cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance studies of enzyme kinetics and metabolites in vivo.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the application of 2D NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) techniques to the study of enzyme kinetics and in vivo metabolite contents. There are several advantages of the 2D NMR technique over other methods that determine enzyme kinetics, such as saturation transfer and inversion transfer. First, the entire exchange map of the reaction is determined in one experiment. This is extremely important in complex reactions, such as those involving adenylate kinase or glucose-6- phosphate isomerase. It should also be noted that since the 2D method is a “pulse label” experiment, influences of small metabolite pools, such as enzyme substrate complexes are minimized. The second advantage is that the technique helps resolve the exchanging spins in the 2D matrix by moving these spins out into the cross-peak regions away from other non-exchanging species. The third advantage is the lack of a calibrated second rf pulse, which must either saturate or invert a particular spin. The limited frequency selectivity of these calibrated pulses makes the use of these techniques difficult in poorly resolved spectra. The disadvantages of the 2D NMR experiment center on the amount of time required to collect the entire 2D data set.
Global capital, labor strategies, and the struggle for political alternatives

This is a book conceived on a large scale?covering more than a 100 years and two continents?dealing with dozens of corporations, unions, and governmental actors. It deals with textiles and looms, bananas and coffee, oil and coal; it is about the movement of money, factories and equipment, about workers from the United States, Europe, and Latin America, about businessmen and business unionists, about communist, socialist, and anarchist revolutionaries, about government military interventions, arms sales and mercenaries, about death squads and murder. Not surprisingly, given what it attempts to accomplish, it is a complicated book and a challenging one. Aviva Chomsky, Professor of History and coordinator of Latin American Studies at Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts, discovers, describes, and analyzes in her book Linked Labor Histories: New England, Colombia, and the Making of a Global Working Class the long and complex relationships between New England and Latin America, and among governments, capital, and labor. Examining the history of the textile industry, agriculture, and coal and oil production, she places at the center of her study the responses of corporations and organized labor, as well as the U.S. and foreign governments, to the vicissitudes of the capitalist system. Principally, this book is an attempt to understand this history through the dynamics of capital and labor. She is primarily interested here to understand and
Local and Regional Determinants of an Uncommon Functional Group in Freshwater Lakes and Ponds

A combination of local and regional factors and stochastic forces is expected to determine the occurrence of species and the structure of communities. However, in most cases, our understanding is incomplete, with large amounts of unexplained variation. Using functional groups rather than individual species may help explain the relationship between community composition and conditions. In this study, I used survey data from freshwater lakes and ponds to understand factors that determine the presence of the floating plant functional group in the northeast United States. Of the 176 water bodies surveyed, 104 (59.1%) did not contain any floating plant species. The occurrence of this functional group was largely determined by local abiotic conditions, which were spatially autocorrelated across the region. A model predicting the presence of the floating plant functional group performed similarly to the best species-specific models. Using a permutation test, I also found that the observed prevalence of floating plants is no different than expected by random assembly from a species pool of its size. These results suggest that the size of the species pool interacts with local conditions in determining the presence of a functional group. Nevertheless, a large amount of unexplained variation remains, attributable to either stochastic species occurrence or incomplete predictive models. The simple permutation approach in this study can be extended to test alternative models of community assembly.
Embryonic assembly of a complex muscle is directed by a single identified cell in the medicinal leech

The present study examines the morphological development of a highly organized muscle layer in the leech Hirudo medicinalis, in an effort to characterize those factors that are important in directing its assembly. The tubular body wall of the leech contains 3 major muscle layers that are anatomically distinct: an inner layer of longitudinal muscle, an outer layer of circular muscle, and a grid of oblique muscle sandwiched between them. The oblique muscle layer appears later in development than the other 2 and is preceded by several days by the development of a single, complex cell (here called the comb, or C-cell) whose shape strongly resembles the organization of the oblique muscle grid. There is a bilateral, mirror-image pair of C-cells in each segment. The C-cell has a central, longitudinally oriented soma and projects about 35 fine, parallel processes both medially and laterally at approximately 45 degrees to the long axis. Using a combination of intracellular and antibody labels, it was found that individual muscle cells align themselves with these processes to form correctly oriented fascicles during development. Photoablation of the C-cell at early stages resulted in the complete absence of all oblique muscle fascicles that would have corresponded to that cell; therefore, this discrete muscle-associated cell is considered to be an identified “muscle organizer.” Such cellular organizers may direct muscular and neuromuscular assembly in many species.
Evolution in Groups: A Genetic Algorithm Approach to Group Decision Support Systems

Certain tasks undertaken by groups using Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) can be viewed as search problems. These tasks involve arriving at a solution or decision where the problem is complex enough to warrant the use of computerized decision support tools. For these types of GDSS tasks, we propose to model the information exchange and convergence toward a solution by the group as a simple genetic algorithm. The simple genetic algorithm is a generalized search technique that is based on the principles of evolution and natural selection. Simply put, the best points in the current population are more likely to be selected and combined through genetic operators to determine new points. We propose that groups using GDSS to address certain tasks behave like a simple genetic algorithm in the manner in which possible solutions are generated, enhanced and altered in attempting to reach a decision or consensus.
Application-Specific Integrated Circuits

