considered particularly vulnerable. Gunfire in hospitals is of particular concern; however, information about such workplace violence is limited. Therefore, we characterize US hospital-based shootings from 2000 to 2011. Methods Using LexisNexis, Google, Netscape, PubMed, and ScienceDirect, we searched reports for acute care hospital shooting events in the United States for 2000 through 2011. All hospital-based shootings with at least 1 injured victim were analyzed. Results Of 9,360 search "hits," 154 hospital-related shootings were identified, 91 (59%) inside the hospital and 63 (41%) outside on hospital grounds. Shootings occurred in 40 states, with 235 injured or dead victims. Perpetrators were overwhelmingly men (91%) but represented all adult age groups. The ED environs were the most common site (29%), followed by the parking lot (23%) and patient rooms (19%). Most events involved a determined shooter with a strong motive as defined by grudge (27%), suicide (21%), "euthanizing" an ill relative (14%), and prisoner escape (11%). Ambient society violence (9%) and mentally unstable patients (4%) were comparatively infrequent. The most common victim was the perpetrator (45%). Hospital employees composed 20% of victims; physician (3%) and nurse (5%) victims were relatively infrequent. Event characteristics that distinguished the ED from other sites included younger perpetrator, more likely in custody, and unlikely to have a personal relationship with the victim (ill relative, grudge, coworker). In 23% of shootings within the ED, the weapon was a security officer's gun taken by the perpetrator. Case fatality inside the hospital was much lower in the ED setting (19%) than other sites (73%). Conclusion Although it is likely that not every hospital-based shooting was identified, such events are relatively rare compared with other forms of workplace violence. The unpredictable nature of this type of event represents a significant challenge to hospital security and effective deterrence practices because most perpetrators proved determined and a significant number of shootings occur outside the hospital building.
Strategy for the formation of parametric images under conditions of low injected radioactivity applied to PET studies with the irreversible monoamine oxidase A tracers [11C]clorgyline and deuterium-substituted [11C]clorgyline.

The construction of parametric positron emission tomography images of enzyme or receptor concentration obtained using irreversibly binding radiotracers presents problems not usually encountered with reversibly binding radiotracers. Difficulties are most apparent in brain regions having low blood flow and/or high enzyme or receptor concentration and are exacerbated with noisy data. This is especially true when minimal doses of radiotracer are administered. A comparison was recently reported of the irreversible monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) radiotracers [11C]clorgyline (CLG) and deuterium-substituted [11C]clorgyline (CLG-D) in the human brain using region of interest (ROI) analysis in which the authors observed an unexpected loss of image contrast with CLG-D compared with CLG. In order to more fully investigate patterns of binding of these irreversibly binding radiotracers, a strategy was devised to reduce noise in the generation of parametric images of the model term related to enzyme or receptor concentrati...
Monomers for preparation of amide linked RNA: Synthesis of C3’-homologated nucleoside amino acids from d-xylose

Abstract Amides as neutral and hydrophobic internucleoside linkages in RNA are highly interesting modifications for RNA interference. However, testing amides in siRNAs is hampered by the shortage of efficient methods to synthesize the monomeric building blocks, the nucleoside amino acid equivalents. This paper reports an efficient synthesis of protected ribonucleoside 5′-amino 3′-carboxylic acids from d -xylose in 14 steps 7% overall yield. The key features that ensure efficiency and ease of operations are chemoselective reduction of the ester and minimization of protecting group manipulation.
Loss Aversion and the Domestic Context of Military Intervention

This article examines the impact of loss-aversion, as defined by prospect theory, upon the responses of the American public and Congress to U.S. military intervention abroad. In particular, it asks whether the manner in which the rationale for the intervention is framed (whether as intended to avert a loss or secure a gain) will influence the amount of support mus tered for the intervention. Justifications offered for the active use of U.S. force abroad are content-analyzed to determine whether the main justifica tion stresses avoiding a loss to an acquired geopolitical position (a "protec tive" intervention) or securing a net foreign policy gain (a "promotive" intervention). The extent of shifts in presidential popularity occasioned by the intervention are compared, controlling for the rationale offered and the effort made by the president (in the form of relevant speech-making) to justify the intervention. Regression analysis indicates that, with these con trolling influences, a protective intervention ...
Voicing freedom, sounding dissent: Popular music, simulation and citizenship in democratizing Albania, 1991–1997

