cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gestational Weight Gain and Long-term Maternal Obesity Risk: A Multiple-Bias Analysis.

Background Lifecourse research provides an important framework for chronic disease epidemiology. However, data collection to observe health characteristics over long periods is vulnerable to systematic error and statistical bias. We present a multiple-bias analysis using real-world data to estimate associations between excessive gestational weight gain and mid-life obesity, accounting for confounding, selection, and misclassification biases. Methods Participants were from the multiethnic Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Obesity was defined by waist circumference measured in 1996-1997 when women were age 42-53. Gestational weight gain was measured retrospectively by self-recall and was missing for over 40% of participants. We estimated relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of obesity at mid-life for presence versus absence of excessive gestational weight gain in any pregnancy. We imputed missing data via multiple imputation and used weighted regression to account for misclassification. Results Among the 2,339 women in this analysis, 937 (40%) experienced obesity in mid-life. In complete case analysis, women with excessive gestational weight gain had an estimated 39% greater risk of obesity (RR = 1.4, CI = 1.1, 1.7), covariate-adjusted. Imputing data, then weighting estimates at the guidepost values of sensitivity = 80% and specificity = 75%, increased the RR (95% CI) for obesity to 2.3 (2.0, 2.6). Only models assuming a 20-point difference in specificity between those with and without obesity decreased the RR. Conclusions The inference of a positive association between excessive gestational weight gain and mid-life obesity is robust to methods accounting for selection and misclassification bias.
Mechanism and Function of DHHC Palmitoyltransferases

Palmitoylation of proteins on the cytoplasmic leaflet of cell membranes is catalyzed by DHHC proteins, integral membrane proteins characterized by a DHHC (Asp-His-His-Cys) motif embedded in a highly conserved cysteine-rich domain (CRD). DHHC proteins comprise a diverse family of 23 members in humans with important roles in physiology and pathophysiology. The two-step catalytic mechanism of DHHC proteins includes the formation of an acyl-enzyme intermediate that is dependent upon the cysteine in the DHHC motif. However, evidence suggests that other highly conserved cysteines in the CRD may be palmitoylated and/or are involved in binding zinc. We have found that DHHC3 is heterogeneously palmitoylated in cells and identified multiple palmitoylation sites in the CRD by mass spectrometry. Mutation of conserved CRD cysteines in DHHC3 (other than the catalytic DHHC cysteine) resulted in a structural perturbation identified by sensitivity to trypsin, and in activity deficits. However, chemical removal of palmitate from the enzyme with neutral hydroxylamine failed to mimic the characteristics of conserved cysteine mutants, suggesting that palmitoylation of these residues does not play a significant role in stabilizing the structure of the enzyme. Treating DHHC3 with chelating agents replicated both the specific structural perturbation and activity deficits observed in conserved cysteine mutants, suggesting that the CRD contains at least one tightly bound metal ion. Zinc was extracted from purified DHHC3 using the fluorescent zinc indicator mag-fura-2; estimates of stoichiometry are ongoing. Our results suggest that zinc plays an essential role in the structure of the enzyme.
An Investigation of Bilateral Symmetry During Manual Wheelchair Propulsion.

Studies of manual wheelchair propulsion often assume bilateral symmetry to simplify data collection, processing and analysis. However, the validity of this assumption is unclear. Most investigations of wheelchair propulsion symmetry have been limited by a relatively small sample size and a focus on a single propulsion condition (e.g., level propulsion at self-selected speed). The purpose of this study was to evaluate bilateral symmetry during manual wheelchair propulsion in a large group of subjects across different propulsion conditions. Three-dimensional kinematics and handrim kinetics along with spatiotemporal variables were collected and processed from 80 subjects with paraplegia while propelling their wheelchairs on a stationary ergometer during three different conditions: level propulsion at their self-selected speed (free), level propulsion at their fastest comfortable speed (fast), and propulsion on an 8% grade at their level, self-selected speed (graded). All kinematic variables had significant side-to-side differences, primarily in the graded condition. Push angle was the only spatiotemporal variable with a significant side-to-side difference, and only during the graded condition. No kinetic variables had significant side-to-side differences. The magnitudes of the kinematic differences were low, with only one difference exceeding five degrees. With differences of such small magnitude, the bilateral symmetry assumption appears to be reasonable during manual wheelchair propulsion in subjects without significant upper-extremity pain or impairment. However, larger asymmetries may exist in individuals with secondary injuries and pain in their upper extremity and different etiologies of their neurological impairment.
Pyridine Nucleotide-Dependent Glucose Dehydrogenase Activity in Blue-Green Algae

Pyridine nucleotide-dependent glucose dehydrogenase activity (GPND) is described for the first time in cell-free extracts of certain blue-green algae. When glucose is added to these crude cell extracts, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate is reduced at twice the rate as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; but evidence suggests that this activity is due to a single enzyme. The distribution and level of GPND in selected blue-green algae correlates with the heterotrophic potential of each species. In all blue-green algae where GPND was detected, O(2) uptake coupled to the GPND reaction was also observed. Both GPND and O(2) uptake apparently occur in the soluble fraction of the cell. An essential role for GPND in the heterotrophic metabolism of blue-green algae is postulated.
Silastic Ear Construction