Addressing the trend in industry away from fully custom chip design to semi-custom technology, this book provides the first comprehensive introduction to Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).
An error resilient JPEG 2000 for wireless applications

An efficient and versatile wavelet based picture compression standard, known as JPEG 2000, is under development. Since wireless multimedia is among the intended applications of this standard, JPEG 2000 has to be robust to channel errors. Our results indicate that the quality of received imagery using JPEG 2000 even with error resilient provisions could be very poor. Worst case PSNR serves as an important bench mark for comparing image transmission schemes and a larger worst case peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is preferred. We present a scheme for increasing worst case PSNR, known as transmission diversity for JPEG 2000. In TD-JPEG 2000, instead of transmitting an image at full rate, the image is transmitted twice at half rate. The image encoder and decoder structures are given and a detailed operation of the decoder based on a set of rules is provided. It is observed that the worst case PSNR improves significantly compared to conventional JPEG 2000 when our method is applied to the transmission of images over noisy channels. Additionally, subjective evaluations of the received images verify the improvements in picture quality.
Computer Literacy In Undergraduate Business Education: The Case For The Adult Fast Track Programs

Industrialized nations have invested a great deal of public and private resources to facilitate access to information technologies (ITs) and to adjust their cultures and societies to them. These efforts are commonly associated with the idea of expanding computer literacy from higher education institutions to business organizations. Computers have fundamentally altered how we live and work, as well as how we learn and have transformed the world into a global community. Moreover, business organizations have struggled to train and to turn their workforce into a computer literate group that keeps a breast of changes in computing and information technologies, since most of the work does not rely on standardized literacy levels to perform well. This paper presents an examination on current computer literacy skills between groups of adult students enrolled in accelerated undergraduate business programs in the USA and in Germany. Special emphasis is granted to the discussion of the similarities and differences found in computer literacy skills and the implications associated with having literate and illiterate groups in the workplace.
MONTE CARLO SIMULATIONS TO DETERMINE DOSES TO HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AFTER A RADIOLOGICAL DISPERSAL DEVICE EVENT

After a radiological dispersal device event, there may be internally and/or externally contaminated victims. Those with life-threatening injuries may require immediate medical assistance prior to decontamination. The dose rates to which a healthcare provider is exposed due to the internal and external contamination of the victim were computed using Monte Carlo simulations and five anthropomorphic phantoms. For the external contamination modeling, the contamination is assumed to be uniformly distributed over the entire exterior of the victim's body. For the internal contamination modeling, the contamination was distributed in the appropriate organs according to biokinetic modeling. The specific isotopes considered were 60 Co, 137 Cs, 131 I, 192 Ir, and 241 Am. The calculated dose rates demonstrate that life-saving care to stabilize critical patients can be provided without exceeding dose guidelines for first responders.
Extreme hypofractionation for prostate cancer.

In ideal circumstances the fractionation schedule of radiotherapy should match the fractionation sensitivity of the tumor relative to the nearby normal tissues. A number of recent publications have suggested that the α/β ratio for prostate tumors is low – in the range of 1–3 Gy. In fact, if α/β is low, then hypofractionated schedules using fewer, larger fractions should improve the therapeutic ratio. This critical article examines two methods that represent schedules at the extreme end of the fractionation spectrum (3–5 fractions): high-dose-rate brachytherapy as monotherapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy.
Vaccinia Virus Requires Glutamine but Not Glucose for Efficient Replication

Viruses require host cell metabolism to provide the necessary energy and biosynthetic precursors for successful viral replication. Vaccinia virus (VACV) is a member of the Poxviridae family, and its use as a vaccine enabled the eradication of variola virus, the etiologic agent of smallpox. A global metabolic screen of VACV-infected primary human foreskin fibroblasts suggested that glutamine metabolism is altered during infection. Glutamine and glucose represent the two main carbon sources for mammalian cells. Depriving VACV-infected cells of exogenous glutamine led to a substantial decrease in infectious virus production, whereas starving infected cells of exogenous glucose had no significant impact on replication. Viral yield in glutamine-deprived cells or in cells treated with an inhibitor of glutaminolysis, the pathway of glutamine catabolism, could be rescued by the addition of multiple tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates. Thus, VACV infection induces a metabolic alteration to fully rely on glutamine to anaplerotically maintain the TCA cycle. VACV protein synthesis, but not viral transcription, was decreased in glutamine-deprived cells, which corresponded with a dramatic reduction in all VACV morphogenetic intermediates. This study reveals the unique carbon utilization program implemented during poxvirus infection and provides a potential metabolic pathway to target viral replication. IMPORTANCE Viruses are dependent on the metabolic machinery of the host cell to supply the energy and molecular building blocks needed for critical processes including genome replication, viral protein synthesis, and membrane production. This study investigates how vaccinia virus (VACV) infection alters global cellular metabolism, providing the first metabolomic analysis for a member of the poxvirus family. Unlike most viruses examined to date, VACV does not activate glycolysis, and exogenous glucose is not required for maximal virus production. Instead, VACV requires exogenous glutamine for efficient replication, and inhibition of glutamine metabolism effectively blocks VACV protein synthesis. This study defines a major metabolic perturbation essential for the replication of a poxvirus and may lead to the discovery of novel antiviral therapies based on metabolic inhibitors.
Buffer Standards for the Physiological pH of 3-[(1,1-Dimethyl-2-hydroxymethyl)amino]-2-hydroxypropanesulfonic Acid from (278.15 to 328.15) K†