Between 1991 and 1997, Western-style rock and popular music in postsocialist Albania came to be targeted for processes of democratization and de-communization. In this article, I examine how efforts to imaginatively locate and musically voice ‘freedom’ and ‘dissent’ through popular musicians’ performances articulated to a nominally democratic order that necessitated ‘free’ citizens. Starting from Nikolas Rose’s notion of ‘freedom as a formula of power’, I explore how particular musical performances, commentaries and received ideas about the ‘power’ of popular music in democratic and nondemocratic contexts helped to shape and promote an ideal kind of agent, a ‘free’ Citizen–Subject. In approaching ‘democratization’ as an aesthetic and cultural process rather than ‘democracy’ as an ideal political condition, I outline popular music’s significant role in the cultural construction of conceptions of liberal democracy and ‘good’ citizenship in one postauthoritarian context. The historicization of commonsense no...
Hemagglutinin Stalk-Based Universal Vaccine Constructs Protect against Group 2 Influenza A Viruses

Current influenza virus vaccines contain H1N1 (phylogenetic group 1 hemagglutinin), H3N2 (phylogenetic group 2 hemagglutinin), and influenza B virus components. These vaccines induce good protection against closely matched strains by predominantly eliciting antibodies against the membrane distal globular head domain of their respective viral hemagglutinins. This domain, however, undergoes rapid antigenic drift, allowing the virus to escape neutralizing antibody responses. The membrane proximal stalk domain of the hemagglutinin is much more conserved compared to the head domain. In recent years, a growing collection of antibodies that neutralize a broad range of influenza virus strains and subtypes by binding to this domain has been isolated. Here, we demonstrate that a vaccination strategy based on the stalk domain of the H3 hemagglutinin (group 2) induces in mice broadly neutralizing anti-stalk antibodies that are highly cross-reactive to heterologous H3, H10, H14, H15, and H7 (derived from the novel Chinese H7N9 virus) hemagglutinins. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these antibodies confer broad protection against influenza viruses expressing various group 2 hemagglutinins, including an H7 subtype. Through passive transfer experiments, we show that the protection is mediated mainly by neutralizing antibodies against the stalk domain. Our data suggest that, in mice, a vaccine strategy based on the hemagglutinin stalk domain can protect against viruses expressing divergent group 2 hemagglutinins.
The effects of isolation and handling on reactivity to footshock and tactile dorsal stimulation

The effects of isolation and handling on the reactivity of rats to two tactile stimuli were assessed in two experiments. In the first experiment, reactivity to more intense footshock was increased in rats raised in isolation but was not affected by handling by an experimenter. In the second experiment, increased reactivity to airpuff stimuli presented to the dorsal surface of isolation-reared rats was reduced by handling. The data suggest that the effects of handling on shock-motivated behaviors are not due to altered reactivity to shock and that the effect of housing or handling must be considered in behavioral tests in which reactivity to tactile stimulation might play a role as dependent or independent variables.
The Soul and Sacrifice Amongst the Sisala

The Sisala are a patrilineal group of horticulturalists living in the savanna-zone of Northern Ghana. 1 Their villages are widely scattered throughout the scrub brush, which is cleared on a rotating basis, for subsistence farming. There are two climatic seasons: rainy and dry. The Sisala cultivate crops of millet, sorghum, guinea-corn, maize, yams, rice and a variety of lesser crops. Cattle are kept for purposes of bridewealth payments and sacrifices. Social organisation is based on the principle of agnatic descent. Residence is patrilocal. The Sisala are united by a loose-knit association of patri-clans which are sub-divided into villages, maximal lineages, lineages, compounds, houses and single rooms. The village is the most important political unit, while the lineage, normally comprising a patrilineally extended family, is the corporate unit of production and consumption. It is also the most important ritual unit, in terms of the frequency of ancestral sacrifice and the function of this institution as a means of social control. The compound-family, several of which comprise a lineage, is made up of either an extended family or a joint-fraternal family. Either the lineage or the compound may be the unit of production, depending on the stage of the group in the developmental cycle. The Sisala are governed by a paramount chief who, for a threeyear term, heads a five-man council of chiefs, after which time another member of the council is elected by council vote. This council has under its jurisdiction several divisional and village chiefs. Chiefship was created by the British and today exists in this form along-
Thermochemistry of glasses and liquids in the systems CaMgSi2O6-CaAl2Si2O8-NaAlSi3O8, SiO2-CaAl2Si2O8-NaAlSi3O8 and SiO2-Al2O3-CaO-Na2O

Enthalpies of solution in 2PbO· B2O3 at 712°C have been measured for glasses in the systems albite anorthite diopside, NaAlO2-SiO2, Ca0.5AlO2-SiO2 and albite-anorthite-quartz. The systems albite-anorthite and diopside-anorthite show substantial negative enthalpies of mixing, albite-diopside shows significant positive heats of mixing. For compositions up to NaAlO2 = 0.42 (which includes the subsystem albite-silica) the system NaAlO2-SiO2 shows essentially zero heats of mixing. A negative ternary excess heat of mixing is found in the plagioclase-rich portion of the albite-anorthite-diopside system. The join Si4O8-CaAl2Si2O8 shows small but significant heats of mixing. In albite-anorthite-quartz. ternary glasses, the ternary excess enthalpy of mixing is positive. Based on available heat capacity data and appropriate consideration of the glass transition, the enthalpy of the crystal-glass transition (vitrification) is a serious underestimate of the enthalpy of the crystal-liquid transition (fusion) especially when the melting point, Tf, is many hundreds of degrees higher than the glass transition temperature, Tg. On the other hand, the same heat capacity data suggest that the enthalpies of mixing in albite-anorthite-diopside liquids are calculated to be quite similar to those in the glasses. The enthalpies of mixing observed in general support the structural models proposed by Taylor and Brown (1979a, b) and others for the structure of aluminosilicate glasses.
Nanometer scale multilayers of electroactive polymers: intercalation of polypyrrole in mica-type silicates