This article relates the authors’ experience with the Silastic ear frame for construction of the auricle in atypical microtia, microtia, trauma, and burns.
How SoTL Put a College Teacher on the Road to Success After a Two-Decade Detour

After a two-decade “detour,” a former elementary-school teacher returns to the classroom, this time as a college professor. Her discovery of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and subsequent five-year SoTL journey are shared as 10 lessons that have influenced her teaching and benefited her students.
How the Mind Matters for Morality

Attributing minds to people and reasoning about the contents of those minds are crucial components of moral judgment and social interaction. This article provides a review of recent work seeking to...
New method to determine proper strain rate for constant rate-of-strain consolidation tests

The development of a new semiempirical method to predict the proper strain rate for constant rate-of-strain (CRS) consolidation tests is described herein. The validity of the proposed method is ana...
Organic coatings characterization by K+IDS

Potassium Ionization of Desorbed Species (K+IDS) with mass spectrometric detection is an extremely useful tool for the characterization of high performance organic coatings. K+IDS uses a commercial rapid heating probe to desorb intact molecules which are then ionized by potassium cation attachment. Based upon the molecular ions, which appear as [M]K+, coatings components can be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. In this work K+IDS was selected as a method of soft ionization (i.e. producing molecular ions) because of its simplicity, wide applicability, low cost and compatibility with the quadrupole mass spectrometer. This presentation reports the application of K+IDS to polymer additives (UV stabilizers and antioxidants), catalysts (organotin), reactive diluents (vernonia oil and aliphatic epoxides) and polyurethane precursors (polyesters and isocyanates).
Real-time learning of predictive recognition categories that chunk sequences of items stored in working memory

How are sequences of events that are temporarily stored in a cognitive working memory unitized, or chunked, through learning? Such sequential learning is needed by the brain in order to enable language, spatial understanding, and motor skills to develop. In particular, how does the brain learn categories, or list chunks, that become selectively tuned to different temporal sequences of items in lists of variable length as they are stored in working memory, and how does this learning process occur in real time? The present article introduces a neural model that simulates learning of such list chunks. In this model, sequences of items are temporarily stored in an Item-and-Order, or competitive queuing, working memory before learning categorizes them using a categorization network, called a Masking Field, which is a self-similar, multiple-scale, recurrent on-center off-surround network that can weigh the evidence for variable-length sequences of items as they are stored in the working memory through time. A Masking Field hereby activates the learned list chunks that represent the most predictive item groupings at any time, while suppressing less predictive chunks. In a network with a given number of input items, all possible ordered sets of these item sequences, up to a fixed length, can be learned with unsupervised or supervised learning. The self-similar multiple-scale properties of Masking Fields interacting with an Item-and-Order working memory provide a natural explanation of George Miller's Magical Number Seven and Nelson Cowan's Magical Number Four. The article explains why linguistic, spatial, and action event sequences may all be stored by Item-and-Order working memories that obey similar design principles, and thus how the current results may apply across modalities. Item-and-Order properties may readily be extended to Item-Order-Rank working memories in which the same item can be stored in multiple list positions, or ranks, as in the list ABADBD. Comparisons
Novel Therapies for FSGS: Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a rare but important cause of end-stage kidney disease in children and adults. Current therapy, consisting of corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, fails to achieve a sustained remission in most patients. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop new treatments for this glomerulopathy. Traditional approaches have focused on agents that modulate the immune system. In this review, we summarize preclinical and clinical data with newer agents that may ameliorate FSGS. We focus on drugs that inhibit immune injury or inflammation, such as abatacept, rituximab, adalimumab, and stem cells. The potential of agents that block the glomerular action of circulating permeability factors such as soluble urokinase receptor is reviewed. Finally, because fibrosis represents the final common pathway of glomerular damage in FSGS, the experience with a wide range of antifibrotic agents is presented. Despite extensive research on the podocyte dysfunction in the pathogenesis of FSGS, there are few agents that directly target podocyte structure or viability. We conclude that FSGS is a heterogeneous disorder and that intensified translational research is vital to improve our understanding of distinct subtypes that have a defined prognosis and predictable response to targeted therapeutic interventions.
Pharmacologic and sensorimotor components of satiation in cigarette smoking.

