cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Homopolymerization of N‐allylacetamide and N‐allylstearamide

When benzoyl peroxide was decomposed at 90°C. in N-allylacetamide and in N-allylstearamide, d[M]/d[P] was about 2 and DP was between 9 and 10, because of a wastage of benzoyloxy radicals. These radicals formed benzoic acid and benzene as a consequence of hydrogen abstraction from the amide, and the resulting amide radicals became substituted with ester and phenyl groups from the initiator. N-butylstearamide, a saturated model for N-allylstearamide, gave corresponding products. Rates of peroxide decomposition indicated strong induced effects, decreasing in the order: N-allylacetamide, N-allylstearamide, N-butylstearamide. Slopes of the linear plots of the four products (in moles per kilogram) against initiator (in equivalents per kilogram) in the three amides in the above order were: benzoic 0.521, 0.570, 0.575; benzene 0.027, 0.086, 0.168; amide substituted by benzoate 0.459, 0.320, 0.106; amide substituted by phenyl 0.087, 0.087, 0.142. Transfer, compared to substitution, increased with chain length and decrease in unsaturation, and induced peroxide decomposition was correspondingly lowered. Thus, kinetic chain decreased with acyl chain length and decrease in unsaturation. A mechanism that postulates polar species in the transition state when amides were solvents accounted for both transfer and aromatic substitution and helped explain the difference in behavior of N-allylamides and allyl esters. Plots of amide entering polymer (in moles per kilogram) against initiator concentration (in equivalents per kilogram) were curves; plots of log (a – x) for amide disappearance against the same coordinate were linear. Slopes were: N-allylacetamide −0.0742; N-allylstearamide −0.1771.
Distinct cardiodynamic and molecular characteristics during early and late stages of sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction

We hypothesized that progressive decline in myocardial performance would correlate with upregulation of markers for apoptotic mechanisms following increased duration of polymicrobial sepsis in the rat. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (350-400 g) were randomized into sham, 1-, 3- and 7-day sepsis groups. Each septic rat received 200 mg/kg cecal inoculum intraperitoneally (i.p). The post-mortem analysis showed a severely inflamed peritoneum with the presence of pus in all septic animals that was directly proportional to the duration of sepsis. We observed 10, 33 and 42% mortality in the 1-, 3- and 7-day sepsis groups, respectively. Septic animals at 3 and 7 days exhibited an increased wet lung/total body weight and heart weight/total body weight. A significant increase in total cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and C Reactive Protein (CRP) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) was also observed with an increased duration of sepsis. Myocardial ET-1 concentration in the 7-day post-sepsis group was significantly elevated compared to the sham and 1-day post-sepsis groups. Sepsis also produced a significant decrease in the mean arterial pressure in the 7-day post-sepsis group and tachycardia in the 1-, 3-, and 7-day post-sepsis groups compared to the sham group. A significant prolongation of the left ventricular isovolumic relaxation rate constant, tau, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in the 1-, 3- and 7-day post-sepsis groups compared to the sham group was observed. In addition, a significant decrease in the rates of left ventricular relaxation (-dP/dt) and contraction (+dP/dt) in the 3- and 7-day post-sepsis groups compared to the sham and 1-day post-sepsis group was observed. Sepsis produced a significant upregulation in the expression of myocardial TRADD, cytosolic active caspase-3, the Bax/Bcl(2) ratio, and the mitochondrial release of cytochrome C in the 3- and 7-day post-sepsis groups. We observed a progressive increase in the number of TUNEL positive nuclei, cytosolic caspase-3 activation and co-localization of PARP in the nuclei at 1, 3 and 7 days post-sepsis. These data suggest that the progression of sepsis from 1 day to 3-7 days produce distinct cardiodynamic characteristics with a more profound effect during later stages. The sepsis-induced decline in myocardial performance correlates with the induction of myocardial apoptosis.
High-density lipoprotein subfractions

Abstract High-density lipoprotein (HDL) consists of a heterogeneous group of particles defined either by size or by apolipoprotein content. Subfractions of HDL appear to have distinct but interrelated metabolic functions, including facilitation of cholesteryl ester transfer to low- and very-low-density lipoproteine, modulation of tri-glyceride-rich particle catabolism, and, possibly, removal of cholesterol from peripheral tissues. Like HDL cholesterol, HDL subfractions are widely affected by a variety of factors. Subfractions also are markers for epidemiologic risk for coronary artery disease. Because they provide information about the physiologic processes of cholesterol metabolism, HDL subfractions are emerging as an increasingly important tool in the study of the relationship between lipids and cardiovascular disease.
Storm effects on siliciclastic and carbonate shelf sediments in the medial Silurian succession of Pennsylvania