Abstract Intercalative polymerization of pyrrole in the galleries of fluorohectorite, a synthetic mica-type silicate, results in a multilayered structure consisting of single polypyrrole chains alternately stacked with the layers of the silicate host. The multilayered films are characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-visible, infrared and Raman spectroscopies and electrical conductivity measurements. Upon exposure to I2 vapors, the in-plane electrical conductivity of the polypyrrole-fluorohectorite hybrid increases from 2 × 10−5 to 1.2 × 10−2 S/cm. The conductivity perpendicular to the layers is 3 × 10−6 S/cm corresponding to an electrical anisotropy of 4 × 103. Electrical conductivity measurements as a function of temperature indicate a variable range hopping mechanism, consistent with the current-voltage analysis. The lower conductivity for the intercalated polymer and the shift in the optical absorption bands to higher energies are rationalized in terms of an increased localization of charge carriers due to the molecular confinement of the polymer chains in the host galleries.
The body as experienced: an embodied approach to the packaging of the Dai river bathing custom in Xishuang Banna, China

This article looks at the filming of the Dai river bathing custom by the media professionals for tourism promotion in Xishuang Banna, China. It speaks to the previous scholarships that have studied the Otherness of ethnic minorities in China's mainstream and popular representations. Yet this case contextualizes this issue in the era of China's domestic tourism, when ethnic cultures and bodies are increasingly put on display, experienced, and (re-)produced through individualized, immediate, embodied encounters in tourist zones. By taking embodied experiences to the center, this article studies the touristic representation of ethnic minorities as China's national Others from an angle of embodiment. It inquires how the embodied experiences of both media professionals and Dai bathers at the filming constitute the very process during which Otherness, difference, and selfness are perceived, actualized, and (re-)produced in localized reality and at the grassroots level.
Profiling Participative Residents in Western Communities.

Differences between old-timers and newcomers and their effects on community social dimensions have been the object of much research. These studies have shown how extensive in-migration of people with different socioeconomic backgrounds, values, and perspectives contribute to heightened social conflict in some communities. Popular media accounts and some social science research referred to the conflict emerging from these differences as a culture clash. This study examines the effects that different backgrounds, attitudes, and behaviors have on community participation. Here, earlier work on differences in participation levels between seasonal and permanent residents is extended in an attempt to identify structural and interactional characteristics associated with participative citizens regardless of their residential status. A profile of participative residents was found. Knowing these characteristics helps identify people who could bring important and useful insights to local decision-making. These residents make a deliberate choice to purposively engage in community efforts. Such voluntary interaction creates a pro-community environment where needs and solutions are tackled by residents. Additionally, this interactive environment serves as a ground for the reduction of differences among community members. Through this process, community development is achieved, enhancing community well-being.
Orchard calcium and fungicide treatments mitigate effects of delayed postharvest fungicide applications for control of postharvest decay of pear fruit

Abstract Postharvest decay of pear fruit is commonly initiated at wounds that occur during harvest and handling, yet pears may be held in cold storage for considerable lengths of time before fungicides are applied to prevent postharvest decay. The efficacy of postharvest fungicide treatments declines as the time between harvest and fungicide treatment increases. Foliar sprays of calcium chloride applied to ‘Bosc’ pear trees beginning in mid-July and repeated every two weeks for a total of three applications slowed the increase in decay incidence observed when thiabendazole or fludioxonil treatments were delayed up to eight weeks after harvest. Increased decay incidence due to delayed postharvest fungicide application was also reduced by application of either pyraclostrobin + boscalid, thiophanate-methyl, or trifloxystrobin one week before harvest. Calcium chloride treatments followed by either of the pre-harvest fungicides provided the greatest decay suppression when postharvest fungicide treatments were delayed. Decay control by fludioxonil treatment was superior to that provided by thiabendazole when the fungicides were applied to fruit promptly after harvest, but differences between these two fungicides decreased as the delay in application approached eight weeks after harvest. A program of orchard calcium chloride followed by pre-harvest fungicide treatments can reduce overall decay incidence and mitigate the consequences of delays in postharvest fungicide treatment.
Graph representation of molecular datasets: applications to dataset visualization and comparison using graph indices