The values of the second dissociation constant, pK2, and related thermodynamic quantities of 3-[(1,1-dimethyl-2-hydroxymethyl)amino]-2-hydroxypropanesulfonic acid (AMPSO) have already been reported in previous investigations at 12 temperatures over the temperature range (278.15 to 328.15) K, including 310.15 K (J. Solution Chem. 1997, 26, 309−317). This paper reports the results for the pH of nine buffer solutions free of the chloride ion with compositions: (a) AMPSO (0.04 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.04 mol·kg−1); (b) AMPSO (0.05 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.01 mol·kg−1); (c) AMPSO (0.05 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.05 mol·kg−1); (d) AMPSO (0.06 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.01 mol·kg−1); (e) AMPSO (0.06 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.02 mol·kg−1); (f) AMPSO (0.06 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.03 mol·kg−1); (g) AMPSO (0.08 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.01 mol·kg−1); (h) AMPSO (0.08 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.02 mol·kg−1); and (i) AMPSO (0.08 mol·kg−1) + NaAMPSO (0.08 mol·kg−1). The remaining 13 buffer solutions (j to v) have saline media of the ionic str...
Educators' Perceptions of the D.A.R.E. Program

This study examines the perceptions of educators about the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, based on the results of a statewide survey among 286 fifth and sixth grade teachers and principals. Educators gave their highest ratings to teacher/officer interaction, the role playing exercises, and the graduation ceremony. Ratings of overall program quality and the impact of the program on students were both high. Block regression analysis was used to examine factors predictive of educators' views of D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E. program elements were the most important factors explaining variance in educators' ratings of over-all program quality and program impact on students. Altogether, 54 percent and 38 percent of the variance in both dependent variables were explained. The results are discussed in terms of the important role teachers and principals play as stakeholders in prevention education.
High-resolution radioautography of galactose-3H accumulation in rings of hamster intestine.

Radioautography of water-soluble substances has posed a major technical problem for the past decade. Utilizing silicone-impregnated plastic sections of frozen-dried tissue, a quantitative method was developed for studying distribution of 3H-labeled galactose, mannitol, and phlorizin. The content of a 2-µ band may be measured with an accuracy of ±20% by light microscopy; radioautographs may also be prepared for the electron microscope. Results with intestinal tissue incubated 1–10 min in vitro and, then, frozen rapidly indicate that the first step in galactose absorption is uphill transport into the brush border of the columnar epithelium. Correction of galactose content for the mannitol space in the brush border suggests that the sugar pump is located at the surface of the microvilli. Further evidence for the surface locus of the glucose-galactose pump was obtained with phlorizin (next paper, reference 40). The galactose content of columnar cell cytoplasm always equalled that of microvilli and no transcellular diffusion gradient could be detected; during the first minutes of incubation, however, a gradient did exist between nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. Downhill exit of galactose from columnar cells may have proceeded either directly across basal membranes to adjacent lamina propria or indirectly via open intercellular spaces. Lastly, even in the absence of muscularis, the connective tissue of the lamina propria constituted enough of a diffusion barrier so that it served as a secondary accumulating compartment for galactose under present in vitro conditions.
Applying Mixed-Signal Verification Best Practices to Mixed-Signal ICs for Automotive Applications

Abstract In this paper we will consider how recent developments in mixed-signal integrated circuit design and verification can be applied to the challenges of automotive integrated circuit design and verification. As systems become more complex, developing each component in isolation and assembling them at the end of the process becomes less and less efficient. The challenges of automotive subs-system design are analogous to the challenges of mixed-signal design and we will describe how the lessons from mixed-signal design can be applied to automotive sub-systems.
Quantum bit regeneration.