Abstract Upper Llandoverian through Wenlockian strata in the Pennsylvania part of the northern Appalachian Basin formed on a gentle epeiric ramp that extended from marginal tidal flats through coarser-grained mid-shelf shoals to a muddy basin center. Over approximately 10 million years, the composition of the accumulating sediment evolved from siliciclastic to carbonate, while the ramp maintained a relatively similar configuration and position below sea level, and while storm-generated processes continued as the major producers of sediment characteristics. In both siliciclastic and carbonate parts of the succession, sedimentary structures and their sequences are generally similar, with only a small number of dissimilar features resulting from the differences in composition. Small-scale coarsening- and shallowing-upward sequences are present in both mid-shelf bar and basin-transition deposits, although specific sequence characteristics are different in siliciclastic and carbonate parts. Such sequences record cyclic fluctuations of relative sea level. While the composition of the sediment evolved over this extended period, the gentle ramp gradient was maintained largely by the processes generated by storms. Such processes were more effective because of the fluctuations of relative sea level.
Professional Orientation of Junior Tennis Players

The highly visible successes of teenagers in professional tennis seem to have increased the emphasis on winning in junior tennis. The purpose of this field study was to determine the extent to which a professional orientation, that is, an emphasis on winning, existed in junior tennis players and the degree to which it was related to levels of involvement and success as well as the aspiration to become a professional tennis player. Subjects were sampled from two populations. The competitive group consisted of participants in sectional tournaments while the noncompetitive group consisted of participants in tennis camps. Webb's (1969) professionalization of attitudes scale was used to assess orientation towards winning. Orientation scores were compared across level of competitive involvement, gender, tennis career aspiration and degree of match success. Results revealed that the competitive group endorsed winning significantly more often than did the noncompetitive group. This endorsement showed a strong rel...
Primary Myosarcoma of the Heart: Report of a Case Associated with Malignant Carcinoids and Pancreatic Heterotopia

Precordial pain and pericarditis were the early manifestations of this cardiac tumor. Discovery of bony metastases preceded detection of a rapidly growing intrathoracic mass, erroneously considered a bronchiogenic carcinoma invading the heart. Changing murmurs, chest pain, transient arrhythmia, intermittent fever, and progressive weight loss were the outstanding clinical features. Necroscopy revealed a primary cardiac tumor with metastases to pelvic bones, vertebrae, and lung, as well as malignant carcinoids and heterotopic pancreatic tissue.
Nucleus accumbens opiate-dopamine interactions and locomotor activation in the rat: evidence for a pre-synaptic locus.

Abstract Locomotor activation produced by the indirect dopamine (DA) agonist amphetamine is reversed by the opiate-receptor antagonist naloxone. Since amphetamine-stimulated locomotion results from the release of DA within the nucleus accumbens (N.Acc.), it is possible that these effects of naloxone result either from a decrease in the pre-synaptic release of DA within the N.Acc. or from a disruption of the effects of DA at, or distal to, the post-synaptic DA receptor. In the present study, we investigated the effects of naloxone on the locomotor-activating properties of dopamine injected directly into the nucleus accumbens. Naloxone (0–2 mg/kg) had no significant effect of DA-stimulated locomotion; the lowest dose of naloxone tested (0.5 mg/kg) was shown to significantly disrupt the locomotor activation produced by amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg). In separate animals, very high doses of naloxone (5.0 mg/kg) had no significant effect on locomotor activation produced by the DA receptor agonist apomorphine in rats following 6-hydroxydopamine (6OHDA) denervation of the N.Acc. These results indicate that naloxone must disrupt amphetamine-stimulated locomotion through its action presynaptic to N.Acc. DA receptors.
New Species of Halictophagus from Madagascar (Strepsiptera: Halictophagidae), with a Key to Males of African Halictophagus

Abstract. A new species of Halictophagus (Strepsiptera: Halictophagidae) from Tulear Province, Madagascar is described. This is the second Halictophagus species from Madagascar and the fifteenth from Africa. The new species, Halictophagus euryscelis , is compared with other species that it most closely resembles and a key is provided for all known male Halictophagus from Africa.
Genotypes, phenotypes, and the brain. A search for connections in schizophrenia.

The history of psychiatric research on genotypes, phenotypes, and the brain reveals much about the role of these concepts in our past and current understanding of schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses. Although interest in each topic is old by the standards of our young science, all have waxed and waned in their influence during our brief history. By ‘genotype’ I mean the hereditary constitution consisting of the genetic code, and by ‘phenotype’ I mean the physical expression of those genes throughout the life cycle of the individual. The relevance of the genotype to our field was recognised during the time of Charles Darwin, and reflected in the views of Henry Maudsley. Early optimism about the role that genetics would play in our understanding of mental disorder was tempered by the failure to find patterns of inheritance that corresponded to those described by Mendel. Enthusiasm about the study of genetic influences on human attributes was further attenuated when pseudo-genetics was embraced as a rationale for the horror of genocide. There has been a long and honourable history of genetic research in psychiatry, sustained by individuals such as Dr Eliot Slater (the 35th Maudsley lecturer and then Director of the Medical Research Council Psychiatric Genetics Research Unit at the Maudsley Hospital), but a renewal of the early excitement about genetic research has been engendered largely by recent developments in molecular biology.
Multiscale Modeling of Dislocation Processes in Bcc Tantalum: Bridging Atomistic and Mesoscale Simulations