The representation and visualization of large chemical datasets in multidimensional chemistry spaces is a great challenge in cheminformatics. To this end, we have developed a novel approach, the Advanced Dataset Graph Analysis (ADDAGRA), which uses graph representations for ensembles of molecules-points defined by their coordinates in high dimensional descriptor space. The dataset graph (DG) represents an ensemble of vertexmolecules connected by edges; the edge connects vertices that have the Euclidean distance between them in the original descriptor space within a user-defined cutoff. The ADDAGRA program with a graphical user interface was developed to build, visualize in 3D and real time, and analyze DGs. The uniqueness of this data representation is that the points are projected onto 3D space using conventional PCA; however, the edges are defined between neighbors in the original high-dimensional space. Thus, unlike all other data projection approaches the ADDAGRA visualizes compound clusters in the original descriptor space exactly. In addition to the visualization, we have also implemented several simple graph indices for quantitative description and comparisons of DGs. Three case studies involving (i) 101 AmpC betalactamase inhibitors, (ii) 2029 organic compounds with their measured intrinsic aqueous solubility, and (iii) 1093 chemical toxicants (see Figure 1) tested against Tetrahymena Pyriformis, have been analyzed with ADDAGRA. Results suggest that some graph indices such as the average vertex degree or Randic connectivity index have the ability to discriminate similar vs. dissimilar pairs of datasets and address several other common issues in cheminformatics such as detection of outliers, finding shared regions in chemical and property space, etc. We suggest that the ADDAGRA approach may find a broad application in cheminformatics.
The CD4+ T-cell transcriptome and serum IgE in asthma: IL17RB and the role of sex

The relationships between total serum IgE levels and gene expression patterns in peripheral blood CD4+ T cells (in all subjects and within each sex specifically) are not known. Peripheral blood CD4+ T cells from 223 participants from the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP) with simultaneous measurement of IgE. Total RNA was isolated, and expression profiles were generated with Illumina HumanRef8 v2 BeadChip arrays. Modeling of the relationship between genome-wide gene transcript levels and IgE levels was performed in all subjects, and stratified by sex. Among all subjects, significant evidence for association between gene transcript abundance and IgE was identified for a single gene, the interleukin 17 receptor B (IL17RB), explaining 12% of the variance (r2) in IgE measurement (p value = 7 × 10-7, 9 × 10-3 after adjustment for multiple testing). Sex stratified analyses revealed that the correlation between IL17RB and IgE was restricted to males only (r2 = 0.19, p value = 8 × 10-8; test for sex-interaction p < 0.05). Significant correlation between gene transcript abundance and IgE level was not found in females. Additionally we demonstrated substantial sex-specific differences in IgE when considering multi-gene models, and in canonical pathway analyses of IgE level. Our results indicate that IL17RB may be the only gene expressed in CD4+ T cells whose transcript measurement is correlated with the variation in IgE level in asthmatics. These results provide further evidence sex may play a role in the genomic regulation of IgE.
Polymerization of actin modified with fluorescein isothiocyanate

Solution properties of skeletal muscle actin, modified at lysine-61 with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) [Burtnick, L.D. (1984) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 791, 57-62], were re-examined in this work by light scattering, analytical ultracentrifugation, fluorescence, electron microscopy and myosin ATPase activity measurements. Fluorescence measurements using trace amounts of actin labeled with N-(1-pyrenyl)iodoacetamide showed that the FITC modification inhibited but did not block completely the polymerization of actin by KCl and MgCl2. Sedimentation velocity runs of FITC-actin, incubated with 100 mM KCl and 2 mM MgCl2, revealed the presence in these solutions of polymeric, oligomeric and monomeric species. The critical concentration for FITC-actin polymerization under these conditions was 12 microM. As judged by electron microscopy, FITC-actin polymers were similar to but generally shorter than standard F-actin filaments. Light scattering measurements indicated that FITC modification inhibited also the polymerization of actin by myosin subfragment 1 (S1) but the resulting complexes were indistinguishable from standard, decorated actin filaments. MgATPase measurements showed that FITC-actin, polymerized by preincubation with S1, activated the MgATPase activity of S1 while the monomeric labeled protein did not. Thus, in analogy to native actin, the activating function of FITC-actin depended on the formation of actin filaments. Results presented in this study suggest that the region around lysine-61 of actin plays an important role in actin-actin contact and is less crucial to actomyosin interaction.
Rat fibroblasts transfected with the human 70-kDa heat shock gene exhibit altered translation and eukaryotic initiation factor 2α phosphorylation following heat shock

