cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Concept formation in infancy

Four experiments investigated conceptual categorization in 7- to 11-month-old infants. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that 9-and 11-month-olds differentiated the global domains of animals and vehicles. Within the animal domain no subcategorization was found: the infants did not differentiate dogs from fish or from rabbits. Within the vehicle domain infants differentiated cars from both airplanes and motorcycles. Experiment 3 showed similar, although weaker, categorization for 7-month-olds. Experiment 4 showed that categorization of animals and vehicles was unaffected by degree of between-category similarity. Birds and airplanes were treated as different even though the exemplars from both categories had similar shapes, including outstretched wings, and were of the same texture. These data, showing global differentiation of animals and vehicles, with lack of differentiation of “basic-level” categories within the animal domain, contrast with data from studies designed to assess perceptual categorization. Even younger infants differentiate various animal subcategories perceptually. However, the results presented here suggest that infants may not respond to such perceptual differences as being conceptually relevant.
Big change through small action

Many of us strive to improve our efforts but can be overwhelmed by a variety of perceived obstacles. Wendy Young, Chris Ehrhart, and Greg Meyer describe how they made incremental steps within their personal sphere of influence that resulted in significant change.
Complex scattering within D″ observed on the very dense Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment Passive Array

Several seismic phases that scattered within a few hundred kilometers of the base of the mantle are observed in a very dense seismic section. The Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment passive phase array was composed of 88 seismometers placed along a 175 km profile. Records from two deep earthquakes in Tonga and one earthquake near Honshu, Japan show a secondary arrival between clear P and PcP arrivals. Modeling with layered structures shows that the Tonga and Honshu seismic sections are consistent with an increase in seismic velocity 140 and 240 km above the core-mantle boundary, respectively, and a ≃10-km thick low-velocity zone at the base of the mantle beneath a region in the mid Pacific. Several of these arrivals are not coherent enough to appear in higher resolution stacks from the much larger Southern California Seismic Network. This experiment illustrates that fine-scale passive array data can reveal small-scale deep Earth structure invisible to larger-scale seismic networks.
Regulation of c-myc mRNA Decay by Translational Pausing in a Coding Region Instability Determinant

A 249-nucleotide coding region instability determinant (CRD) destabilizes c-myc mRNA. Previous experiments identified a CRD-binding protein (CRD-BP) that appears to protect the CRD from endonuclease cleavage. However, it was unclear why a CRD-BP is required to protect a well-translated mRNA whose coding region is covered with ribosomes. We hypothesized that translational pausing in the CRD generates a ribosome-deficient region downstream of the pause site, and this region is exposed to endonuclease attack unless it is shielded by the CRD-BP. Transfection and cell-free translation experiments reported here support this hypothesis. Ribosome pausing occurs within the c-myc CRD in tRNA-depleted reticulocyte translation reactions. The pause sites map to a rare arginine (CGA) codon and to an adjacent threonine (ACA) codon. Changing these codons to more common codons increases translational efficiency in vitro and increases mRNA abundance in transfected cells. These data suggest that c-myc mRNA is rapidly degraded unless it is (i) translated without pausing or (ii) protected by the CRD-BP when pausing occurs. Additional mapping experiments suggest that the CRD is bipartite, with several upstream translation pause sites and a downstream endonuclease cleavage site.
Truncation at length

Genetic Variability. By Christopher Wills. Pp.312. ISBN 0-19-857570-X. (Clarendon/Oxford University Press: 1981.) £24, $49.50.
Dexamethasone metabolism in dexamethasone suppression test suppressors and nonsuppressors.

Abstract Background: Variable dexamethasone kinetics is a possible confound in the dexamethasone suppression test. Modifications to include dexamethasone plasma levels and specific dexamethasone “windows” have been proposed. Our study aims to validate our proposed dexamethasone windows in an independent sample of 121 subjects. Methods: We performed dexamethasone suppression tests in 162 subjects with mixed psychiatric diagnoses. Dexamethasone levels and β-phase half-life of dexamethasone were computed for suppressors and nonsuppressors. Results: Dexamethasone levels were lower in nonsuppressors than in suppressors. Dexamethasone levels correlated inversely with cortisol levels in the total sample, but were nonsignificant or weakly associated in those samples restricted to the windows. The β-phase half-life of dexamethasone was shorter in nonsuppressors. The dexamethasone windows were validated at 3:00 pm and 10:00 pm . We propose 4.0 ng/mL as a revised upper limit of the 8:00 am dexamethasone window. Conclusions: The plasma dexamethasone level is confirmed as a confound in the dexamethasone suppression test through more rapid dexamethasone clearance in nonsuppressors. Application of dexamethasone windows will reduce this source of test variance.
The effect of parental divergence on F2 heterosis in winter wheat crosses

In winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the development of a methodology to estimate genetic divergence between parental lines, when combined with knowledge of parental performance, could be beneficial in the prediction of bulk progeny performance. The objective of this study was to relate F2 heterosis for grain yield and its components in 116 crosses to two independent estimates of genetic divergence among 28 parental genotypes of diverse origins. Genetic divergence between parents was estimated from (a) pedigree relationships (coefficients of kinship) determined without experimentation, and (b) quantitative traits measured in two years of field experimentation in Kansas and North Carolina, USA. These distances, designated (1 -r) and G, respectively, provided ample differentiation among the parents. The 116 F2 bulks were evaluated at four locations in Kansas and North Carolina in one year. Significant rank correlations of 0.46 (P = 0.01) and 0.44 (P = 0.01) were observed between G and grain yield and kernel number heterosis, respectively. Although (1 -r) was poorly associated with grain yield heterosis, G and midparent performance combined to account for 50% of the variation in F2 yields among crosses when (1 -r) was above the median value, whereas they accounted for only 9% of the variation among crosses when (1-r) was below the median. Midparent and (1 -r) had equal effects on F2 grain yield (R 2= 0.40) when G was greater than the median value. A breeding strategy is proposed whereby parents are first selected on the basis of performance per se and, subsequently, crosses are made between genetically divergent parents that have both large quantitative (G) and pedigree divergence (1 -r).
Permeability Analysis of Neuroactive Drugs Through a Dynamic Microfluidic In Vitro Blood–Brain Barrier Model

This paper presents the permeability analysis of neuroactive drugs and correlation with in vivo brain/plasma ratios in a dynamic microfluidic blood–brain barrier (BBB) model. Permeability of seven neuroactive drugs (Ethosuximide, Gabapentin, Sertraline, Sunitinib, Traxoprodil, Varenicline, PF-304014) and trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) were quantified in both dynamic (microfluidic) and static (transwell) BBB models, either with brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3) in monoculture, or in co-culture with glial cells (C6). Dynamic cultures were exposed to 15 dyn/cm2 shear stress to mimic the in vivo environment. Dynamic models resulted in significantly higher average TEER (respective 5.9-fold and 8.9-fold increase for co-culture and monoculture models) and lower drug permeabilities (average respective decrease of 0.050 and 0.052 log(cm/s) for co-culture and monoculture) than static models; and co-culture models demonstrated higher average TEER (respective 90 and 25% increase for static and dynamic models) and lower drug permeability (average respective decrease of 0.063 and 0.061 log(cm/s) for static and dynamic models) than monoculture models. Correlation of the resultant logP e values [ranging from −4.06 to −3.63 log(cm/s)] with in vivo brain/plasma ratios (ranging from 0.42 to 26.8) showed highly linear correlation (R 2 > 0.85) for all model conditions, indicating the feasibility of the dynamic microfluidic BBB model for prediction of BBB clearance of pharmaceuticals.
TH‐A‐217BCD‐04: Accuracy of Dual‐Energy CT Photon Cross‐Section Mapping Using a Non‐Separable Two Parameter Cross‐Section Model

Purpose: To quantify the achievable accuracy in estimating photon radiological quantities in the 20‐1000 keV range from idealized dual‐energy CT measurements using a modified non‐separable two‐parameter cross section model. Methods: The parametric fit model (PFM) [Med Phys 33:4115 2006] is modified based on method of Torikoshi et al [Phys Med Biol 48:673 2003], yielding a modified parametric fit model (mPFM) to describe attenuation coefficients by the sum of individual interaction cross‐sections. Cross‐sections are estimated as products of power functions of energy (E) and atomic number (Z), the Klein‐Nishina cross section, and slowly varying tables of correction factors to account for residual errors, F(E,Z) and G(E,Z), correcting the photoelectric and scattering processes respectively. For mixtures and compounds, each pair of dual energy measurements yields a pair of non‐separable nonlinear equations in two unknowns, effective atomic number (Z*) and electron density (ρe*) that can be solved iteratively. For mixtures describing the range of biological tissue compositions, the accuracy of the mPFM was compared to a previously described [Med Phys 33:4115 2006] basis vector model (BVM). Results: The mean percent absolute error for mPFM of linear attenuation coefficient, photoelectric interaction coefficient, and energy absorption coefficient of five mixtures and compounds are 0.03%–0.17%, 1.10%–6.03%, and 0.2%– 1.19%, compared to 0.02%–0.15%, 0.44%–11.32%, and 0.11%–1.57% for BVM, compared 0.6%–2.2%, 10.8%–22.4% and 5%–10% for PFM over the 20‐1000 keV range. mPFM reduces maximum errors to 0.15% compared to 4.49% for BVM for fluorine‐based tissue.Conclusions: mPFM improves accuracy of photon cross‐section compared to PFM. BVM shows greater accuracy than mPFM for all tested tissue except for Teflon. mPFM also has the potential to extend DECT to computation of charged particle radiological quantities. Supported by Grant R01‐CA149305 and P01‐CA‐ 11602
Palynostratigraphy of the subsurface Eagle Mills Formation (Triassic) from a well in east-central Texas, U.S.A.