To examine mechanisms underlying satiation in cigarette smoking, 18 smokers received intravenous (iv) nicotine, alone or in combination with denicotinized cigarette smoke. Nicotine was administered using programmed presentations of either pulsed injections or continuous infusions, with iv saline serving as a control. A high-nicotine cigarette smoke condition (usual brand) was also presented. During each of the six test sessions, subjects were allowed to puff on their usual brands of cigarette ad libitum while the programmed satiation conditions were in force. Administration of iv nicotine caused a small suppression of ad libitum smoking behavior; denicotinized smoke produced a significantly larger reduction, showing that short-term satiation is more dependent on the presentation of smoke than delivery of nicotine per se. However, denicotinized smoke alone did not have as much effect as puffs from the usual brands of cigarettes. The combination of iv nicotine and denicotinized smoke puffs produced equivalent satiation to that of the usual brand. Cigarette craving and negative affect were partially relieved by iv nicotine presentations as well as by denicotinized smoke, and again the combination of iv nicotine and denicotinized smoke approximated the effects of the usual brand. The results of this study underscore the importance of both sensorimotor aspects of smoking and the pharmacologic effects of nicotine in tobacco dependence.
Generation of a Dominant‐Negative Glycogen Targeting Subunit for Protein Phosphatase‐1

Modulation of the expression of the protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) glycogen-targeting subunit PTG exerts profound effects on cellular glycogen metabolism in vitro and in vivo. PTG contains three distinct binding domains for glycogen, PP1, and a common site for glycogen synthase and phosphorylase. The impact of disrupting the PP1-binding domain on PTG function was examined in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. A full-length PTG mutant was generated as an adenoviral construct in which the valine and phenylalanine residues in the conserved PP1-binding domain were mutated to alanine (PTG-VF). Infection of fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes with the PTG-VF adenovirus reduced glycogen stores by over 50%. In vitro, PTG-VF competitively interfered with wild-type PTG action, suggesting that the mutant construct acted as a dominant-negative molecule. The reduction in cellular glycogen storage was due to a significantly increased rate of glycogen turnover. Interestingly, acute basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis rates were enhanced in PTG-VF expressing cells vs. control 3T3-L1 adipocytes, likely as a compensatory response to the loss of glycogen stores. These results indicate that the mutation of the PP1-binding domain on PTG resulted in the generation of a dominant-negative molecule that impeded endogenous PTG action and reduced cellular glycogen levels, through enhancement of glycogenolysis rather than impairment of glycogen synthesis.
Idiopathic membranous nephropathy associated with polycystic kidney disease

Membranous nephropathy (MN) and polycystic kidney disease are both relatively rare diseases in children. On rare exceptions, these two conditions have been associated in adults. We report here the first case of a pediatric patient with this association. This 6-year-old child presented with gross hematuria, nephrotic syndrome, and mild renal failure. A renal ultrasound subsequently revealed that the patient also had polycystic kidney disease.
A Gas-Liquid Chromatographic Method for Volatile Fatty Acids in Milk,

Summary Gas-liquid partition chromatography provided a means for a rapid and accurate analysis for the volatile fatty acids in milk. The chromatographic apparatus utilized a 6-mm. I.D. glass column 4ft. long and packed with Celite 545 containing 25% liquid phase. The liquid phase consisted of silicone-stearic acid (95/5 w/w) mixture. The operating temperature of the column was controlled by use of a heating jacket through which glycerol could be circulated. Analysis for formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, caproic, and caprylic acids could be completed in 90min. This was achieved using a constant nitrogen gas pressure of 100cm. of mercury and progressively increasing the column temperature from 60–160° C. Quantitative recovery of a mixture of the seven pure acids was obtained in all trials. The water soluble–ether extractable acids were obtained from milk, using a modified Roese-Gottlieb procedure on acid filtrates. Recoveries of acids added to milk varied for each acid investigated. Recoveries of formic, acetic, and butyric acids were 57%, 86%, and 81%, respectively. Propionic, valeric, caproic, and caprylic acids were recovered quantitatively. Replicate analyses revealed that the extraction procedure provided results reproducible within±5%.
Adsorption of Ammonia on Soot at Low Temperatures

Ammonia is arguably the most important alkaline trace species in the atmosphere. In addition to major ammonia sources on the ground, ammonium has been observed in aircraft exhaust that injects ammonia or ammonium directly into the upper troposphere. If ammonia adsorbs to a soot surface, then reactions in the troposphere between ammonia and other trace gases may be facilitated by soot particles. We examined the uptake of ammonia on n-hexane soot using transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to quantify the uptake of the gas on soot particles between 115 and 173 K and up to 0.1 Pa (10-3 Torr) NH3. At temperatures above 173 K, we see virtually no adsorption of ammonia on soot for NH3 pressures up to 0.1 Pa (10-3 Torr). Between 115 and173 K we find that, upon exposure to the soot, some ammonia sticks rapidly while additional ammonia adsorbs more slowly to the soot. For fast adsorption, the uptake coefficient ranges from ∼0.02 ± 0.01 at 115 K to ≥(1.5 ± 0.8) × 10-4 at 153 K. The amount of rapid up...
Effects of the somatic ion channels upon spontaneous mechanical oscillations in hair bundles of the inner ear