Heat shock inhibits translation in a wide variety of cells. After heating, eukaryotic initiation factor 2-alpha (eIF-2α) becomes phosphorylated which prevents the binding of Met-tRNA to the 40s ribosomal subunit inhibiting initiation of translation. Thermotolerant cells demonstrate resistance to inhibition of translation by additional heating suggesting that heat shock proteins may help to maintain translational integrity following thermal stress. Here we have examined the effects of increased intracellular levels of hsp70 protein on translation and eIF-2α phosphorylation using rat fibroblasts stably transfected with a cloned human hsp70 gene. We observed a decrease in the rate of translational inhibition following heat shock in both hsp70-transfected and thermotolerant cells. Upon recovery at 37°C, both hsp70-transfected and thermotolerant cells exhibit a faster rate of translational recovery. Utilizing slab gel isoelectric focusing coupled with immunoblotting we demonstrate that 45°C heat shock leads to...
Doctors as the key to health care reform.

Doctors make most of the decisions to use medical resources, thereby determining what the United States spends on medical care. Dr. Arnold Relman proposes a reformed health care system based on tax-supported, universal insurance, with medical care provided by a national network of community-based, private, not-for-profit, multispecialty, doctor-managed group practices.
JSC Mars-1 Martian Regolith simulant particle charging experiments in a low pressure environment

Abstract NASA has a keen interest in Martian dust particle charging as it impacts future Mars missions. The particle charging can be used in experiments to help gather information about atmospheric electrostatics, saltation, and tribo-electric charging. Additionally, the charging could also be a nuisance for equipment because of the potential hazard of electrostatic adhesion and discharge. In order to gather more information about the nature of particle charging at Martian atmospheric pressures, experiments were performed in a 7 Torr environment testing the contact and frictional charging of the JSC Mars-1 Martian Regolith simulant. An apparatus was devised that dropped the simulant down a deflection board whose surfaces were coated with various materials of interest. The particles were illuminated by a UV source as they fell. The UV illumination was added to consider whether the surface states of the particles would be augmented to permit greater tribo-charging. The charged particles would then exit the board into a Faraday cup to measure the amount of charge accumulated using an electrometer. The materials used on the deflection board surfaces included copper, glass and acetate. The UV source did not significantly alter the experimental outcomes.
Kinetic studies on the mechanism of glucocorticoid inhibition of hexose transport in rat thymocytes

Glucocorticoids decrease uptake of glucose, transport of 3-O-methylglucose and formation from glucose of glucose-6-P in rat thymus cells. The parallel nature of these effects has led to the hypothesis that the principal underlying action of cortisol is to decrease hexose transport. The present studies, utilizing a short pulse technique for measuring transport of radio-labelled 3-O-methylglucose and glucose, support this hypothesis by demonstrating that the effects on transport exhibit the same glucocorticoid specificity as demonstrated earlier for effects on glucose metabolism, and that the time course and magnitude of the cortisol effects on glucose and 3-O-methylglucose transport are almost identical to those previously measured on glucose-6-P. With 3-O-methylglucose the inhibitory effects of cortisol are observed both on influx and efflux. Kinetic measurements on 3-O-methylgucose transport at several temperatures furthermore show that cortisol significantly decreases Vmax but has only marginal effects on KM. With a “carrier” model for hexose transport, a decrease in Vmax can be explained by a decrease in either carrier mobility or number. The following results point to a decrease in effective carrier number: (a) the relative magnitude of the cortisol effect on Vmax remains approximately the same at temperatures from 23° to 41°C, despite a tenfold increase in Vmax; (b) the cortisol effect remains intact in cells exposed to anaerobic conditions, which are thought to stimulate uptake by increasing carrier mobility. The postulated decrease in carrier number produced by cortisol is unlikely to be due to a decreased rate of carrier synthesis since the carrier half-life, as estimated by blocking protein synthesis with cyclohexide, far exceeds 2 h, whereas the cortisol effect becomes apparent within 20 min.
The age-related decline in interleukin-3 expression in mice.

Abstract Spleen lymphocytes form 5− to 37-month-old C57BL/6J mice were stimulated by concanavalin A (con A) in vitro, and the interleukin-3 (IL-3) expression was assessed by measuring the IL-3 activity in culture supernatants and the cytoplasmic IL-3 mRNA levels. The activity and mRNA level of IL-3 was maximum at 20 hr after culturing in the presence of con A. The IL-3 activity in the culture supernatants and the IL-3 mRNA level in lymphocytes declined 70% to 80% between 5 and 37 months of age. Northern blot analysis revealed no change in the size of IL-3 mRNA between young and old mice. When the expression of IL-3 and interleukin-2 (IL-2) by con A-stimulated lymphocytes was compared, both interleukins showed a similar declined with age.
Human autoantibody recognition of DNA.