Abstract Well cuttings from the 8300–9500 ft (= 2530–2896 m) levels of the Hinton No. 1 Snider well in Falls County, east‐central Texas, were studied palynologically. The cuttings were prevailingly gray to reddish‐brown shales, and most samples were productive of palynomorphs. The undoubted indigenous palynoflora of the rock indicates late Carnian (Late Triassic) age for the Eagle Mills Formation, representing sedimentation in a Newark‐Basins‐style rift basin. The flora of most of the sampled interval was dominated by monosaccate and bisaccate conifer pollen and spores supporting late Carnian age. These forms also indicate relatively dry climatic conditions. Above 8650 ft the palynoflora is dominated by Corollina (al. Classopollis) pollen, and spores, indicating terminal Triassic to Early Jurassic age. However, the upper levels contain abundant dinoflagellates and spores and pollen of Jurassic to Late Cretaceous age, which clearly came from up‐well caving. It is therefore probable that the post‐Carnian in...
Regional Tectonic Features of Inner Gulf Coast Basin and Mississippi Embayment--Implications for Potential Low-Temperature Geothermal Resources: ABSTRACT

The Balcones and Luling-Mexia-Talco fault systems in central Texas delineate the deep reaches of several aquifers that yield low-temperature (up to 65°C) geothermal water. This geothermal region also coincides with a tectonic province that bisects Texas. Besides the normal faults that mark the boundary between the Edwards plateau uplands and Gulf coastal plain, there is at depth the foundered Ouachita structural belt, a hinge zone that repeatedly affected Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentation and structures. For example, crustal adjustments across the buried Ouachita trend apparently controlled the location of the strand throughout much of the Cretaceous time. The change from fluvial and deltaic terrigenous systems to open marine and lagoonal systems has an important e fect on aquifer properties; dip-oriented sand trends are preferred pathways for groundwater flow. Other geologic features that occur along this tectonic and geothermal trend are igneous plugs, loci of hydrothermal mineralization, and ongoing (aseismic or microseismic) adjustments across faults. In short, just as active tectonic areas are the present geothermal "hot spots" of the world, "relict" tectonic areas are distinguished by a coincidence of geologic features that suggest the local occurrence of low-temperature geothermal resources. Along other parts of the Gulf Coast basin and within the Mississippi embayment, tectonic, igneous, and hydrothermal features converge in a similar manner. Hot Springs, Arkansas, is a notable example. Other areas also show a similar coincidence, but they have not been recognized as having geothermal waters. Areas such as the headward part or the axis of the Mississippi embayment, and the zone of intersection of the deep Appalachian and Ouachita structural trends are potential targets for production of low-temperature geothermal waters. Tectonic trends commonly coincide with population trends, such as along the inner Gulf coastal plain of Texas and along the fall line of the eastern United States. Hence, there may be an established market for direct use of the low-grade geothermal water from aquifers superjacent to the inner margin of the Gulf Coast basin. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1569------------
Obesity, like atherosclerosis, starts early in life

EDITOR—The importance of starting to prevent obesity in infancy, as reported by Baird et al,1 has a counterpart in atherosclerosis. My mentor, …
Strongly interacting photons in quantum nonlinear medium

The realization of strong nonlinear interactions between individual light quanta (photons) is a long-standing goal in optical science and engineering, being of both fundamental and technological significance. We describe and demonstrate a medium that is nonlinear at the level of individual quanta, exhibiting strong absorption and phase shift for photon pairs while remaining transparent to single photons. The quantum nonlinearity is obtained by coherently coupling slowly propagating photons to strongly interacting atomic Rydberg states in a cold, dense atomic gas. Finally, we will discuss our progress towards realization of integrated quantum photonic systems, based on deterministic coupling of individual atoms and atom-like systems to photonic crystal cavities.
Vegetable protein and vegetable fat intakes in pre-adolescent and adolescent girls, and risk for benign breast disease in young women

Previous investigations, of adolescent diet recalled in adulthood, found lower risk for benign breast disease (BBD) with higher intakes of vegetable fat and nuts during high school. We investigate whether vegetable protein and fat, derived from diets reported during pre-adolescence and adolescence, are associated with subsequent risk for BBD in young women. The Growing Up Today Study includes 9,039 females, 9–15 years in 1996, who completed questionnaires annually through 2001, and then in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2010. Food frequency questionnaires (1996–2001) obtained intake data on a variety of foods. Beginning in 2005, women (18–30 years) reported whether they had ever been diagnosed with BBD that was confirmed by breast biopsy (n = 112 cases). Logistic regression estimated associations between intakes of vegetable protein and fat and biopsy-confirmed BBD. Those individual foods that were the largest contributors of protein and fat in this cohort were also investigated. In analyses of intakes from 1996 through 1998, when our cohort was youngest, vegetable fat (OR = 0.72/(10 gm/day), 95 % CI 0.53–0.98; p = 0.04) was inversely associated with BBD risk. The greatest sources of vegetable fat and protein in these girls were peanut butter, peanuts, nuts, beans (beans, lentils, and soybeans), and corn. A daily serving of any one of these was associated with lower risk (OR = 0.32/(serv/day), 95 % CI 0.13–0.79; p = 0.01). Peanut butter (and nuts) at age 11 years was inversely associated with risk (p = 0.01). In analyses of intakes at age 14 years, vegetable protein was associated with lower BBD risk (OR = 0.64/(10 gm/day), 95 % CI 0.43–0.95; p = 0.03). A daily serving at 14 years of any one of the foods was associated with lower risk (OR = 0.34, 95 % CI 0.16–0.75; p = 0.01), as was peanut butter (and nuts) (p = 0.02). Girls with a family history of breast cancer had significantly lower risk if they consumed these foods or vegetable fat. In conclusion, consumption of vegetable protein, fat, peanut butter, or nuts by older girls may help reduce their risk of BBD as young women.
Diagram and non-diagram lines in K spectra of nagnesium and oxygen from metallic and anodized magnesium