Plastic deformation in bcc metals at low temperatures and high-strain rates is controlled by the motion of a/2 screw dislocations, and understanding the fundamental atomistic processes of this motion is essential to develop predictive multiscale models of crystal plasticity. The multiscale modeling approach presented here for bcc Ta is based on information passing, where results of simulations at the atomic scale are used in simulations of plastic deformation at mesoscopic length scales via dislocation dynamics (DD). The relevant core properties of a/2 screw dislocations in Ta have been obtained using quantum-based interatomic potentials derived from model generalized pseudopotential theory and an ab-initio data base together with an accurate Green's-function simulation method that implements flexible boundary conditions. In particular, the stress-dependent activation enthalpy for the lowest-energy kink-pair mechanism has been calculated and fitted to a revealing analytic form. This is the critical quantity determining dislocation mobility in the DD simulations, and the present activation enthalpy is found to be in good agreement with the previous empirical form used to explain the temperature dependence of the yield stress.
Dielectric tensor and shear-mode dispersion for strongly coupled Coulomb liquids: Two-dimensional electron liquid.

Similar to the three-dimensional (3D) one-component plasma (OCP), a two-dimensional (2D) OCP (electron film on the surface of liquid He, e.g.) can support transverse shear waves. We adapt the quasi-localized charge formalism of the preceding paper [Golden, Kalman, and Wyns, Phys. Rev. A 46, 3454 (1992)] to the analysis of the 2D transverse dielectric-response function and identify the shear mode, whose existence is unique to the strongly coupled system
Picturing Violence: Anti-Politics and The Act of Killing

The Act of Killing (TAOK) is a brilliant film.11This essay is based upon multiple viewings of the 159-minute version of the film (Oppenheimer et al. 2012). Following a cohort of former “movie theat...
Observation of Light Diffusion and Correlation Transport in Nematic Liquid Crystals.

Light diffusion and temporal correlation transport are studied in an orientationally ordered multiply scattering medium. In particular, we experimentally demonstrate the anisotropic diffusion of light through a turbid nematic liquid crystal, and we measure the temporal correlations of these diffused speckle fields for the first time. The measurements are shown to provide useful information about this material, specifically the average rotational viscosity of the director. Computer simulations corroborate both the experimental observations and a more rigorous analytic theoretical formulation of this problem.
Variability in dissolution rates of cholesterol pellets in bile acid solutions

Large variations in dissolution rate behavior of cholesterol monohydrate pellets may result from small changes in experimental procedures. For example, when cholesterol monohydrate pellets were stored overnight prior to a dissolution run, the initial dissolution rates varied by more than a factor of 2. It is well known that cholesterol monohydrate is converted to anhydrous cholesterol; cholesterol may be unstable toward light, heat, and other radiation in the presence of air, leading to its decomposition. To determine the cause of the variable dissolution rates, experiments were conducted with pellets “aged” under various conditions. The data show that the probable cause of the variations is the pellet surface conversion of the monohydrate to anhydrous cholesterol, which may take place during pellet storage. The combined effects of temperature and humidity seem to be important. A uniform experimental procedure is needed if investigators hope to reproduce results within their own laboratories as well as reproduce the findings of others.
Estimation of the reliability of a test divided into two parts of unequal length

In some situations where reliability must be estimated it is impossible to divide the measuring instrument into more than two separately scoreable parts. When this is the case, the parts may be homogeneous in content but clearly unequal in length. The resultant scores will not be essentially τ-equivalent, and hence total test reliability cannot be satisfactorily estimated via Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Limitation on the number of parts rules out Kristof's three-part approach. A technique is developed for estimating reliability in such situations. The approach is shown to function very well when applied to five achievement tests.
Effects of confining pressure on flaw formation during the consolidation of ductile powders by angular extrusion

Abstract We describe an experimental investigation into the effects of confining pressure (back-pressure) on consolidation of both aluminum 6061 and unalloyed copper powders by equal-channel angular extrusion below 250 °C, using a single pass through a 90° die with channels of circular cross-section. Empirical relationships for punch pressure requirements as a function of back-pressure and billet length are determined experimentally and compared with published theory. Powder particle boundaries are examined in extruded billets, revealing pores and regions of localized shear formed under low back-pressure conditions. The back-pressures required to obtain homogeneous, pore-free microstructures are determined, and related to the response of the powders during the initial compaction stage of extrusion.
Some issues in SEM-based metrology

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has many advantages for tasks for as metrology and defect review compared to other competitive technologies, but the level of performance required to meet the specifications proposed for the next generation of devices will raise some significant problems that must be overcome. These include theoretical limits on the spatial resolution, practical limits to performance set by the electron-optical characteristics of the SEM, and the dynamic response of the instrument to signal information. Unwanted artifacts of the electron-solid interaction such as charging and radiation damage must also be considered as potential restrictions to performance.
Cocaine mediated apoptosis of vascular cells as a mechanism for carotid artery dissection leading to ischemic stroke.