Decoherence and loss will limit the practicality of quantum cryptography and computing unless successful error correction techniques are developed. To this end, we have discovered a new scheme for perfectly detecting and rejecting the error caused by loss (amplitude damping to a reservoir at $T\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0$), based on using a dual-rail representation of a quantum bit. This is possible because (1) balanced loss does not perform a ``which-path'' measurement in an interferometer, and (2) balanced quantum nondemolition measurement of the ``total'' photon number can be used to detect loss-induced quantum jumps without disturbing the quantum bit's coherence.
AccessPharmacy: A Review

AccessPharmacy is a platform for educational and clinical resources relevant to pharmacy. It offers the full text of dozens of core pharmacy texts in addition to value-added content such as multimedia, cases, and LMS-style features. A clear interface, search, and navigation functions make the platform intuitive, but the unsourced and undated drug database is a major drawback.
MAP Visibility Estimation for Large-Scale Dynamic 3D Reconstruction

Many traditional challenges in reconstructing 3D motion, such as matching across wide baselines and handling occlusion, reduce in significance as the number of unique viewpoints increases. However, to obtain this benefit, a new challenge arises: estimating precisely which cameras observe which points at each instant in time. We present a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimate of the time-varying visibility of the target points to reconstruct the 3D motion of an event from a large number of cameras. Our algorithm takes, as input, camera poses and image sequences, and outputs the time-varying set of the cameras in which a target patch is visibile and its reconstructed trajectory. We model visibility estimation as a MAP estimate by incorporating various cues including photometric consistency, motion consistency, and geometric consistency, in conjunction with a prior that rewards consistent visibilities in proximal cameras. An optimal estimate of visibility is obtained by finding the minimum cut of a capacitated graph over cameras. We demonstrate that our method estimates visibility with greater accuracy, and increases tracking performance producing longer trajectories, at more locations, and at higher accuracies than methods that ignore visibility or use photometric consistency alone.
The relationship of child worry to cognitive biases: Threat interpretation and likelihood of event occurrence

Worry, the cognitive component of anxiety, has been related to cognitive processing biases in adults. However, the relationship of child worry to cognitive biases has been largely unexplored. The present study examined this relationship. Worry in a community sample of 277 5th- and 6th-grade children was assessed with the Penn-State Worry Questionnaire for Children (Chorpita, Tracey, Brown, Collica, & Barlow, 1997). The Children's Opinions of Everyday Life Events (COELE) was designed to measure children's threat interpretation biases. Children's responses to worry-relevant vignettes were used to assess interpretation of ambiguous and threatening situations, degree of perceived threat, degree of situation-specific worry, and perceived likelihood of future occurrence. Results suggested strong relationships between child worry and threat interpretation biases. Compared to nonworriers, worriers interpreted both ambiguous and threatening situations as more threatening, expressed more worry in response to the events, and judged the events to have a higher probability of happening to them in the future. Temporal stability was only moderate, perhaps reflecting worry and cognitive biases as more variable phenomena in a community sample. Theoretical, clinical, and research implications of the findings are discussed.
Inhibition of elastin peptide-mediated angiogenic signaling mechanism(s) in choroidal endothelial cells by the α6(IV)NC1 collagen fragment.

Purpose The inhibitory effects and mechanism(s) of type IV collagen α-6 chain-derived noncollagenous domain (α6[IV]NC1 or hexastatin) on elastin-derived peptide (EDP)-activated choroidal endothelial cell migration, kinase signaling, and membrane type 1 metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) activation are explored. Methods Mouse choroidal endothelial cells (MCECs) were incubated in media with soluble EDPs (kappa elastin, mouse elastin, and Val-Gly-Val-Ala-Pro-Gly [VGVAPG] hexapeptide) for different time intervals with or without α6(IV)NC1. The MCECs proliferation, migration, tube formation, MT1-MMP expression, and angiogenic signaling were analyzed in cells subjected to EDP and α6(IV)NC1 treatments. The MCECs also were subjected to EDPs, and specific inhibitors for evaluation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and protein kinase B (Akt) phosphorylation. Results Kappa elastin, mouse elastin, and VGVAPG enhanced the migration, without affecting the proliferation of MCECs. The α6(IV)NC1 inhibited survival and EDP-activated migration of MCECs. The EDP-activated MCEC tube formation on matrigel also was inhibited by α6(IV)NC1. Further, EDP-activated MT1-MMP expression and FAK/phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI-3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mToR)/Akt phosphorylation in MCECs, were reduced by α6(IV)NC1. The EDP-induced FAK and Akt phosphorylation was blocked by FAK- and Akt-specific inhibitors. Conclusions The EDPs and α6(IV)NC1 are identified to exhibit opposing effects on MCEC angiogenic behavior and signaling. The α6(IV)NC1 inhibited cell survival, EDP-mediated migration, MT1-MMP expression and, FAK/PI-3K/mToR/Akt phosphorylation in MCECs. This work demonstrates α6(IV)NC1 as a prospective endogenous molecule for the treatment of diseases involving choroidal neovascularization in the eye.
Identifying Sites Vulnerable to Phosphorus Loss in Agricultural Runoff

The continual application of more phosphorus (P) in fertilizer and manure to agricultural systems than removed in harvested crops can lead to surface soil accumulation of P. As a result, soil P has become of environmental rather than agronomic concern in areas of intensive crop and livestock production where P enrichment of runoff can promote eutrophication. To target cost-effective remedial measures, sites vulnerable to P loss in runoff must be identified. Site identification by traditional field trials and computer simulations can be time consuming, costly, and data intensive. The Lemunyon and Gilbert field index was used to rank the vulnerability for P loss from 30 unfertilized and P-fertilized, grassed, and cropped watersheds in the Southern Plains. Watershed vulnerability to P loss in runoff was closely related (r 2 = 0.70**) to actual losses measured over the last 16 yr (0.1-5 kg P ha -1 yr -1 ). Vulnerability to P loss decreased in the order : conventionally tilled wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) ; no-till wheat ; native grass ; and set-aside grass. Also, erosive gully remediation by shaping, sprigging with Midland bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] reduced vulnerability from medium to low. The P index is a valuable tool to identify P sources within a watershed that will require more intensive management to minimize P loss in runoff while maintaining crop productivity.
An Efficient Channel Impulse Response Estimation Method for DS-CDMA Communications