Abstract Data for diagram (α 1 , α 2 and β) and non-diagram (α′, α 3 , α 4 , α 5 , α 6 ) lines of the Mg K series are given and discussed. Significant differences in wavelength, intensity, and line shape are seen between Mg metal and MgO. Large differences in intensity are seen particularly for the satellite lines α 3 and α 4 . In the metal the α 4 /α 3 ratio is 0·60 while in the oxide it is 0·98. Satellite lines are very strong in the Mg K spectrum. For instance, α 3 as in the metal is over 10 percent of the parent α 1 α 2 doublet. The largest wavelength shift is seen in the weak diagram line K β which increases 0·0468 A in going from the metal to the oxide. The oxygen K α line at 23·59 A from MgO is shown, discussed and compared to earlier work.
DSC analysis for the evaluation of an energy storing wallboard

Abstract Sensible heat storage in building materials has been practiced for thousands of years. Recent work at the Centre for Building Studies of Concordia University on the incorporation of various phase change materials (PCMs) in gypsum wallboard has resulted in the addition of their latent heat values to the sensible heat storage value of wallboard. In this way its heat storage capacity can be increased by at least eightfold. PCM-wallboard development tests were conducted on a small scale using DSC analysis for selecting the PCMs; evaluating PCM-wallboard prototypes; to ascertain the reproducibility of PCM thermal characteristics in wallboard, to verify the spatial uniformity of PCM and to ascertain the effects of temperature cycling on the thermal characteristics of PCM-wallboard.
Association studies of 22 candidate SNPs with late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex and multifactorial disease with the possible involvement of several genes. Complex diseases such as AD have a large affect on the public health. It was estimated in 2007 that over 5 million Americans had AD, and more than $91 billion dollars was spent by medicare on AD and other dementias. Genetics plays a significant role in the etiology of the disease, therefore, it is of public health importance that the genetics of AD be investigated. With the exception of the APOE gene as a susceptibility marker no other genes have been identified for late-onset AD (LOAD). A recent genome wide association study of 17,343 gene-based putative functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) found 19 significant variants, including 3 linked to APOE, showing association with LOAD in several population samples. We have set out to replicate the 16 new significant associations in a large case-control cohort of American Whites. Additionally we examined six variants present in positional and/or biological candidate genes for AD. We genotyped the 22 SNPs in up to 1,009 Caucasian Americans with LOAD and up to 1,010 age matched older healthy Caucasian Americans. All variants were genotyped using 5' nuclease assays. We did not observe a statistically significant association between the SNPs with the risk of AD, either individually or stratified by APOE. Our data suggest that the association of the studied variants with LOAD, if it exists, is not statistically significant in our population study.
Immortalization and controlled in vitro differentiation of murine multipotent neural crest stem cells

To isolate mouse neural crest stem cells, we have generated a rat monoclonal antibody to murine neurotrophin receptor (p75). We have immortalized p75+ murine neural crest cells by expression of v-myc, and have isolated several clonal cell lines. These lines can be maintained in an undifferentiated state, or induced to differentiate by changing the culture conditions. One of these cell lines, MONC-1, is capable of generating peripheral neurons, glia, and melanocytic cells. Importantly, most individual MONC-1 cells are multipotent when analyzed at clonal density. The neurons that differentiate under standard conditions have an autonomic-like phenotype, but under different conditions can express markers of other peripheral neuronal lineages. These lines therefore exhibit a similar differentiation potential as their normal counterparts. Furthermore, they can be genetically modified or generated from mice of different genetic backgrounds, providing a useful tool for molecular studies of neural crest development.
Polymerase chain reaction quantification of cytokine messenger RNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with acute exacerbations of asthma: effect of glucocorticoid therapy