Decoupled hair bundles of the bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) sacculus exhibit spontaneous oscillations in vitro. We examine the effect of the somatic electrical circuit upon active hair bundle motility. We found that innate bundle movements exhibit a complex profile with multiple periodicities. Inhibition of somatic ion channels using targeted neurotoxins and modified physiological solutions strongly affects the bundles' mechanical behavior, modifying the amplitude and the temporal characteristics of the oscillation profile.
Strain-induced ferromagnetism in LaCoO3: Theory and growth on Si (100)

We have grown epitaxial ferromagnetic LaCoO"3 on (100)-oriented silicon. The films are grown by molecular beam epitaxy using a relaxed epitaxial SrTiO"3 buffer layer. X-ray diffraction measurements show a tetragonal LaCoO"3 film that is strained to the SrTiO"3 buffer layer. XPS measurements are consistent with reported spectra for single crystal, powder, and thin film LaCoO"3. Density functional calculations of strained LaCoO"3 confirms that the formation of the ferromagnetic state is accompanied by a partial opening of the Co-O-Co bond angle along the c-axis and a reduction in the local symmetry of the CoO"6 octahedra from tetragonal to orthorhombic.
Arizona flora: The sterols of Peniocereus greggii☆

Abstract Roots of the cactus Peniocereus greggii have been found to contain sucrose, peniocerol, desoxyviperidone, viperidone, viperidinone, and β-sitosterol. Two other sterols, which may be artifacts arising from desoxyviperidone, were also isolated.
Lymphadenectomy in Management of Invasive Bladder Cancer

Radical cystectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy represents the gold standard for treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Extent of the lymph node dissection and lymph node involvement during radical cystectomy are the most powerful prognostic factors associated with poor oncological outcome. However, the optimal boundaries of the lymph node dissection during a radical cystectomy are controversial. The published literature based mostly on retrospective studies suggests that increasing the number of nodes excised may have therapeutic and diagnostic benefits without significantly increasing the surgical morbidity. These conclusions are, however, influenced by selection and surgeon biases, inconsistencies in the quality of the surgery, and node count variability. In this paper, we establish the current understanding about the utility of lymphadenectomy during a radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
Identification and molecular characterization of a cyclic-di-GMP effector protein, PlzA (BB0733): additional evidence for the existence of a functional cyclic-di-GMP regulatory network in the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi.

The Borrelia burgdorferi Rrp1 protein is a diguanylate cyclase that controls a regulon consisting of ∼10% of the total genome. Because Rrp1 lacks a DNA-binding domain, its regulatory capability is most likely mediated through the production of bis-(3′–5′)-cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP). C-di-GMP binds to and activates the regulatory activity of proteins that harbor a PilZ domain. The occurrence of a PilZ domain within a protein is not in and of itself sufficient to convey c-di-GMP binding, as other structural aspects of the protein are important in the interaction. In this study, we have assessed the expression and c-di-GMP binding ability of the sole PilZ domain-containing protein of B. burgdorferi B31, PlzA. PlzA was determined to be upregulated by tick feeding and to be expressed during mammalian infection. The gene is highly conserved and present in all Borrelia species. Analyses of recombinant PlzA demonstrated its ability to bind c-di-GMP and site-directed mutagenesis revealed that this interaction is highly specific and dependent on Arg residues contained within the PilZ domain. In summary, this study is the first to identify a c-di-GMP effector molecule in a spirochete and provides additional evidence for the existence of a complete c-di-GMP regulatory network in the Lyme disease spirochete, B. burgdorferi.
Towards the Optimal Placement of Inferior Vena Cava Filters: Modeling the Impact of Renal Inflow

The endovascular deployment of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters is a clinical treatment for the prevention of pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis. In addition, IVC filters are used routinely for prophylactic purposes in patients who are at high risk of developing pulmonary embolism, e.g., trauma patients. There are approximately eight IVC filters available in the U.S., each with a unique design.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Cosmological evolution of generic early-decaying particles and their daughters

Abstract We have derived a set of simplified Boltzmann equations to study the cosmological evolution of early-decaying particles, as well as of their decay products, with particular emphasis on decays which occur when the decaying particles are relativistic. Inverse decay and time dilation are explicitly included in the Boltzmann equations. In addition, the evolution of the effective number of neutrino species ( N ν ) due to the decay has been calculated as a function of the properties of the early-decaying particles.
Michael addition reactions of cyclohexadienyliron complexes bearing exocyclic double bonds

Abstract Neutral cyclohexadienyliron complexes with exocyclic CC or CN bonds react readily with Michael acceptors such as acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate to produce cationic adducts in 65–98% yields following protonation.
Two-stage robust optimization for N-k contingency-constrained unit commitment