In arterial dissection, blood may enter the arterial wall through an intimal tear, splitting the arterial wall and activating the coagulation cascade at the site of endothelial damage. Dissection of extracranial and intracranial vessels may lead to ischemic stroke through thromboembolic or hemodynamic mechanisms. Major blunt trauma or rapid acceleration–deceleration may cause dissection, but in patients with inherent arterial wall weakness, dissection can occur spontaneously or as a result of minor neck movement. Cocaine use has been associated with dissection of the aortic arch and coronary and renal arteries through cocaine-mediated hypertension. Recent preclinical studies have suggested, however, that cocaine may cause apoptosis of cells in the vascular wall. In this article, we postulate that cocaine may cause apoptosis of vascular endothelial and/or smooth muscle cells, thus weakening the vascular wall and resulting in a dissection-prone state. We review the literature and propose a biological basis for vasculopathy, vascular dissection, and ischemic stroke in the setting of cocaine use. Further research studies on vascular cells, as well as focused analysis of human pathological material, will be important in providing evidence for or against our hypotheses.
Playing Hockey, Riding Motorcycles, and the Ethics of Protection

Ice hockey and motorcycle riding are increasingly popular activities in the United States that are associated with high risks of head and facial injuries. In both, effective head and facial protective equipment are available.Yet the debates about safety policies regarding the use of head protection in these activities have taken different forms, in terms of the influence of epidemiological data as well as of the ethical concerns raised.I examine these debates over injury prevention in the context of leisure activities, in which the public health duty to prevent avoidable harm must be balanced with the freedom to assume voluntary risks.
The spacing of denture teeth for a preschool child

Abstract The use of specially made, acrylic resin, primary teeth, properly spaced on a child's denture, will please the child's parents, and the child will be more readily accepted by his playmates. A dentist can be proud of this service to the children under his care who may need this type of treatment.
Roles of cholesterol and bile salts in the pathogenesis of gallbladder hypomotility and inflammation: cholecystitis is not caused by cystic duct obstruction

Background and Purpose A large number of human and animal studies have challenged the hypothesis that cystic duct obstruction by gallstones causes cholecystitis. These studies suggest that lithogenic bile that can deliver high cholesterol concentrations to the gallbladder wall causes hypomotility and creates a permissive environment that allows normal concentrations of hydrophobic bile salts to inflame the mucosa and impair muscle function inhibiting gallbladder emptying. High concentrations of cholesterol increase its diffusion rates through the gallbladder wall where they are incorporated into the sarcolemmae of muscle cells by caveolin proteins. High caveolar cholesterol levels inhibit tyrosine-induced phosphorylation of caveolin proteins required to transfer receptor–G protein complexes into recycling endosomes. The sequestration of these receptor–G protein complexes in the caveolae results in fewer receptors recycling to the sarcolemmae to be available for agonist binding. Lower internalization and recycling of CCK-1 and other receptors involved in muscle contraction explain gallbladder hypomotility. PGE2 receptors involved in cytoprotection are similarly affected. Cells with a defective cytoprotection failed to inactivate free radicals induced by normal concentrations of hydrophobic bile salts resulting in chronic inflammation that may lead to acute inflammation. Ursodeoxycholic acid salts (URSO) block these bile salts effects thereby preventing the generation of free radicals in muscle cells in vitro and development of cholecystitis in the ligated common bile duct in guinea pigs in vivo. Treatment with URSO improves muscle contraction and reduces the oxidative stress in patients with symptomatic cholesterol gallstones by lowering cholesterol concentrations and blocking the effects of hydrophobic bile salts on gallbladder tissues.
Evaluation of a learning trajectory for length in the early years

Measurement is a critical component of mathematics education, but research on the learning and teaching of measurement is limited, especially compared to topics such as number and operations. To contribute to the establishment of a research base for instruction in measurement, we evaluated and refined a previously developed learning trajectory in early length measurement, focusing on the developmental progressions that provide cognitive accounts of the development of children’s strategic and conceptual knowledge of measure. Findings generally supported the developmental progression, in that children reliably moved through the levels of thinking in that progression. For example, they passed through a level in which they measured length by placing multiple units or attempting to iterate a unit, sometimes leaving gaps between units. However, findings also suggested several refinements to the developmental progression, including the nature and placement of indirect length comparison in the developmental progression and the role of vocabulary, which was an important facilitator of learning for some, but not all, children.
Homelessness and Hunger

We employ data from the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients to examine the character and correlates of hunger among homeless people. Our analysis, couched in an adaptation framework, finds more support for the differentiation hypothesis than for the leveling hypothesis: Complex patterns of food insecurity exist at the individual level, and they vary with the resources available (e.g., higher monthly income, regular shelter use) and obstacles faced (e.g., alcohol, drug, and physical and mental health problems). The chronically homeless, who suffer from multiple deficits, appear particularly food-insecure, a finding that favors the desperation hypothesis over its street-wisdom alternative. We conclude that hunger is not uniformly experienced by members of the homeless population. Rather, some individuals are better situated than others to cope with the stressful nature of homelessness when addressing their sustenance needs.
Molecular biology: power sequencing.