We have measured the expression of messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA) (mRNA) encoding interleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-4, IL-2 and interferon-gamma (IFN gamma) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 10 patients with acute exacerbations of asthma and nine non-asthmatic controls. Measurements were repeated in seven of the asthmatics following 7 days of oral glucocorticoid therapy. Total RNA was extracted from the PBMC, reverse transcribed using oligo-(dT) primers and aliquots of the resulting complementary DNA (cDNA) amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the presence of cytokine-specific primers under non-saturating conditions. PCR products were quantified on a relative basis after Southern blotting and probing with radiolabelled internal oligonucleotide probes by computer assisted densitometry of blot autoradiographs. The relative amounts of IL-5 mRNA in PBMC from the asthmatic patients prior to glucocorticoid therapy were greater (P < 0.01) than those in PBMC from non-asthmatic controls. In contrast, there were no differences in the relative amounts of IL-4, IL-2 and IFN gamma mRNA. In the asthmatics, the relative amounts of IL-5 mRNA correlated with the peripheral blood eosinophil counts (P = 0.02). After oral glucocorticoid therapy of the asthmatics, lung function improved and the relative amounts of PBMC IL-5 mRNA were reduced (P = 0.04) and no longer differed from those in PBMC from non-asthmatic controls. Glucocorticoid therapy was not associated with significant changes in the relative amounts of PBMC IL-4, IL-2 and IFN gamma mRNA. PBMC from atopic subjects contained significantly greater quantities of IL-4 mRNA (P = 0.04) but not IL-5, IL-2 and IFN gamma mRNA compared with non-atopic subjects regardless of their asthmatic status. We conclude that PBMC of patients with acute exacerbations of asthma demonstrate elevated expression of mRNA encoding IL-5, but not IL-2, IL-4 and IFN gamma and that the clinical improvement associated with glucocorticoid therapy is associated with a reduction of IL-5 mRNA expression. We further conclude that elevated expression in PBMC of mRNA encoding IL-4 is a feature of atopy but not of asthma. These observations suggest that IL-5 synthesis by activated T-lymphocytes may be relevant to the pathogenesis of asthma, and that inhibition of this release by glucocorticoids may at least partly explain their therapeutic effect in this disease.
Lifestyle Risk Factors Associated with Arm Swelling Among Women with Breast Cancer

Background Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a feared complication for breast cancer patients who have undergone axillary surgery. Although clinical risk factors for BCRL are defined, data are sparse regarding common exposures that might induce incident arm swelling. The goal of this study was to quantify the association between common exposures thought to be potential risk factors and the occurrence of incident arm swelling among breast cancer survivors with or at risk for BCRL.
Mevalonic Acid Analogs as Inhibitors of Cholesterol Biosynthesis

A series of 20 mevalonic acid analogs was synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis from [2-14C]-mevalonate in rat liver homogenates. Removal of the 5-hydroxyl group from mevalonic acid produced an active inhibitor, 3-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoic acid. Removal of the 3-hydroxyl group, addition of an aromatic group in the 3-position, or insertion of a double bond reduced inhibitory activity. Compounds with an aromatic group or halide on the 5-position were active inhibitors. The most active inhibitor was 5-phenylpentanoic acid, with 50% inhibition at 0.064 mM.
Complexation of Lead by Bermuda Grass Root Exudates in Aqueous Media

Exudates produced from Bermuda grass roots were collected in deionized water from sterilized Bermuda grass sod at 3-day intervals over a period of 15 days. Exudates were analyzed for total organic carbon, and characterized via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Exudate samples were adjusted to pH values of 4.5, 6.5, and 7.5, amended with lead and quantified for soluble and complexed lead via Inductively Coupled Plasma--Optical Emission Spectrometry. Data obtained from total organic carbon measurements indicated compositional changes in Bermuda grass root exudates as organic carbon concentrations increased over time. Analysis of the infrared spectroscopy data indicated that carboxylic acids and amine functional groups were present in root exudates. Also, the ability of root-exuded compounds to solubilize lead in aqueous media was demonstrated as exudate samples dissolved an average of 60% more lead than deionized water. At pH values 4.5 and 7.5, lead complexation by Bermuda grass root exudates increased with decreasing molecular weight size fractions, while an opposite trend was observed at pH 6.5. Results from this study demonstrated the ability of Bermuda grass root exudates to complex lead in aqueous media.
Hydrogen exchange kinetics of surface peptide amides in bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor

Abstract The acid and base catalytic rate constants, k H,obs and K OH, obs and the pH at the minimum rate, pH min , of 25 rapidly exchanging protons in bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor have been determined. Here we report the labeling procedure giving 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectral resolution of seven additional rapidly exchanging NH protons and the pH dependence of their chemical shifts. Values of k H,obs , K OH, obs and pH min are given for Ala16, Gly28 and Arg53 NH groups, the only backbone amide protons with static accessibility of more than zero in the crystal structure not previously reported, and for Gly56 NH, buried at the C terminus of an α-helix. All four protons reported here have pH min ≥3. Conclusions of the previous study predict that peptide protons with pH min higher than those of model compounds have greater static accessibility of the peptide O than of the peptide N atom. The locations in the crystal structure of the four NH groups whose exchange rates are reported here are in qualitative agreement with these predictions. The ionic strength dependence of Ala16 at pH 5.5 shows a sharp increase in the exchange rate with decreasing salt concentration, as expected for base-catalyzed exchange in a positive electrostatic field.
Alterations in cell-wall glycosyl linkage structure of Arabidopsis murus mutants