This paper proposes a two-stage robust optimization approach to solve the N- k contingency-constrained unit commitment (CCUC) problem. In our approach, both generator and transmission line contingencies are considered. Compared to the traditional approach using a given set of components as candidates for possible failures, our approach considers all possible component failure scenarios. We consider the objectives of minimizing the total generation cost under the worst-case contingency scenario and/or the total pre-contingency cost. We formulate CCUC as a two-stage robust optimization problem and develop a decomposition framework to enable tractable computation. In our framework, the master problem makes unit commitment decisions and the subproblem discovers the worst-case contingency scenarios. By using linearization techniques and duality theory, we transform the subproblem into a mixed-integer linear program (MILP). The most violated inequalities generated from the subproblem are fed back into the master problem during each iteration. Our approach guarantees a globally optimal solution in a finite number of iterations. In reported computational experiments, we test both primal and dual decomposition approaches. Our computational results verify the effectiveness of our proposed approach.
Bone Quality: Educational Tools for Patients, Physicians, and Educators

Background Defining bone quality remains elusive. From a patient perspective bone quality can best be defined as an individual’s likelihood of sustaining a fracture. Fracture risk indicators and performance measures can help clinicians better understand individual fracture risk. Educational resources such as the Web can help clinicians and patients better understand fracture risk, communicate effectively, and make decisions concerning diagnosis and treatment.
The determination of tracer diffusion coefficients for proteins by means of pulsed field gradient NMR with applications to hemoglobin

Abstract A pulsed magnetic field gradient NMR spectrometer system was assembled for the measurement of diffusion coefficients for proteins. This systems was applied to study of hemoglobin in the concentration range from 5 to 33 g/dl. The results compare favorably with classical diffusion cell measurements of tracer diffusion coefficients for hemoglobin, and complement quasi-elastic light-scattering measurements of mutual diffusion coefficients.
The Gene and Pseudogenes of Rat S ‐Adenosyl‐l‐Homocysteine Hydrolase

Two rat liver genomic DNA libraries constructed in λ DASH and λ Charon 4A were screened for sequences with similarity to S -adenosyl-L-homocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase cDNA. Of 36 clones purified, two contained the AdoHcy hydrolase gene sequence and 34 contained pseudogene sequences. The AdoHcy hydrolase gene, which has been sequenced in its entirety, spans approximately 15 kb and consists of 10 exons. Primer extension and S1 experiments show that transcription is initiated from two major initiation sites located at positions –63 and –62 from the starting codon and from several minor sites. The promoter region is located in a CpG island, sequence TATTTAAA is present 23 bases upstream from the transcription start site, and an inverted CCAAT box is located 285 bp upstream from the transcription start site. Other potential transcription-factor binding sites including SP1, AP-2, GRE and Oct-1 sites were identified in the 5′-flanking region. Several different processed pseudogenes were found and analyzed.
Structure and dynamics of polymer-grafted clay suspensions.

The structure and dynamics of polymer-grafted two-dimensional silicate layers in solution were investigated. The geometry of the individual silicate layers was examined by looking at both polarized...
Phase-Stable and Broadly Tunable CW Terahertz Radiation

We lock two diode lasers to the stabilized frequency comb of a Titanium:Sapphire laser and generate phase-locked CW terahertz radiation with an optical heterodyne photomixer. We present the scaling of the noise with terahertz frequency.
Realization and accumulation in a Marxian model of the circuit of capital

Abstract A mathematical model of Marx's circuit of capital is presented, whose elements, the composition of capital, the rate of surplus value, the rate of capitalization of surplus value, and production, sales and financial time lags, are measurable from the accounts of capitalist firms. The model is solved for exponential paths. A solution with a positive rate of accumulation generally exists. On paths with positive rates of accumulation and positive time lags in the recommital of realized value to production an expansion of credit is required to permit the sale of commodities. A model of demand pull inflation is incorporated in the framework.
Compressed Hierarchical Bitmaps for Efficiently Processing Different Query Workloads

Today the amount of data that is being processed is growing manyfold. Fast and scalable data processing systems are the need of the hour because of the data deluge. Indexing is a very common mechanism used in data processing systems for fast and efficient search of the data. In many systems, the I/O needed to read and fetch the relevant part of the index into the main memory dominates the overall query processing cost. My research is focused on reducing this I/O cost by effective indexing algorithms. I have particularly focused on using bitmap indices, which are a very efficient indexing mechanism particularly used in data warehouse environments due to their high compressibility and ability to perform bitwise operations even on compressed bitmaps. Column-store architecture is preferred in such environments because of their ability to leverage bitmap indices. Column domains are often hierarchical in nature, and hence using hierarchical bitmap indices is often beneficial. I have designed algorithms for choosing a subset of these hierarchical bitmap indices for 1D as well as spatial data in order to execute range query workloads for various different scenarios. I have shown experimentally that these solutions are very efficient and scalable. Currently, I am focusing on leveraging hierarchical bitmap indices to solve approximate nearest neighbor queries.
Launching Europe: An Ethnography of European Cooperation in Space Science

Launching Europe: An Ethnography of European Cooperation in Space Science. Stacia E. Zabusky. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995. xiii. 261 pp., tables, notes, references, index.
Technology in the Political Landscape