Advances in DNA-sequencing technology provide unprecedented insight into the entire collection of four genomes' transcribed sequences; they herald a new era in the study of gene regulation and genome function.
Pathophysiologic observations on premature opening of the aortic valve utilizing a technique for multiplane echocardiographic analysis

The use of a simple technique for multiplane echocardiographic analysis and study of the effect of arrhythmia enabled us to investigate the mechanism of premature opening of the aortic valve in two patients with subacute aortic insufficiency. In one patient, premature opening evolved with the development of left ventricular dilatation and failure. In this case the prematurity of opening in each beat was related to diastolic filling time and was accompanied by septal recoil and by premature closure of the mitral valve. We classified this as the diastolic duration-dependent subgroup. In the second patient, who had a hypertrophied, non-dilated left ventricle, premature opening depended on atrial contraction and was independent of diastolic filling time. This case defined an atrial contraction-dependent subgroup. In the light of these findings we analyzed previously reported cases in patients with acute severe aortic insufficiency. These patients appear to fall into the diastolic duration-dependent subgroup.
Modified crack closure method using boundary elements

Abstract The boundary element method is a general purpose tool for calculating stresses and displacements in elasticity problems. However, accurate evaluation of singular quantities, such as the stress near a crack tip, requires a large number of conventional boundary elements or special crack tip elements. The crack closure integral is shown to accurately and efficiently calculate two-dimensional stress intensity factors using conventional boundary element data. The robustness of the method is illustrated on the example problems of a crack in a finite plate, a crack emanating from a hole, and a cracked bimaterial interface.
2MTF. I. the tully-fisher relation in the two micron all sky survey J, H, and K bands

The 2 Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) Tully-Fisher Survey (2MTF) aims to measure Tully-Fisher (TF) distances to all bright inclined spirals in the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS). Essential to this project is a universal calibration of the TF relation in the 2MASS J (1.2 µm), H (1.6 µm) and K (2.2 µm) bands. We present the first bias corrected or universal TF template in these bands. We find that the slope of the TF relation becomes steeper as the wavelength increases being close to L / v 4 in K-band and L / v 3.6 in J and H-bands. We also investigate the dependence on galaxy morphology showing that in all three bands the relation is steeper for later type spirals which also have a dimmer TF zeropoint than earlier type spirals. We correct the final relation to that for Sc galaxies. Finally we study the scatter from the TF relation fitting for a width dependent intrinsic scatter which is not found to vary significantly with wavelength. Subject headings: galaxies: distances and redshifts — galaxies: clusters — galaxies: fundamental parameters — distance scale: infrared: galaxies
A reflectarray antenna for use in interferometeric ocean height measurement

A deployable reflectarray antenna is developed for use in a Ku-band dual polarization cross-track interferometer instrument. It is found that the reflectarray antenna provides unique, mission enabling advantages for a large dual polarized antenna in terms of stowage, dual beam aperture efficiency and cost. This paper presents experimental results to demonstrate that reflectarray antenna technology is sufficiently mature for flight applications
A School for the Nation? How Military Service Does Not Build Nations, and How It Might

Theodore Roosevelt and his fellow Progressives hoped that universal military training would “Americanize” the mass of newcomers who had recently landed on America’s shores. Leonid Brezhnev similarly believed that widespread service in the Red Army would forge a uniaed Soviet citizenry committed to “the Socialist Motherland,” internationalism, and “the friendship of the peoples.”1 Like many leaders before and after them, Roosevelt and Brezhnev turned to the armed forces and the policy of universal military service at least in part to help build cohesive national communities out of their countries’ multinational jumbles. This view of the military as a key institution for the labeling and transmission of social values has roots stretching back to ancient Greece,2 but the armed forces arst achieved great popularity as a nation builder toward the end of the nineteenth century. At that time, the military was widely hailed across Europe as a “school for the nation,” and its apparent success was emulated as far away as czarist Russia and Meiji Japan. As countries across Africa and Asia won independence in the decades following World War II, they charged their armies with weaving a national fabric rent by communal rifts. Throughout the twentieth century, countries across the ideological spectrum have turned to the armed forces in the quest for national integration.3 A School for the Nation?
Intensive Care After Resuscitation from Cardiac Arrest: A Focus on Heart and Brain Injury