Methylation (glycosyl-linkage) analyses of the cell walls from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L., Heynh.) murus mutants revealed variations in the linkage structure compared to wild type. Linkage analyses revealed new features for mutations whose defective gene has not been identified. For example, the low-rhamnose mur8 mutant also shows deficiencies in 4-GalA linkages. No change in the 2-Rha to 2,4-Rha ratio indicates the mutant had lower amounts of rhamnogalacturonan I, but no alteration in its fine structure. For all mur mutants, methylation analysis revealed that changes in other polysaccharides occur indirectly as a result of mutation. All mutants were resolved by Principal Components Analyses applied to normalized mole% values for the total set of linkage groups. The ‘loadings’ responsible for discrimination of mutant and wild type revealed variation in linkage groups otherwise difficult to discern and, in certain instances when the gene is known, resolved the specific deficiency from indirect effects altering other sugar linkage distributions.
Echocardiographic pseudodiopathic hypertrophic subarotic stenosis in a patient with pericardial effusion

A 26 year old white male with chronic renal failure presented to our institution with a large pericardial effusion. In addition to the effusion, an echocardiogram demonstrated systolic anterior movement of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve (SAM), suggesting idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IH-S). Pericardiectomy was performed to treat the effusion. After surgery and relief of the effusion, the mitral valve motion returned to normal. It is concluded that SAM can be seen with pericardial effusion in the absence of IHSS.
Hegel's grounding of intersubjectivity in the master-slave dialectic

In this article I seek to explain Hegel’s significance to contemporary meta-ethics, in particular to Kantian constructivism. I argue that in the master–slave dialectic in the Phenomenology of Spiri...
Endoscopic Orbital Surgery

Orbital endoscopy is useful in managing various types of orbital problems. A hand-held endoscope can be used for simple procedures. Surgery and prolonged observation require a mounted endoscope. These two techniques provided good results in 15 patients. Endoscopy proved useful in finding and removing orbital foreign bodies. It is potentially useful in the management of orbital tumors, but experience in this area is still limited.
Behavior modification and open education

Abstract Behavior modification and open education developed out of quite different traditions, yet both share some common grounds, particularly in their institutional context and their stress on the direct relationship of the classroom environment to a child's behavior. Behavior modification, therefore, offers some procedures and new areas of research that may be applicable to open classrooms. More important, though, is the possibility of merging the technology of behavior modification with the humanistic concerns of open education.
Phase-field modeling and simulations of multicomponent cell membranes

In this talk, we report some of recent works with current and former colleagues at Penn State (S. Das, M. Li, C. Liu, R. Ryham, X. Wang and J. Zhang) on the phase field modeling and simulations of the vesicle membrane deformation under elastic bending energy and the interaction with background fluid flows and other external fields. We discuss the relations between the phase field model and the sharp interface limits and numerical simulations of membranes with various topology and multiple components. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Neuroprotection by a mitochondria-targeted drug in a Parkinson's disease model

Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the neuroprotective effects of a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, Mito-Q10, the coenzyme-Q analog attached to a triphenylphosphonium cation that targets the antioxidant to mitochondria, in experimental models of Parkinson's disease (PD). Primary mesencephalic neuronal cells and cultured dopaminergic cells were treated with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), an active metabolite of the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), and mice were used for testing the efficacy of Mito-Q10. MPP+ treatment caused a dose-dependent loss of tyrosine hydroxylase and membrane potential and an increase in caspase-3 activation in dopaminergic cells, which were reversed by Mito-Q10. MPTP treatment induced a loss of striatal dopamine and its metabolites, inactivation of mitochondrial aconitase in the substantia nigra, and a loss of locomotor activity in mice. Treatment with Mito-Q10 significantly inhibited both MPP+- and MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in cell culture and mouse models. Collectively, these results indicate that mitochondrial targeting of antioxidants is a promising neuroprotective strategy in this preclinical mouse model of PD.
A three-dimensional algorithm for optimizing beam weights and wedge filters

An essential step towards optimizing and automating radiation therapy treatment planning is to develop an effective algorithm to find the optimal beam weights and wedge filters for a given set of beam directions and modalities. This problem is solved by introducing a variable transformation based on the universal and omni wedge principles. Instead of directly optimizing an objective function with respect to wedge angles and orientations, each field is first decomposed into a superposition of an open field and two orthogonal wedged fields. This transforms the problem of finding J beam weights, wedge angles, and orientations to that of optimizing a system with 3J beam weights (J open beams and 2J nominal wedged beams), where J is the total number of incident beam directions. An iterative algorithm based on a method originally developed for image reconstruction is used to find the 3J beam weights. The technique is applied to a few clinical cases. Treatment plans are improved compared to those obtained through the conventional manual trial and error planning process. In addition, planning time and effort are greatly reduced.
Some Curious Results Using Minimum Variance Linear Unbiased Estimators