Abstract Combinatorial IgG Fab phage display libraries prepared from a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) donor and a healthy donor were affinity selected against human placental DNA. Human monoclonal antibody Fab fragments specific for DNA were isolated from both libraries, although Fabs of the highest affinity were isolated only from the lupus library. Generally, apparent affinities of the Fabs for human placental DNA, purified double-stranded DNA, and denatured DNA were approximately equivalent. Surface plasmon resonance indicated Fab binding constants for a double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide of 0.2-1.3 x 10(8) M-1. The higher-affinity Fabs, as ranked by binding to human placental DNA or to the oligonucleotide probe, tested positive in the Crithidia luciliae assay commonly used in the diagnosis of SLE, and interestingly the genes encoding the heavy-chain variable regions of these antibodies displayed evidence of only minimal somatic hypermutation. The heavy chains of the SLE Fabs were characterized by a predominance of basic residues toward the N terminus of complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3). The crucial role of heavy-chain CDR3 (HCDR3) in high-affinity DNA recognition was suggested by the creation of DNA binding in an unrelated antibody by HCDR3 transplantation from SLE antibodies. We propose that high-affinity DNA-binding antibodies can arise in SLE without extensive somatic hypermutation in the variable-region genes because of the expression of inappropriate HCDR3s.
Novel piezoelectric ceramic-polymer aligned composites via the freeze casting method for high frequency transducer applications

Novel piezoelectric ceramic-polymer aligned (2–2) composites were prepared via the freeze casting method. The dielectric constant of the composites versus temperature was determined. The polarization versus field plots for the PZT-5A and the PMN-10PT aligned composite samples show an good ferroelectric behavior for both samples. K t of PZT-5A composite was measured to be 0.54, which is similar to that of single phase ceramic. The piezoelectric coefficient (d 33 ) of PZT-5H composite was determined to be ∼250 pC/N. The measured pulse echo waveform and the normalized frequency spectrum of the PZT-5A aligned composite single element ultrasound transducer showed that the center frequency of the transducer was 58 MHz and the bandwidth at −6dB was around 70%.
Niemann pick Type C disease as a model for defects in neurosteroidogenesis

Many functions have been attributed to neurosteroids including actions as anxiolytics, roles in myelination, inhibitors of neuronal toxicity and ischemia, and roles in neuronal growth and differentiation. To understand the functions of neurosteroids during nervous system development, we used two mouse models: one, in which the cyp17 gene was ablated, thus ablating synthesis of the neurosteroid DHEA, and a second, in a mouse model of a human childhood fatal neurodegenerative disease, Niemann‐Pick Type C (NP‐C). Cyp17− / − mice died unexpectedly ∼ embryonic day 7. Cyp17 was expressed in the embryonic endoderm at E7, where 17α hydroxylase and c17,20 lyase activities were found. Hormonal replacement was ineffective in rescuing the embryos. The function of P450c17 and/or its steroid products in early mouse development is unknown. In the second model, we used a naturally‐occurring NP‐C mutant mouse. Mutations in the npc1 gene results in lysosomal accumulation of cholesterol and gangliosides in humans and in the...
Phytosanitary irradiation for export of fresh produce: commercial adoption in Hawaii and current issues

Hawaii is a pioneer in the use of phytosanitary irradiation. Irradiation is an approved treatment to control quarantine insect pests in 17 fruits and 7 vegetables for export from Hawaii to the US mainland. The commercial X-ray irradiation facility, Hawaii Pride LLC, has been shipping tropical fruits and vegetables to the US mainland using irradiation since 2000. Hawaiian purple sweet potato is the highest volume product with annual exports of more than 12 million lbs (5,500 tonnes). The advent of generic radiation treatments for tephritid fruit flies (150 Gy) and other insects (400 Gy) has accelerated commodity export approvals and facilitated adoption by foreign trading part- ners. Current impediments to wider adoption include the labeling requirement, the 1 kGy limit for fresh horticultural products, and non-acceptance of phytosanitary irradiation in Japan and the European Union. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has restricted the use of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for irradiated fresh fruits exported to the US due to possible increased radio- tolerance in the target insects. Data are presented for response of melon fly in papaya to several types of MAP with radiation treatment at 45-65 Gy. Low oxygen atmo- spheres can increase insect radio-tolerance, but the effect is dependent on oxygen concentration and radiation dose.
Adducts of Carbenes with Group II and XII Metallocenes

The reactions and adducts of 1,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazol-2-ylidene with bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)magnesium, -calcium, -strontium, -barium, or -zinc are described. A consistent tend in the spectroscopic properties and structures of the alkaline earth metallocenes is observed. The adduct between 1,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazol-2-ylidene and bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)zinc shows a structure in which the zinc is only σ-bonded to the three ligating groups. Among the alkaline earth adducts, the σ-bonded interaction to the former carbene center of the 1,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazol-2-ylidene shows the shortest metal−carbon distances in each of the structures but the difference between the carbene−metal and pentamethylcyclopentadienyl−metal distances decreases as the atomic number of the metal increases.
The place of behavioral sciences in graduate training in international relations