Politics can shape technology most obviously through direct choice, whereby political or business leaders, technologists, or consumers choose to produce, use, or promote a certain technology or technological system because it fulfills a political aim. But politics can also shape technology indirectly, through the construction of legal, regulatory, or economic structures by forming a landscape that can discourage technological change in certain directions and encourage it in others. Of course, such structures do not come from nowhere; they are themselves the residue of earlier political choices. Nevertheless, they can affect technological change in ways unintended, or at least unimagined, at the time of their creation.
Renormalization of the energy-momentum tensor in φ 4 theory

The problem of the improvement term of the energy-momentum tensor ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ in ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ theory is reconsidered. Renormalization-group methods (due to 't Hooft) with dimensional regularization are used. A unique finite improvement coefficient, depending only on the regulator parameter, is shown to renormalize ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$. This ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ has a soft trace at a fixed point. It coincides with the ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ suggested by conformal ideas and by Callan, Coleman, and Jackiw (CCJ), if summation of the perturbation theory divergences is allowed. But order by order, the CCJ ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ is finite only up to the three-loop level, and not beyond, even if it is correctly dimensionally regularized.
In situ study of Fermi-level pinning on n- and p-type GaAs (001) grown by molecular-beam epitaxy using photoreflectance.

We have conducted an in situ study of the Fermi-level pinning behavior of n- and p-type GaAs (001) surfaces in the ultrahigh-vacuum environment of a molecular-beam-epitaxy chamber using photoreflectance. As-grown surfaces as well as the effects of a few monolayers of arsenic deposition/desorption were investigated. The measured barrier heights of the as-grown n (${\mathit{V}}_{\mathit{B},}$n)- and p (${\mathit{V}}_{\mathit{B},}$p)-type samples (relative to their respective band edges) were 0.61 V (midgap pinning taking into account the photovoltaic effect) and 0.33 V, respectively The in situ deposition of a few monolayers of arsenic had no effect on ${\mathit{V}}_{\mathit{B},}$n but caused ${\mathit{V}}_{\mathit{B},}$p to increase to 0.60 V, i.e., midgap pinning. The desorption of the arsenic layers brought ${\mathit{V}}_{\mathit{B},}$p close to its as-grown value but had no effect on ${\mathit{V}}_{\mathit{B},}$n. These observations, together with earlier studies on similar but air-stabilized samples, provides evidence that As plays a crucial role in the formation of the surface Fermi levels.
End-user application development: practices, policies, and organizational impacts

In their study of user managers' systems needs, Alloway and Quillard surveyed 529 managers to determine whether current systems supported their information needs. Managers reported that only 44 percent of the installed base of applications systems, most of which were transactions processing systems, were useful. Inquiry systems, which enabled managers to query data bases and to generate reports, and data analysis systems, which provided opportunities for modeling, simulation, and statistical analysis, were overwhelmingly favored by the managers surveyed.The findings also showed that the invisible backlog, composed of systems which users needed but which had not yet been approved as projects, consisted primarily of inquiry and analysis systems. The invisible backlog for analysis systems was 784 percent greater than the known backlog of approved development projects, demonstrating a significant shift away from the need for transactions processing type systems of the past (Alloway and Quillard, 1983).Users have begun to satisfy these systems needs by developing applications using fourth generation languages and microcomputer software. The actual growth of end-user computing within organizations has been overwhelming. In 1970, end-user computing at one Xerox component required very little capacity but by 1980 had grown to almost 40 percent of capacity, an increase of 20 times over the decade, with an expected increase to 75 percent of the total workload by 1990 (EDP Analyzer, 1983). Without question, the emergence of user development means a new style of computing which raises a number of research questions.
Solvent isotope effects on the structure and function of mitochondrial membranes in aqueous media.

Abstract The structural stability of mitochondrial membranes and the enzyme complexes of the electron transport system, and the solubility of a small molecular-weight nonelectrolyte (2-methylnaphthoquinone), have been studied as a function of water structure. D2O, which is considered to be more structured than ordinary water, and H2O were used as solvents in conjunction with chaotropic ions which have been shown to break down water structure. Assays for membrane stability were (a) resolution with respect to solubilization of at least one constituent enzyme, and (b) chaotrope-induced lipid autoxidation, which is a measure of structural destabilization. Solvent isotope effects expressed as the quotient of chaotrope (NaClO4) concentration ( C D C H ) necessary to elicit the same effect were found to be (a) essentially constant for each system over a wide range of NaClO4 concentration, and (b) limited to the narrow range of 1.2–1.8 in all tests despite significant differences in the systems studied and the measurements used. The magnitude and the constancy of the isotope effects indicate that increased membrane stability (i.e., the increased strength of hydrophobic interactions in membranes), and decreased water-solubility of nonelectrolytes in D2O are mainly due to the higher degree of order of the deuterated solvent. Thus, in the mitochondrial electron transport chain and many other enzyme systems where solvent isotope effects have been observed, the isotope effect appears to be more a consequence of conformational changes imposed on the enzymes by D2O, because it is a more structured solvent, rather than an indication of direct involvement of protons or the water molecule in the reaction mechanisms.
Cutin-derived CuO reaction products from purified cuticles and tree leaves