A method is proposed for determining the minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel impulse response estimations for a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) communication system with multipath reception. Typical systems employ a RAKE receiver with tap weights estimated using a simple correlation followed by energy detection. While computationally simple to implement, such a method results in a sub-optimal solution. The standard MMSE estimator, however, requires calculation of the sample autocorrelation matrix and its inverse in order to determine the optimal weights. While providing an optimal solution to the AWGN channel impulse response estimation problem, it is often too computationally intensive to implement in real-time systems. The proposed method, based on a generalized side lobe canceller (GSC), performs a direct computation of the optimal weights using a systolic array, bypassing the need to determine the autocorrelation matrix and its inverse. Development of the channel impulse response estimation algorithm is described and estimations for simulated single and multiple access scenarios are presented for evaluation.
Multistrand tendon repairs

Compelling scientific evidence supports the use of multistrand tendon repair techniques for zone-II flexor tendon lacerations. The 4-strand cruciate repair and the 8-strand repair are 2 techniques that are relatively simple to perform, yet they add the benefit of multiple suture strands crossing the tendon repair. Each technique is described and illustrated.
Accepting the Challenge of John Finley Scott

Although high school counselors are frequently confronted with challenging situations, there are perhaps few researchers, if any, who have been more direct in their attack on high school counselors than John Finley Scott. In his 1966 publication “So You're Going to College!,” he reports findings which indicate that approximately two-thirds of those college students he researched found their high school counselors among the persons who gave them the worst advice about going to college. This study is an attempt to explore the consistency of such findings, by attempting a similar study at a different university located in a different section of the United States.
Sociobiology: a valid explanation of child abuse?

Most explanations of child abuse among humans focus either on psychologic dysfunction of the perpetrator of abuse or environmental stress on the perpetrator. More recently, evolutionary theory and studies of infant abuse among nonhuman species have led to a sociobiological explanation of child abuse among humans. Advocates of this approach (Lenington, 1981; Daly and Wilson, 1981) suggest that abuse of offspring be viewed within the context of genetic relatedness and inclusive fitness. This report addresses the methodological and theoretical problems which arise when the sociobiological explanation of infant abuse is applied to humans. Suggestions are made to fill gaps in the sociobiological explanation, consequently allowing rudimentary tests of hypotheses.
Structure of SET domain proteins: a new twist on histone methylation

The methylation of lysine residues on histone tails is catalyzed by proteins containing a conserved SET domain. A recent flurry of structures of SET domain proteins has revealed a new protein fold and a scaffold for understanding catalysis and substrate binding by these enzymes. The prospect that histone methylation might form an epigenetic code and the implicated involvement of SET domain proteins in cancer assures that structure-function studies of these enzymes will continue until their detailed mechanism of action is determined.
Responses of Golgi tendon organs to concurrently active motor units

The effect of a motor unit contraction on a Golgi tendon organ is more fully revealed when the motor unit is stimulated with a random (Poisson) pulse train than when activated with a periodic train. The temporal relationship between the motor unit twitch force and the receptor spike train is exhibited by separately cross-correlating the force and the spike train with the stimulus train. The observed characteristics of the motor unit-receptor interaction are largely preserved even in the presence of activity by other motor units coupled to the same receptor. Our results show that each motor unit influences the firing probability of the receptor in a characteristic way throughout the duration of its twitch.
Multisensor fusion and enhancement using the Retinex image enhancement algorithm

A new approach to sensor fusion and enhancement is presented. The retinex image enhancement algorithm is used to jointly enhance and fuse data from long wave infrared, short wave infrared and visible wavelength sensors. This joint optimization results in fused data which contains more information than any of the individual data streams. This is especially true in turbid weather conditions, where the long wave infrared sensor would conventionally be the only source of usable information. However, the retinex algorithm can be used to pull out the details from the other data streams as well, resulting in greater overall information. The fusion uses the multiscale nature of the algorithm to both enhance and weight the contributions of the different data streams forming a single output data stream.
Between Identity and Anonymity: Art and History in Aharon Megged's Foiglman