Most statisticians are, no doubt, accustomed to computing regression lines and estimates of population mneans which lie somewhere in the midst of the sample observation points. In fact, some of us might become very inuch alarmed if we were to compute a regression liie and find it to lie either entirely above or entirely below all of the observed points, such as is shown in Figure 1, for example. At the risk of becomiing alarmed, let tus consider some conditions under whichl a result such as that depicted in Figure 1, or a corresponding result involving the es-tiination of a mean, might occur. We begin by considering the problem of estima-ting a population mean by two correlated measurements. Consider the linear model
Effect of Prostaglandins (F2α, Ei, and E2) on Blood Pressure and Oxytocin-Induced Intramammary Pressure Responses in Rats*

In lactating rats, vasoactive prostaglandin (PG) doses of F2n (4 and 8 μg/kg), Ei, and E2 (2 and 4 μg/kg each) reduced the intramammary pressure response to standard iv doses of 300 μU oxytocin by 50–80%. Adrenergic blockers, phenoxybenzamine and/or propranolol (1 mg/kg each sc) did not influence the blood pressure response to PGF2α, PGE1, or PGE2. The oxytocin-antagonistic action of a single iv PGF2α dose (4 μg/kg) could not be altered by adrenergic blockers. In contrast, the oxytocin-antagonistic effects of PGE1 and PGE2 (2 μg/kg each) were completely eliminated after a-receptor blockade, while the activity of oxytocin was augmented. Under β-receptor or α- and β-receptor blockade, the oxytocin-antagonistic effects of PGE1 and PGE2 were almost abolished. a-Receptor blockade reduced the oxytocin-antagonistic action of infused PGF2α (8 μg/kg-min for 15 in) by 38%. β- or α- and β-receptor blockade had no effect. The oxytocin-antagonistic actions of PGE1 and PGE2 (4 μg/kg-min for 15 min each) were greatly re...
The cost of explosive severance operations in the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract The cost of explosive severance operations associated with decommissioning offshore structures is estimated based on 139 service jobs performed by DEMEX Division, TEI Construction Services, Inc., over a 4-year period in the Gulf of Mexico, 1999–2002. There are no published reports or systematic analysis of the cost of explosive cutting and so this analysis should serve as a useful industry baseline. The elements of a standard contract are presented and the total cost of the operation is derived in terms of the parameters of the contract. The percentage contribution of the fixed cost of service to the total cost is then estimated based on an assessment of average contract parameters. The total cost to perform an explosive severance operation is aggregated according to job type and normalized according to the number, size, and length of cut performed. Descriptive statistics are provided and relations are derived that estimate the time and cost of cutting based on various descriptor variables. The expected size and potential value of the explosive severance market in the Gulf of Mexico is also estimated. A major conclusion of the analysis is that explosive severance is a time-invariant structure-dependent operation and this combination of time invariance and structure dependence is one of the primary reasons for the popularity of explosive severance. Contractors essentially know the cost of an explosive severance operation before performing the job and this certainty of operation is an extremely valuable characteristic from an operational and financial perspective.
Postmitotic Nuclear Retention of Episomal Plasmids Is Altered by DNA Labeling and Detection Methods

One often overlooked aspect of nonviral gene therapy is the maintenance and localization of plasmids within a transfected cell. In this study we have quantified the nuclear retention of plasmids within microinjected cells after a single round of cell division. We employed several commercially available reagents to label plasmids with fluorophores for our microinjection tracking experiments. Interestingly, plasmids labeled with different techniques produced drastically different results. Naked plasmids microinjected directly into nuclei and later detected by in situ hybridization were found almost exclusively within the nuclei of the daughter cells after mitosis and were partitioned between the daughter nuclei with a normal, Gaussian distribution. Identical results were obtained with plasmids labeled with a fluorescent peptide nucleic acid. However, when plasmids were labeled with several commercially available fluorescent DNA labeling kits that randomly attach fluorophores to the entire plasmid and injected into HeLa cell nuclei, the modified plasmids were excluded from daughter nuclei after cell division. Taken together, these results suggest that naked, unmodified plasmids are retained in the nucleus following cell division and likely continue to express in the daughter cells. Our results demonstrate the significant alterations in episome localization that the labeling technique itself can have on plasmid trafficking.
Transverse Optical Mode in a One-Dimensional Yukawa Chain

A transverse optical mode was observed in a one-dimensional Yukawa chain. Charged particles, suspended in a strongly coupled dusty plasma, were arranged in a 1D periodic structure. Particle displacement in the direction perpendicular to the chain was restored by the confining potential. The dispersion relation of phonons was measured, verifying that the optical mode has negative dispersion, with phase and group velocities that are oppositely directed. A theoretical dispersion relation is presented and compared to the experiment and a molecular dynamics simulation.
Application of state theory to ground water contamination incidents