Abstract Long chain (C16–C18) hydroxy fatty acids are obtained among the nonlignin-derived reaction products from the CuO oxidation of a variety of geochemical samples. In order to investigate the origin of these acids, the CuO reaction products of isolated cuticles and whole leaves were investigated. The reaction products from the CuO oxidation of purified apple (Malus pumila) cuticle include 16-hydroxy-hexadecanoic acid, 10,16-dihydroxyhexadecanoic acid, 9,10,18-trihydroxyoctadec-12-enoic acid, and 9,10,18-trihydroxyoctadecanoic acid as major components. The distribution of these cutin-derived CuO reaction products is similar to the monomer compositions deduced from traditional methods of cutin analysis. Oxidation of whole English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) leaves yields cutin-derived acidic reaction products (in addition to lignin-derived phenols) similar to those obtained from oxidation of the corresponding isolated cuticles, indicating that CuO oxidation of bulk plant tissue is a viable procedure of cutin analysis in geochemical applications.
Molecular imaging of regional brain tumor biology

Energy metabolism measurements in gliomas in vivo are now performed widely with positron emission tomography (PET). This capability has developed from a large number of basic and clinical science investigations that have cross fertilized one another. This article presents several areas that exemplify questions that have been explored over the last two decades. While the application of PET with [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG-PET) has proven useful for grading and prognosis assessments, this approach is less clinically suitable for assessing response to therapy, even though results to date raise very intriguing biological questions. Integration of metabolic imaging results into glioma therapy protocols is a recent and only preliminarily tapped method that may prove useful in additional trials that target DNA or membrane biosynthesis, or resistance mechanisms such as hypoxia. There are exciting future directions for molecular imaging that will undoubtedly be fruitful to explore, especially apoptosis, angiogenesis and expression of mutations of genes, e.g., epidermal growth factor receptor, that promote or suppress cellular malignant behavior. J. Cell. Biochem. Suppl. 39: 25–35, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
When global structure "Explains Away" local grammar: a Bayesian account of rule-induction in tone sequences.

Abstract While many constraints on learning must be relatively experience-independent, past experience provides a rich source of guidance for subsequent learning. Discovering structure in some domain can inform a learner’s future hypotheses about that domain. If a general property accounts for particular sub-patterns, a rational learner should not stipulate separate explanations for each detail without additional evidence, as the general structure has “explained away” the original evidence. In a grammar-learning experiment using tone sequences, manipulating learners’ prior exposure to a tone environment affects their sensitivity to the grammar-defining feature, in this case consecutive repeated tones. Grammar-learning performance is worse if context melodies are “smooth” — when small intervals occur more than large ones — as Smoothness is a general property accounting for a high rate of repetition. We present an idealized Bayesian model as a “best case” benchmark for learning repetition grammars. When context melodies are Smooth, the model places greater weight on the small-interval constraint, and does not learn the repetition rule as well as when context melodies are not Smooth, paralleling the human learners. These findings support an account of abstract grammar-induction in which learners rationally assess the statistical evidence for underlying structure based on a generative model of the environment.
Chou-Fasman analysis of the secondary structure of F and Le interferons

Abstract The Chou-Fasman method for calculating the secondary structure of F and Le interferons from their amino acid sequences predicts several regions of homologous structure in the two interferons. Those areas tend to be located in the middle and C- terminal ends of the molecules. Total predicted content of α helix is 55% for Le interferon and 36% for F interferon. Predicted β-pleated sheet residues total 33% for F and 16% for Le .
Continuous patient monitoring with a small digital computer.

Abstract This monitoring system, which is centered on a small computer with a 12 bit word size and 8 K of core memory, is controlled by core resident programming which carries out continuous monitoring of several analog signals from 4 patients while a variety of programs are paged into core from disk or tape when needed. The continuous programs monitor the electrocardiograph for arrhythmias, the respiratory rate, temperature, indirect blood pressure and intra-arterial pressure with a cardiac output estimation. Paged programs provide respiratory mechanics, intermittent cardiac output and an analysis of blood gases in addition to service functions such as those which control the TV display and those which type graphs for the medical record. Peripheral instrumentation has been developed from commercially available equipment with some modifications and additions. The system is designed for growth. Expansion from continuous monitoring of 4–8 patients could be provided by adding 4 K of memory to core. The paging system will permit the additon of many new programs to handle intermittent functions.
Attracting Outstanding Students (Premedical and Medical) to a Career in Cardiothoracic Surgery