In a recent article, “Israeli Literature Over Time,”Aharon Megged describes his work as “unremittingly concerned with burning national issues,” mainly with the issue of Israel′s relationship to the Diaspora.1 Megged′s intense preoccupation with the Zionist ideology of the negation of the Diaspora emerged in his 1955 story “Yad va-shem” (“The Name”). The story presents a scathing criticism of Israel′s dissociation from the history of the Diaspora and especially from the catastrophe of the Holocaust. “Yad va-shem” was followed by an article entitled “Tarbutenu ha-yeshana ve-ha-hadasha” (“Our Old and New Culture”) in which Megged deplored Israel′s severance of its Diaspora roots and urged a reexamination of the negative attitude toward the destroyed European Jewish culture.In 1984, Megged published Massa ha-yeladim el ha-aretz ha-muvtachat (“The Children's Journey”), a novel based on a true story about a group of young survivors of the Holocaust on their way to Palestine.3 This work, as Dan Laor notes in his review, “offers a perspective of the Diaspora in the Holocaust which differs from [the typical Israeli attitude of] contempt infused with pity” toward the Diaspora Jew.
Fatty acid synthetase from chloroplasts of soybean cotyledons: ACP activation and CoA inhibition

Abstract Fatty acid synthetase from chloroplasts of soybean cotyledons was activated by preincubation with acyl carrier protein and dithiothreitol. The synthetase reaction had a 3–10 min lag which was not eliminated by the preincubation. Acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA had no effect on the activation. Fatty acid synthetase from spinach chloroplasts was neither activated by preincubation nor had a lag. The variability of the activity of the soybean enzyme with preincubation suggested that the fatty acid synthetase was present in two forms and that the acyl carrier protein caused conversion to the active form. This fatty acid synthetase and the same synthetase from spinach chloroplasts were inhibited by CoA. The type of inhibition by CoA in soybean was competitive with respect to malonyl-CoA and the Ki was 80μM.
Two-dimensional density currents in a confined basin

We present new experimental results on the mechanisms through which steady two-dimensional density currents lead to the formation of a stratification in a closed basin. A motivation for this work is to test the underlying assumptions in a diffusive “filling box” model that describes the oceanic thermohaline circulation (Hughes, G.O. and Griffiths, R.W., A simple convective model of the global overturning circulation, including effects of entrainment into sinking regions, Ocean Modeling, 2005, submitted.). In particular, they hypothesized that a non-uniform upwelling velocity is due to weak along-slope entrainment in density currents associated with a large horizontal entrainment ratio of E eq ∼ 0.1. We experimentally measure the relationship between the along-slope entrainment ratio, E, of a density current to the horizontal entrainment ratio, E eq, of an equivalent vertical plume. The along-slope entrainment ratios show the same quantitative decrease with slope as observed by Ellison and Turner (Ellison...
A sol–gel synthesis of polyether-based proton conducting electrolytes

Abstract Proton conducting electrolyte gels composed of short polyether “tails” bound to a sol–gel matrix ([MePEG 350 S(CH 2 ) 3 SiO 3 ] n ) and sulfonated oligomeric methyl polyethylene glycol (MePEG 350 -SO 3 H) exhibit dry and unplasticized H + conductivities of up to 2.3×10 −5 S/cm at 50 °C under vacuum. Proton conductivities in these electrolyte gels increase with added acid (MePEG 350 -SO 3 H). Activation barriers to H + conductivity were between 20 kJ/mol for 0.25 M MePEG 350 -SO 3 H in (MePEG 350 S(CH 2 ) 3 SiO 3 ) n , and 38 kJ/mol for the 1.26 M mixture. Air equilibrated conductivities in these materials reached a maximum of 3.4×10 −4 S/cm for neat MePEG 350 -SO 3 H.
Price's Law on Nonstationary Space-Times

Abstract In this article, we study the pointwise decay properties of solutions to the wave equation on a class of nonstationary asymptotically flat backgrounds in three space dimensions. Under the assumption that uniform energy bounds and a weak form of local energy decay hold forward in time we establish a t − 3 local uniform decay rate (Price’s law, Price (1972) [54] ) for linear waves. As a corollary, we also prove Price’s law for certain small perturbations of the Kerr metric. This result was previously established by the second author in (Tataru [65] ) on stationary backgrounds. The present work was motivated by the problem of nonlinear stability of the Kerr/Schwarzschild solutions for the vacuum Einstein equations, which seems to require a more robust approach to proving linear decay estimates.
hsp90 Is Required for Heme Binding and Activation of Apo-Neuronal Nitric-oxide Synthase: GELDANAMYCIN-MEDIATED OXIDANT GENERATION IS UNRELATED TO ANY ACTION OF hsp90 *

It is established that neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) is associated with the chaperone hsp90, although the functional role for this interaction has not been defined. We have discovered that inhibition of hsp90 by radicicol or geldanamycin nearly prevents the heme-mediated activation and assembly of heme-deficient apo-nNOS in insect cells. This effect is concentration-dependent with over 75% inhibition achieved at 20 microm radicicol. The ferrous carbonyl complex of nNOS is not formed when hsp90 is inhibited, indicating that functional heme insertion is prevented. We propose that the hsp90-based chaperone machinery facilitates functional heme entry into apo-nNOS by the opening of the hydrophobic heme-binding cleft in the protein. Previously, it has been reported that the hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin uncouples endothelial NOS activity and increases endothelial NOS-dependent O(2)() production. Geldanamycin is an ansamycin benzoquinone, and we show here that it causes oxidant production from nNOS in insect cells as well as with the purified protein. At a concentration of 20 microm, geldanamycin causes a 3-fold increase in NADPH oxidation and hydrogen peroxide formation from purified nNOS, whereas the non-quinone hsp90 inhibitor radicicol had no effect. Thus, consistent with the known propensity of other quinones, geldanamycin directly redox cycles with nNOS by a process independent of any action on hsp90, cautioning against the use of geldanamycin as a specific inhibitor of hsp90 in redox-active systems.
Characterization of reptilian vitellogenin: Subunit composition and molecular weights of vitellogenin from the colubrid snake Thamnophis sirtalis (L.)