Abstract Traditional analysis of ground water contamination views the problem as the result of the creation of externalities from exchanges in the economic market arising from poorly defined rights to common property resources. Analysis of the effectiveness of state intervention focuses on the functional role of the state as enforcer, engineer, and allocator of resources in developing an efficient and equitable outcome. Ground water contamination can also be viewed as the result of the social organization of production practices in society. State theory provides a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship of the state to the social organization of production and how the functional role of the state derives from this relationship. Examination of state intervention of a ground water contamination incident in Friendship, Maine shows how the resolution of the problem more closely parellels the state's role in securing conditions for capital accumulation, social integration, and social consensus. Ground water contamination outcomes are not ahistorical, as in market exchange intervention, where liability and property rights control the outcome but reflect the state's activities to changing conditions of production and consumption.
The Belief Systems of Protesting College Students

A group of 29 college students who had been arrested or nominated as having participated in a street disturbance aimed at producing social change were interviewed. The interview schedule was highly similar to one which had been used to investigate attitudes toward violence in a random, representative sample of American men. The data collected from the arrestees are compared with data from college students in the national sample. This study shows that the arrestees are more likely to think that violence is necessary to produce social change than are college students generally, and are more likely to believe that existing social institutions are inadequate. As a group, the arrestees are more identified with white student demonstrators and black protestors than are college students generally. The arrestees are also likely to regard the police as untrusworthy, looking for trouble, and apt to dislike people like themselves. In addition to the negative attitudes toward the police held by the student arrestees, they are more likely to regard police actions as violence (and hence provocative) than are other college students. The arrestees are far more likely than other college students to cleave to humanistic values. However, most of the differences between the arrestees and other American college students could be predicted from a general model of the justification of violence, so that it appears that the student activists' beliefs differ not so much in kind from those of other Americans as they do in degree.
Influence of host genotype on Douglas-fir seed losses to Contarinia oregonensis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) and Megastigmus spermotrophus (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) in western Oregon.

Seed losses to the Douglas-fir cone gall midge, Contarinia oregonensis Foote, and Douglas-fir seed chalcid, Megastigmus spermotrophus (Wachtl), were measured in a Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco, clonal seed orchard and in a Douglas-fir progeny plantation in western Oregon. Seed losses to both insects differed significantly (P < 0.05) among clones and among the progeny of selected parental crosses. Seed loss differed more than three times between least-infested and most-infested clones or progeny. Seed losses in the progeny plantation indicated that resistance to these two insects is a heritable trait, with greater resistance showing a tendency to dominate over lesser resistance. Insect responses to host genotype may be modified by factors associated with the position of the tree within the stand. Implications of these results for tree improvement programs and seed orchard management are discussed.
Scalable HPC Simulations of Flexible Multibody Index-3 Dynamic Systems

In this paper a highly scalable parallel formulation of the primal-dual technique is presented for index-3 constrained flexible multi-body dynamics system. The key features of the primal-dual approach are constraint preservation, preserving the original order of accuracy of time integration operators that are employed, and faster convergence rates of nonlinear iterations for the solution of flexible multi-body dynamical systems. In addition, this technique not only preserves the underlying properties of time integration operators for ordinary differential equations, but also eliminates the need for index reduction, constraint stabilization and regularization approaches. The key features of the parallel formulation of rigid and flexible modeling and simulation technology are capabilities such as adaptive high/low fidelity modeling that is useful from the initial design concept stage to the intermediate and to the final design stages in a single seamless simulation environment. The examples considered illustrate the capabilities and scalability of the proposed high performance computing (HPC) approach for large-scale simulations.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Supersymmetry Ward identity for the supersymmetric non-Abelian gauge theory

It is shown by direct computation that the supersymmetry Ward identity for the supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory can be satisfied at the one-loop level in the Wess-Zumino gauge when one uses dimensional regularization with the prescription ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}=4$, and performs the Dirac algebra in four dimensions. The result is found to be valid for arbitrary covariant gauge-fixing functionals. A particular gauge, $\ensuremath{\xi}=\ensuremath{-}3$, is found for which the supersymmetry transformations of both renormalized and unrenormalized fields are finite and well defined. In this same gauge, one-loop renormalization constants for two-, three-, and four-point one-particle-irreducible Green's functions are found to be equal.
Contemporary concepts for the clinical and laboratory evaluation of systemic lupus erythematosus and “lupus‐like” syndromes

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a nonorgan-specific autoimmune disease which affects multiple organ systems and is multifactorial in etiology. SLE is the prototypic systemic rheumatic disease with immune dysregulation characterized by (1) polyclonal activation of B-cells and (2) production of a large spectrum of autoantibodies with a marked preference for nuclear and intracellular antigens. The clinical and laboratory manifestations and criteria for classification and diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus-like syndromes, and various subsets of systemic lupus erythematosus, are reviewed. The differential diagnosis of SLE and related diseases is described with correlation of specific intracellular autoantibodies.