Less than 3% of all patients who have out-of-hospital cardiac arrests have return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), survive the hospitalization, and have a reasonable functional recovery. The fact that many patients who have ROSC ultimately die or fail to have favorable neurologic recovery suggests that processes that occur after hospitalization, especially in the ICU, have an impact on survival and neurologic recovery. This article addresses the acute care, with emphasis on the cardiac and neurologic aspects, that patients who have postcardiac arrest are provided in the cardiac ICU.
Systematic development of computational models for the catalytic site in galactose oxidase: impact of outer-sphere residues on the geometric and electronic structures

A systematic in silico approach has been employed to generate sound, experimentally validated active-site models for galactose oxidase (GO) using a hybrid density functional, B(38HF)P86. GO displays three distinct oxidation states: oxidized [Cu(II)–Y•]; semireduced [Cu(II)–Y]; and reduced [Cu(I)–Y]. Only the [Cu(II)–Y•] and the [Cu(I)–Y] states are assumed to be involved in the catalytic cycle, but their structures have not yet been determined. We have developed several models (1–7) for the [Cu(II)–Y•] state that were evaluated by comparison of our computational results with experimental data. An extended model system (6) that includes solvent molecules and second coordination sphere residues (R330, Y405, and W290) is essential to obtain an experimentally correct electronic structure of the active site. The optimized structure of 6 resulted in a five-coordinate Cu site with a protein radical centered on the Tyr–Cys cofactor. We further validated our converged model with the largest model (7) that included additional outer-sphere residues (Q406, H334, Y329, G513, and T580) and water molecules. Adding these residues did not affect significantly the active site’s electronic and geometric structures. Using both 6 and 7, we explored the redox dependence of the active-site structure. We obtained four- and three-coordinate Cu sites for [Cu(II)–Y] and [Cu(I)–Y] states, respectively, that corroborate well with the experimental data. The relative energies of these states were validated by a comparison with experimental redox potentials. Collectively, our computational GO models well reproduce the physicochemical characteristics of the individual states, including their redox behaviors.
Using Multispectral Aerial Imagery to Evaluate Crop Productivity

Remote sensing offers the potential to provide quantitative and timely information on agricultural crops and could be utilized for creating variable rate prescriptions for fertilizer and chemical applications. This would be particularly useful for mid-season management of crop inputs by allowing producers to better allocate needed inputs, thereby increasing efficiency and hopefully overall profitability. The objectives of this study were: (i) to verify a correlation between data gathered by a yield monitor and multispectral imagery, (ii) to evaluate the relationship between soil electrical conductivity and vegetative growth patterns, and (iii) to establish a method of producing a vegetation map from images that could be used for directed scouting and mid-season chemical application decisions. Multispectral aerial imagery was used to observe crop canopy spectral reflectance in a study for rice (), cotton (L.), and soybean () production fields in the Delta region of Arkansas. The images were acquired at various stages of crop growth and compared with ground reference observations consisting of soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and yield monitor data. Patterns were distinguishable with the use of the multispectral imagery along with some enhancements in a geographical information system (GIS). A classified, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of the images was performed to further enhance the vegetative differences. The multispectral imagery proved to be a useful tool in assessing field variation through plant canopy reflectance. In the cotton and soybean production fields studied, yield variances due to soil characteristics were visible. Strong correlations, ranging from r = 0.26 to 0.83, were seen in classified images, yield maps, and ECa maps. However in the rice production field, final yield had little correlation with the images acquired throughout the season (r = 15), but the soil ECa map was related to the mid-season classified NDVI (r = 0.48).
Distribution of the likelihood ratio criterion for testing a hypothesis specifying a covariance matrix

SUMMARY The exact null distribution of the likelihood ratio criterion for testing the null hypothesis : = E0 against the alternative E * E0 in Nj,(V, E) has been obtained in a series form and percentage points computed for p = 2 (1) 10 for a = 0 005, 0-01, 0-025, 0-05, 041 and 0-25 and various degrees of freedom, but only selected tables are presented here.
Deposition and characterization of nanostructured Cu2O thin-film for potential photovoltaic applications

Copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) is a direct band gap semiconductor with p-type conductivity and is a potential candidate for multi-junction solar cells. In this work, incoherent light source based photo-assisted metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was used to deposit high quality Cu2O thin films on n-type silicon and quartz substrates. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that crystalline Cu2O is deposited. UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy results indicated a band gap of 2.44 eV for Cu2O thin films. Transmission electron spectroscopy results show that the Cu2O film grows in the form of three-dimensional islands composed of smaller nanocrystalline grains in the range of 10-20 nm. I-V measurements indicate that the Cu2O/n-Si device fabricated using the MOCVD process has a lower dark current density than other devices reported in the literature.
Benthic Ba fluxes in the central Equatorial Pacific, implications for the oceanic Ba cycle