Abstract 1. 1. Injecting the common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, with 17β-estradiol caused an initial increase in the plasma concentration of protein-bound, alkaline-labile phosphorus. Females generally responded to a greater extent than did males. 2. 2. Concurrent with increased plasma phosphorus levels, hormone treatment induced the de novo synthesis of a single, high mol. wt protein (about 445,000), that we tentatively identified as vitellogenin. 3. 3. Electrophoresis of plasma samples from treated snakes, denatured with sodium dodecyl sulfate, revealed three bands not seen in samples from untreated animals: a darkly staining band (VgD, Mr ∼ 256,000) and two lightly staining bands (Vg1, Mr ∼ 149,000; Vg2, Mr ∼ 124,000). 4. 4. When denatured samples were reduced with dithiothreitol, VgD disappeared and the staining intensity of Vg2 increased markedly. The staining intensity of Vg1 did not change noticeably. Thus VgD appears to be a dimer of Vg2, joined covalently by disulfide bonds. 5. 5. We conclude that presumptive T. sirtalis vitellogenin, in its native state, does not display the dimeric structure so characteristic of other vertebrate Vgs. Molecular weight estimates of VgD, Vg1, and Vg2 suggest a trimeric structure for native Vg, but other polypeptide arrangements cannot be excluded.
Clinical Presentation and Urachal Remnant Pathology: Implications for Treatment

Purpose: Symptomatic pediatric urachal remnants are frequently excised but to our knowledge it is unknown whether incidentally identified urachal remnants require removal. Urachal remnant excision in childhood is advocated to avoid future malignancy. Urachal anomalies that contain fibrostromal tissue without epithelium may have lower malignant potential and not require excision. In contrast, lesions with epithelium may have increased potential to undergo malignant transformation. We examined whether incidentally identified urachal remnants would be less likely to contain epithelial elements and not require removal.Materials and Methods: At our institution 29 patients underwent surgical excision of a urachal anomaly from 1999 to 2008. We retrospectively investigated the presentation mode, radiographic findings, associated genitourinary abnormalities, operative approach, tissue pathology, complications and followup in each patient.Results: The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1. Patient presentation was inciden...
Electron correlation, metallization, and Fermi-level pinning at ultrathin K/Si(111) interfaces.

In this paper we present a detailed photoemission study of the K/Si(111)7[times]7 and K/Si(111)([radical]3 [times] [radical]3 )[ital R]30[degree]-B interfaces. Angle-resolved valence-band spectroscopy reveals the presence of an almost dispersionless interface state [ital below] [ital E][sub [ital F]]. Both interfaces are clearly nonmetallic at room-temperature saturation coverage. We critically address the issues of charge transfer and Fermi-level pinning by a detailed analysis of the K 3[ital p] and Si 2[ital p] core-level spectra. We conclude that, up to saturation coverage, correlation effects determine the electronic properties of these interfaces. Metallization occurs during the development of the second layer at cryogenic temperatures.
Measurements of loudness growth in 1/2-octave bands for children and adults with normal hearing.

The loudness growth in 1/2-octave bands (LGOB) procedure has been shown previously to provide valid estimates of loudness growth for adults with normal hearing and those with hearing loss (Allen, H...
Normal standards for exophthalmometry in children 10 to 14 years of age: Relation to age, height, weight, and sexual maturation

Exophthalmometric measurements were made in normal children, using a small,inexpensive, plastic Luedde ruler. The data are useful to pediatricians who wish to determine the degree of exophthalmos or enophthalmos and to follow progressive changes in eye measurements in their patients.
Effect of mechanical vibration on platinum particle agglomeration and growth in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell catalyst layers

Abstract The effect of mechanical vibration on Platinum (Pt) particle agglomeration and growth in the catalyst layer of a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) for a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) was investigated. A series of experiments were conducted using a 300-h accelerated test with potential cycling and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Each of the 300-h accelerated tests used different constant mechanical vibration conditions (frequency and acceleration). It was observed that the average diameter of Pt particles under vibration is 10% smaller than the ones that were under no vibration conditions. The Pt particles in the order of 2–2.5 nm in the pristine state have grown to approximately 6 nm (after 300-h accelerated test without vibration condition) and to approximately 5.47 nm (after 300 h accelerated test under 1 g 20 Hz vibration condition).
A shortest path algorithm to find minimal deduction graphs