Once upon a time the expert in international relations did not need many skills beyond an ability to speak with suavity and distinction in more than one language and to know a bit of the history and customs of a few countries besides his own. But times have changed and now the student of international relations should be not only a gentleman and a scholar but also, of all things a scientist.
Differential inhibitory effects of vitamin E and other antioxidants on prostaglandin synthetase, platelet aggregation and lipoxidase

Abstract Prostaglandin biosynthesis from eicosa-8,11,14-trienoic acid in microsomes from the bovine vesicular gland is inhibited by the antioxidants α-naphthol, guaiacol, NDGA and propyl gallate. Prostaglandin biosynthesis in this system is not inhibited by the antioxidants BHT, DL-α-tocopherol and Trolox C. Arachidonic acid induced platelet aggregation is inhibited specifically by α-naphthol, guaiacol, NDGA and propyl gallate. Both arachidonic acid induced platelet aggregation and ADP induced platelet aggregation are inhibited non-specifically by the antioxidants BHT, DL-α-tocopherol and Trolox C. All antioxidants tested in this study inhibit soybean lipoxidase. Thus α-naphthol, NDGA and propyl gallate are non-specific inhibitors of both prostaglandin synthetase and soybean lipoxidase while BHT, DL-α-tocopherol and Trolox C are specific inhibitors of soybean lipoxidase alone.
Effect of shigatoxin-1 on arachidonic acid release by human glomerular epithelial cells.

Effect of shigatoxin-1 on arachidonate release by human glomerular epithelial cells. Background Altered arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism has been implicated in the pathogenesis of renal injury in the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). However, there is very little information of the effect of shigatoxin (Stx; the putative mediator of renal damage in HUS) on AA release or metabolism by renal cells. Since recent studies have demonstrated that glomerular epithelial cells (GECs) may be important early targets of Stx, the current study was undertaken to examine the effects of Stx on AA release and metabolism by GECs. Methods Cultured human GECs were exposed to Stx1 ± lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 4 to 48 hours followed by determination of 3 H-arachidonate release, thromboxane A 2 (TxA 2 ) and prostacyclin (PGI 2 ) production, cyclooxygenase (COX) activity, and Western and Northern analyses for phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) and COX protein and mRNA levels, respectively. Results Stx1 increased arachidonate release by GECs. LPS alone had no such effect, but increased arachidonate release in response to Stx1. Stx1-stimulated arachidonate release correlated with elevations in cPLA 2 and sPLA 2 protein and cPLA 2 mRNA levels. Stx1 also increased both TxA 2 and PGI 2 production by GECs; LPS alone did not alter eicosanoid production, but augmented Stx1 effects. Both Stx1 and LPS stimulated COX activity; however, these effects were not additive. Although there was an accompanying elevation of COX-1 and COX-2 mRNA, Stx1 decreased and LPS did not change COX1 and COX2 protein levels. Conclusions Stx1 alone or in conjunction with LPS increases arachidonate release and eicosanoid production by human GECs; this effect correlates with increased PLA 2 protein and mRNA levels. To our knowledge, this is the first study identifying the mechanisms of Stx1-stimulated AA release. These results raise the possibility that arachidonate release and metabolism by GECs, and conceivably other renal cell types, are involved in renal injury in HUS.
Geodetic and geophysical results from Lageos

Seven years of laser tracking of the Lageos spacecraft have been used to derive geodetic quantities describing the earth and its rotational motion. The dynamical motions of the solid-earth on its axis have been derived continuously since launch and changes in the length-of-day show very high correlation with variations in the atmospheric zonal winds between 1000 and 50 mbars. A significant improvement in the determination of the product of the earth's mass and the gravitational constant has been made. The high accuracy of the orbit determination of Lageos over the 7 years since launch has permitted the identification of a small deceleration in the nodal precession of the orbit. This deceleration is being caused by a small reduction in the flattening of the earth arising from the rebound of the earth after the last ice age. Measurements of the distances between the tracking stations over several years are showing changes consistent with tectonic plate motion and with general ideas of vertical movements.
On the graphical display of molecular electrostatic force-fields and gradients of the electron density

Gradients of the electrostatic potential and electron density of methyl fluoride are displayed as colored regions on isopotential surfaces. In this publication, the colored regions are represented as shades of grey. Shading is used to achieve three-dimensional perception and to encode the direction of the gradient. Coloring the density by the magnitude of the gradient is demonstrated to provide an intrinsic mechanism for coloring the molecular density such that the underlying atomic structure is vividly displayed in hues commonly used in molecular ball and stick models. The algorithm for contouring a four-dimensional object and drawing colored, shaded isopotential surfaces is described.
B-cell receptor activation induces BIC/miR-155 expression through a conserved AP-1 element.