High resolution pore-water dissolved Ba concentration-depth profiles were determined at seven sites across an Equatorial Pacific productivity gradient from 12°S to 9°N, at 140°W. These data are important for understanding the physical, chemical, and biological controls on Ba recycling in the ocean, and for evaluating the paleo-oceanographic significance of Ba content in central Equatorial Pacific sediments. Pore-water Ba concentrations at all sites are higher than in the overlying bottom water, leading to a diffusive flux of Ba into the ocean. A pronounced subsurface concentration maximum exceeding barite solubility characterizes the dissolved Ba pore-water profiles, suggesting that the Ba regenerated in the upper few millimeters of sediment is not controlled by barite solubility. A few centimeters down-core Ba concentrations reach a relatively constant value of approximately barite saturation. The benthic Ba flux shows a clear zonal trend, with a maximum between 2°S and 2°N, most probably due to higher productivity at the equatorial divergence zone, and with lowest values at the southern and northern extremes of the transect. The dissolved Ba flux between 2°S and 2°N is ∼ 30 nmol cm−2 yr−1 and drops to 6 nmol cm−2 yr−1 at 12°S. Even the lowest fluxes are significantly higher than those previously reported for the open ocean. In the Equatorial Pacific the calculated Ba recycling efficiency is about 70%. Thus, ∼ 30% of the particulate Ba flux to the deep ocean is preserved in the sediments, compared with less than 1% for organic carbon and ∼ 5% for biogenic silica. Mass balance calculation of the oceanic Ba cycle, using a two-box model, implies benthic Ba fluxes similar to those reported here for a steady-state ocean.
Bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma

'The major clinical manifestations of multiple myeloma are related to enhanced bone destruction resulting in osteolytic lesions, osteoporosis, and pathologic fractures in most patients as well as hypercalcemia and spinal cord compression in many individuals. These patients frequently require radiation therapy or surgery. In an attempt to reduce these complications, bisphosphonates have been evaluated in several large randomized trials in patients also receiving chemotherapy. Oral etidronate given daily showed no clinical benefit, whereas the use of oral clodronate daily did reduce the development of new osteolytic lesions but did not significantly affect bone pain or rates of pathologic fractures. A large, randomized, double-blind study, was conducted in which Stage III multiple myeloma patients received either pamidronate (90 mg) or placebo as a 4-hour infusion every 4 weeks for 21 cycles in addition to antimyeloma chemotherapy. The proportion of patients with at least one skeletal complication was significantly reduced in the pamidronate group compared with the placebo group. Although survival was not different between the pamidronate and placebo groups overall, patients in whom first-line chemotherapy had failed when they entered the trial lived longer with pamidronate treatment than those receiving placebo. Patients who received pamidronate had significant decreases in bone pain, had less analgesic drug use, and had better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status than patients receiving placebo. Pamidronate was safe and well tolerated during the trial.
Tobacco Screening Multicomponent Quality Improvement Network Program: Beyond Education

Objectives: Due to the addictive nature of the disease and interrelated societal influences on the behavior of tobacco use, repeated interventions are often required before people successfully stop using tobacco. Our objective was to implement a multicomponent clinical intervention initiative enabling health care providers to effectively screen for tobacco use. We also sought to describe changes in emergency medicine providers’ documentation of cessation advice to tobacco users. Methods: The intervention was conducted at three emergency departments (EDs) and four clinics at a community-based teaching hospital and health network. Health care providers with the opportunity to identify and counsel tobacco-using patients in ambulatory health care settings were the study population. The authors initiated a quality improvement initiative for tobacco screening that employed a multicomponent strategy to facilitate systemic changes that support 100% tobacco use identification, documentation, and counseling. Baseline, posteducation, and post–wrap-around documented screening rates were compared within each site across the intervention. Cumulative ED baseline, posteducation, and post–wrap-around rates of provider advice to tobacco users were compared across the intervention. Percentage of possible available gain was calculated in consideration of a 100% ceiling effect. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS and MetStat. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi-square cell frequency were used to analyze and compare sites. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare those tests with a chi-square cell frequency of five or less. The statistical tests used for pre-/postintervention percentage comparisons by site had power between 80% and 90%, detecting differences of 10% and 20% or more at a 0.05 level of significance. Results: Significant increases in posteducation screening rates for all ED sites complemented significant increases in ED post–wrap-around intervention screening rates. Significant increases in ED provider documented cessation advice were also noted. Conclusions: This initiative successfully changed tobacco screening behavior of health care providers at all sites. It was particularly successful in the ED, typically an environment less likely to be conducive to preventive health interventions.
Consumption, human needs, and global environmental change