u B o s s p e t r a a a a s t c a ver the last few years, there have been a number of articles about the problems facing our specialty, articularly with regard to attracting the best individuals nto our cardiothoracic training programs. In an excellent rticle entitled Why Become a Cardiothoracic Surgeon [1], icholas Kouchoukos commences the paper with: These are trying times for the specialty of cardiothoracic urgery.” He goes on to enumerate some of the factors ontributing to these difficult times: six to nine years of urgical training after medical school; difficulty in finding uitable jobs at the completion of training and then the ual factors of increased malpractice payments in comination with diminishing annual incomes. Several thoacic society presidential addresses in the last two years ave also presented the foregoing problems related to ttracting “the best and brightest” medical students to ur specialty. The supply/demand issue in our specialty as a major topic considered in the 2003 Society of horacic Surgeons’ presidential address by one of us WAB) [2]. We pointed out that the current semi-crisis in he cardiothoracic job market appears to be transient and e could be facing a shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons n 10 to 12 years. This prediction is based on a 2002 ardiothoracic Manpower Study reported by Dr Richard hemin that indicates that one-half of the current cardiohoracic surgeons will be retired in 13 years; this correponds to a median calendar year of 2011 [3]. More recently, Irving Kron discussed the current suply/demand issue in cardiothoracic surgery in his presiential address at the Southern Thoracic Surgical Assoiation meeting in November 2005 [4]. In his insightful resentation, Dr Kron indicated that because of our aging aby-boomer population, the US Medicare population ill double between 2000 and 2030, and this dramatic ncrease in our aged population will no doubt provide any new patients who will require surgical procedures or ventricular dysfunction, valvular pathology, and cornary and pulmonary disease processes. Dr Kron also redicted a shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons within he next 5 to 10 years. Certainly a shortage of cardiothoacic surgeons, even in the next 10 years, makes it mperative that we try to attract at this time, a large umber of highly qualified medical (and premedical) tudents to our specialty. Those of us in the Divisions of Cardiac and Thoracic
Ernest Everett Just (1883-1941)--an early ecological developmental biologist.

Ecological developmental biology (Eco-Devo) involves the study of development in its natural environmental context as opposed to the laboratory setting. Ernest E. Just was an early 20th century African-American embryologist who devoted his career to studying the early development of marine invertebrates in the United States and abroad. Through detailed study of the fertilization process, he came to see the cell cortex as playing a central role in development, inheritance, and evolution. This paper, after presenting some of Just's scientific and philosophical contributions, argues that Just was an Eco-Devo biologist. Three lines of evidence are given. First, Just believed that intimate knowledge of the natural history of the marine animal under study – hence, the natural setting in which fertilization occurs – was essential. Second, he stressed the importance of the egg's “normality”—how well its condition in the laboratory corresponds to the natural, fertilizable state. Finally, Just was an organicist, believing that organisms are holistic systems with emergent properties that arise from their organization and complexity. Although other scientists may stand out more clearly as founding architects of Eco-Devo, E. E. Just, with his unwavering insistence on the normality and holistic integrity of the egg cell, was one of its purest adherents.
The free radical oxidation of CH2O in the presence of NO2 and NO

Abstract NO 2 was photolyzed at 366 nm and 296 K in the presence of CH 2 O and O 2 and in some runs with added NO or N 2 . The measured products were CO, CO 2 and HCOOH. H 2 and N 2 O were not produced. Both the CO and the CO 2 were produced in a linear fashion with irradiation time, but the HCOOH grew after a marked induction period. From the CO 2 quantum yields at high [O 2 ]/[NO 2 ] ratios an upper limiting value of 0.16 ± 0.02 was found for k 3b / k 3 where reactions (3a) and (3b) are This is lower than the value of approximately 0.30 reported for k 3b / k 3 by Chang and Barker. From the CO and CO 2 yields the competition for HCO between O 2 and NO 2 could be measured. The ratio k 9 / k 7a was found to be 0.21 ± 0.07 and was independent of pressure. The analysis required knowledge of some other rate coefficients. If those rate coefficients are completely in error, k 9 / k 7a could be as high as 0.63. With the literature value of 5.6 × 10 −12 cm 3 s −1 for k 9 , the best value for k 7a is (2.7 ± 0.9) × 10 −11 cm 3 s −1 with a lower limiting value of (8.9 ± 3.0) × 10 −12 cm 3 s −1 . Information was also obtained on the reaction of HO 2 with CH 2 O which produces HCOOH. An approximate value of (1.4 – 3.2) × 10 −13 cm 3 s −1 was found for the rate coefficient for this reaction which is about 14 – 32 times greater than the estimate of Su et al .
Line narrowing and photoelectron trapping in multiphoton ionization spectroscopy

We study a theoretical model of photoionization. An initially occupied ground electronic state is ionized to a flat continuum by two-photon excitation. There are two near-resonant intermediate excitation states. The line-narrowing confluence effect and population trapping are studied. We show that we cannot define an effective Hamiltonian to relate our model to the Fano model. In connection with recent studies of laser-induced autoionization (LIA), we show several differences between our model and LIA. For example, we show that the zero in the absorption spectrum and in the photoelectron spectrum has different features compared with that in the Fano model [ Phys. Rev.124, 1866 ( 1961)]. We also show that a laser-power-independent confluence condition and a complete population-trapping condition can be found in our model.