microRNA-155 is an oncogenic microRNA that has been shown to be critical for B-cell maturation and immunoglobulin production in response to antigen. In line with its function in B-cell activation, miR-155, and its primary transcript, B-cell integration cluster (BIC), is induced by B-cell receptor (BCR) cross-linking. Using pharmacological inhibitors in the human B-cell line, Ramos, we show that activation of BIC and miR-155 expression by BCR signaling occurs through the extracellular signaling-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways but not the p38 pathway. BCR activation results in the induction of c-Fos, FosB, and JunB, and expression of these are suppressed by ERK and JNK inhibitors. Reporter analysis established a key role for a conserved AP-1 site ∼40 bp upstream from the site of initiation but not an upstream NF-κB site or a putative c-Ets located at the site of initiation. Lastly, chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated the recruitment of FosB and JunB to the miR-155 promoter following BCR activation. These results identify key determinants of BCR-mediated signaling that lead to the induction of BIC/miR-155.
Policing the Remnants of War

Certain standard, indeed classic, varieties of war have become so rare and unlikely that they could well be considered to be obsolescent, if not obsolete. Moreover, much, but not all, of what remains of war is substantially opportunistic predation waged by packs of criminals, bandits, and thugs who engage in warfare in much the same way as they often did in medieval and early modern Europe: as mercenaries recruited or dragooned by weak (or even desperate) state governments or as warlord gangs developed within failed or weak states. Much of this warfare could be reduced or substantially eliminated by disciplined police and military forces and, in their new era of essential consensus in the wake of the Cold War, the developed countries could create mechanisms for policing civil warfare. However, they are likely to do so with any sort of reliability only where their interests seem importantly engaged or where they manage to become self-entrapped. Rather, the key lies in the establishment of competent domestic military and policing forces, tracing a process Europe went through in the middle of the last millennium. Indeed, much of the civil warfare that persists in the world today is a function of the extent to which inadequate governments exist. Of late, there seems to have been an increase in the number of countries led by effective people who, instead of looting and dissipating their country's resources, appear to be dedicated to adopting policies that will further its orderly development. Thus, while far from certain, a further (or continuing) decline in a most common remaining kind of war does seem to be an entirely reasonable prospect.
Magnetic field measurements of quadrupoles in the High-Current Experiment

Abstract The High-Current Experiment (HCX) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is part of the US program to explore heavy-ion beam transport at a scale representative of the low-energy end of an induction linac driver for fusion energy production. Four pulsed magnetic quadrupoles are being used to study gas and electron effects with a 0.2 A, 1-MeV K + beam. The magnets, originally designed and built for a prototype pulsed magnetic quadrupole array, have an elliptical beam tube (6×10 cm) and iron yoke. The magnet coil and field length are ≈31 cm, and operating gradients are 10–40 T/m. To establish that the field quality of the prototype quadrupoles is satisfactory for the experiments, a 1-cm pickup loop was used to measure the flux B r ( θ ) at the magnet mid-plane and also at the lead and return ends. A longer probe was used to measure the integrated flux of B θ ( θ ) along the magnet. The field quality appears satisfactory for the short transport experiments through these quadrupoles.
An optical investigation of the peculiar supernova remnant CTB 80.

Interference-filter photographs and optical spectrophotometry are used to investigate the optical emission associated with the peculiar supernova remnant CTB 80. Optically, the remnant consists of outlying diffuse and filamentary emission surrounding a small, central ring of filaments which are coincident with the central radio emission peak. Spectra of two filaments in the southwestern part of the remnant show strong forbidden S II emission relative to H-alpha; in conjunction with the nonthermal radio emission in this region, this suggests that the filaments are shock heated. Filaments outside the radio structure in the northeast show a similar optical spectrum and may also be a part of CTB 80. The central filaments form a well-defined shell structure in the light of forbidden O III emission 5007 A but are irregular in H-alpha showing both knots and diffuse emission.
Influence of ice-phase physics of hydrometeors on moist-convection

[1] The influence of ice-phase physics (IPP) of hydrometeors was isolated using three 3-year long simulations with the FvGCM employing parameterized cloud microphysics. The Control Case CC had no IPP, whereas the two experiments E1 and E2 invoked IPP with two different hydrometeor-freezing assumptions. Case E1 froze liquid hydrometeors at subfreezing temperatures at detrainment. Case E2 also froze new condensate generated at subfreezing temperatures of the cumulus updrafts. However, melting of falling frozen hydrometeors occurred at the very first encounter with above freezing temperatures in both simulations. Comparative analysis showed discernible differences in cloud and condensation heating climatologies of these simulations. Specifically, IPP influenced convective detrainment at mid- and deep-levels in accord with TOGA-COARE observations. The study suggests that IPP can mitigate less-than-observed mid-level clouds and over-abundance of deep clouds and might invigorate cumulus-induced downdrafts.