Rapidly increasing levels of consumption of materials, energy, and services are one of the fundamental drivers of global and local environmental change. Yet consumption is still a poorly understood phenomenon and the social, cultural, economic, and psychological variables that determine consumption have not been clearly identified. Effective policymaking and prediction is impossible without knowing what determines and changes consumption levels. Diverse social-scientific models of consumption are largely incommensurate, poorly articulated, and untested. Rather than argue for one fundamental cause, this author reviews a number of alternative theoretical approaches, and then proposes a heterodox ‘‘multigenic’’ theory based on the work of Pierre Bourdieu. Such a theory accepts multiple types of causes of consumption, operating at different analytical levels, from the individual, through household, community, and ultimately to nations and other groups. Factors impelling and restraining consumption can therefore be balanced or unbalanced by relatively minor changes in a large number of interrelated variables. r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Computer correlation analysis of intracellular neuronal responses

The contribution of large general-purpose digital computers to the bio-medical discipline has been considerable. However, as great as the contribution has been, the full potential has yet to be realized.
Spill Control and Intensity Maonitoring for the Bevatron-Bevalac External Particle Beams

Time-intensity modulation in beam spill can be of primary concern in some experiments. The major source of this beam structure is from main-guide field-magnet power supply ripple. If the time constants are appropriate, then final control of beam structure can be accomplished by closed loop control of the intensity of beam spill. The response characteristics of the feedback system will determine the final structure. At high beam fluxes signal to noise ratio of beam detectors, in the feedback loop, can be improved by at least four orders of magnitude by using photomultiplier tubes and a water Cerenkov counter in place of the normal secondary emission monitor. At beam fluxes below 1010 particles per second (PPS), a plastic scintillator and photomultiplier tube are used in the feedback system. A plastic scintillator and photomultiplier are also used in the beam as intensity monitors. At intensities below about 107 PPS standard counting techniques are used. For intensities between 106 to 1109 PPS, the photomultiplier is used as a current source driving an integrating circuit which is then calibrated to read the number of particles per pulse.
Mutational and transcriptional analyses of the Staphylococcus aureus low‐affinity proline transporter OpuD during in vitro growth and infection of murine tissues

Staphylococcus aureus continues to be a major health problem. This species' requirement for proline and proline transport from the extracellular environment is not well understood. Here, we identify a S. aureus low-affinity proline transport gene (opuD) with homology to the OpuD protein of Bacillus subtilis. Mutation of the opuD gene caused a significant decline in proline uptake under low-affinity conditions as compared with wild type, but the opuD mutant strain showed no significant attenuation in a murine abscess model of infection. The S. aureus opuD gene was transcriptionally activated during growth in moderate osmolarity media with high levels of proline or glycine betaine independent of SigB. In murine abscesses, the opuD gene was activated at a later time point, whereas the opuD expression dropped over the course of an 18-h period within murine urinary tracts. Transcriptional regulation of opuD in S. aureus appears to be coordinated within this species when grown in moderate to high NaCl environments, but the level of extracellular proline had a marked effect on expression of this proline transport gene. The differential regulation of proline transport genes in S. aureus may be an adaptation for life in a variety of environments, including survival within the human body.
HMGA2 gene expression analysis performed on cytologic smears to distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodules

BACKGROUND: Up to 80% of thyroid nodules with an indeterminate diagnosis on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) (eg, “suspicious for follicular neoplasm”) prove to be benign at the time of surgical resection. Ancillary tests in current use are limited in their ability to improve the preoperative detection of malignant follicular thyroid nodules. Studies using paraffin-embedded tissue have indicated that high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) overexpression is present in a high percentage of malignant thyroid neoplasms but not in benign thyroid neoplasms. In the current study, the ability of HMGA2 overexpression analysis to preoperatively distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodules by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on suspicious cytologic smears was evaluated. METHODS: Patients who underwent thyroid FNA and subsequent thyroid resection from 2001 through 2007 were identified. A subset of these patients who had a cytologic diagnosis of “suspicious” underwent HMGA2 expression analysis. HMGA2 expression was detected on cells scraped from cytologic smears with 1-step, real-time quantitative RT–PCR. RESULTS: Of the 125 cases identified, RNA extraction and HMGA2 analysis were successful in 115 cases. With an HMGA2 overexpression change of 5.9-fold or greater compared with a thyroid tumor cell line as a positive cutoff, the test was found to have the following overall performance for detecting malignant nodules: sensitivity of 71%, specificity of 97%, positive predictive value of 94%, and negative predictive value of 84%. HMGA2 overexpression was found to have low sensitivity for detecting Hurthle cell carcinoma (33%). CONCLUSIONS: HMGA2 mRNA expression analysis can be performed on cytologic smears and demonstrates a high specificity and positive predictive value and relatively high sensitivity and negative predictive value for detecting malignancy in “suspicious” thyroid aspirate specimens. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
NIH inventions translate into drugs and biologics with high public health impact

Compared with other US public-sector research institutions, the US National Institutes of Health has contributed inventions that have had a disproportionately greater impact on the overall number of products produced, drugs granted orphan status and drugs granted priority review.