Abstract A new method using a shortest path algorithm to find a minimal deduction graph (MDG) for solving the interference problem is proposed in this article. Let R be a set of nonredundant and nonrecursive function-free rules. Given a source and a sink, a Horm formula (HF) of the form (sink←source) is provable from an MDG(source, sink). This MDG is constructed from the source to the sink in two steps by the proposed algorithm if the MDG exists. HFs are extended from Horn clauses (HC). The first step prepares the connected directed graph representing the candidate set Rc of R with respect to the given sink as the input of the next step. The second one employs the proposed algorithm to construct an MDG(source, sink) for accomplishing the above inference. The utilization of the candidate set Rc of R saves both time and space during the inference process. This shortest path algorithm provide a systematic way to solve the inference problem in a polynomial time with the minimum number of rules and instances of rules. In addition, the algorithm can also automatically detect any extraneous predicates in a given compound source.
New ideas and fertility limitation: The role of mass media

This article investigates the mass media as a social change that shapes individual behavior primarily via ideational mechanisms. We construct a theoretical framework drawing on social demography and social psychology to explain how mass media may affect behavior via attitudinal change. Empirical analyses of 1,091 couples in the Chitwan Valley Family Study, using detailed measures of social change from rural Nepal, show that exposure to the mass media is related to childbearing behavior, and to preferences for smaller families, weaker son preferences, and tolerance of contraceptive use. This result should motivate greater research attention to the influence of changing ideas on behavioral changes, particularly in the study of families.
Variation of Aggressive Interaction Among Male Elementary School Children as a Function of Changes in Spatial Density.

The behavior of children was monitored during unstructured playground activity in areas of differing size. The frequency of fighting increased significantly in the smaller area, although the aggressive episodes were of briefer duration. In addition, the style of aggression differed significantly between the two conditions. Fighting in the smaller area typically involved more than two children. The results are considered in the context of Hediger's critical distance hypothesis (1950).
Dentists in a practice-based research network show considerable variation in their choices for caries prevention agents.

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Preferences for caries prevention agents in adult patients: findings from the dental practice-based research network. Riley RL 3rd, Gordan VV, Rindal DB, Fellows JL, Ajmo CT, Amundson C, et al. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010;38(4):360-70. Reviewer Brian Laurence, DDS, PhD Purpose/Question To identify factors that are significantly associated with dentists’ use of specific caries preventive agents in adult patients, and determine whether dentists who use one preventive agent are also more likely to use certain others. Source of Funding The study was supported by National Institutes of Health grant DE-16746 and DE-16747 Type of Study/Design Cross-sectional study/ survey Level of Evidence Level 3: Other evidence Strength of Recommendation Grade Not applicable
829 PILI TORTI AND SENSORINEURAL HFARBG LOSS - AN AUTOSOMAL, RESESSIVE DISORDER?

Pili torti is a congenital anomaly of the hair shaft which is flattened and twisted. The anomaly can exist as an isolated defect or in combination with other hair shaft defects and/or anomalies of other organs. Patients with Mankes syndrome, ectodermal dysplasias, and trichothio-dystrophies may have pili torti. In 1965, Bjornstad reported five patients with sensorineural hearing loss and pili torti. Several other reports described similar patients. The etiology and genetics of the syndrome however have remained unclear. We report a brother and sister with pili torti and severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss; the latter became apparent at 3 years of age. Both had almost total alopecia during preteen years. Subsequently they acquired a stubble of dry, brittle scalp hair. Axillary and pubic hair was normal. There was no evidence of hypogonadism or mental retardation. With no one else in the family having a hearing loss or pili torti, this sibship supports autosomal recessive inheritance for Bjornstad syndrome.
Neonatal sepsis. Progress in diagnosis and management.

Despite the rarity of proven neonatal bacterial sepsis (1 to 5 cases/1000 live births) systemic bacterial infections during the first month of life remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Most neonatal bacterial infections occur during the first week of life (early onset sepsis) and result from the spread of micro-organisms colonising the maternal genital tract into the amniotic cavity. Susceptible infants either inhale or swallow contaminated amniotic fluid and develop generalised sepsis. During the last decade, however, improvements in neonatal intensive care have permitted the survival of a population of very low birthweight infants, who remain hospitalised for many months, and who are at increased risk of developing nosocomial infections.
Significant enhancement in the thermal stability of nanocrystalline metals via immiscible tri-phases

The thermal stability of sputtered Co–Cu–Ag tri-phase immiscible nanocomposites (TPINs) was compared to nanocrystalline Cu50Ag50 and monolithic Cu. After annealing at 973 K, the grain size of Co34Cu33Ag33 was ∼115 nm, whereas that of Cu50Ag50 increased to over 700 nm. The hardness of annealed Co34Cu33Ag33 TPIN remained high, ∼3 GPa, comparing to only 1.0 GPa for Cu50Ag50 film. The remarkable thermal stability of the TPIN is largely achieved via the introduction of a third immiscible phase, forming abundant tri-phase triple junctions.