cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selectivity of Toll-like receptor stimulation in human B cells (HUM8P.350)

B cells activated by nucleic-acid sensing Toll-like receptor 7 and TLR9 proliferate and secrete immune globulin. Memory B cells are more responsive due to higher TLR expression levels, but further selectivity remains largely unknown. In this study, human B cells stimulated by TLR ligands, with or without IFNα, or by T cell mimic CD40L plus IL-21 were examined to identify differentially responsive subsets, defined phenotypically or through BCR characteristics. Both stimuli induced CD27hiCD38hi plasmablasts, with TLRs inducing more IgM+ plasmablasts and IgM+ CD27hiCD38lo pre-plasmablasts than CD40L/IL-21. TLR stimulation also increased the relative proportion of IgM+ memory B cells and fostered higher IgM secretion, while CD40L/IL-21 expanded IgM- memory cells and fostered higher IgG secretion. Ig heavy chain deep sequencing showed V and J preference among TLR responsive cells, clustering TLR stimulated conditions apart from CD40L/IL-21 and control conditions. TLR stimulation expanded BCRs containing V3 at the expense of V1, and particularly expanded V3 to J4 rearrangements. More somatically hypermutated sequences were seen following TLR stimulation as compared to CD40L/IL-21. Additionally, complementarity determining region 3 segments from TLR activated cultures were shorter, more hydrophilic, and less negatively charged compared to CD40L/IL-21 or control CDR3s. Human B cells show selective sensitivity to TLR stimulation, with distinctive proliferative and genetic signatures.
Real Time Optics of the Growth of Textured Silicon Films in Photovoltaics: Final Technical Report, 1 August 1999--12 August 2002

Novel optical instruments, including single and dual rotating-compensator multichannel ellipsometers, have been designed and developed to probe the evolution of the microstructure, spectroscopic optical properties, and other materials characteristics during the fabrication and processing of individual thin films and thin-film structures used in photovoltaic devices. These instruments provide a foundation for next-generation process design/control and metrology in existing and future photovoltaics technologies. In this project, the materials system studied in the greatest detail was thin-film silicon, fabricated at low temperatures by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Real-time measurements of such thin films by multichannel ellipsometry have established deposition phase diagrams that provide guiding principles for multistep fabrication of high-performance amorphous (a-Si:H) and microcrystalline (mc-Si:H) solar cells. Such phase diagrams have also served to disprove conventional wisdom in the fabrication of thin-film solar cell structures, thus avoiding future unproductive research efforts.
Understanding the True Cost Of State and Local Pensions

The financial health of defined benefit pension plans for state and local government workers is a matter of policy concern and analytical contention. Pensions have come under increased scrutiny as funding levels have dropped and required contributions have risen. Around the nation elected officials have undertaken pension reforms to correct those funding shortfalls, which were caused by market declines, funding holidays, and benefit increases passed during the prosperous days of the late 1990s. Numerous states have enacted pension reforms, although those mostly have been incremental reforms such as increasing contributions or retirement ages and most significant benefit or structural changes have been aimed only at newly hired employees. A few states, such as Utah, have made more far-reaching reforms to limit pension liabilities. Michigan and Alaska have shifted newly hired employees into defined contribution (DC), 401(k)-style pension plans. In other places, attempted reforms have been rebuffed by powerful public employee unions. Unfortunately, these reforms won't come close to restoring plans to true full funding, because current accounting conventions systematically understate pensions' benefit liabilities and thereby overstate their financial health. Current pension accounting standards also encourage pensions to take excessive investment risk. Correct accounting reveals that the costs of putting the plans back on a stable financial basis is likely be prohibitive, which may prompt a shift to defined contribution pensions, mirroring the shift experienced in the private sector and in other countries.
Kinetic Analyses of the Regulation of Glycogen Synthetase Activity in Zoospores and Growing Cells of the Water Mold, Blastocladiella emersonii

Abstract Subcellular fractions of the water mold, Blastocladiella emersonii, catalyze the synthesis of a glycogen-like polysaccharide. Substrate (UDP-glucose) kinetics are Michaelian in the absence or presence of glucose-6-P. Exogenous glycogen does not affect the reaction. Glucose-6-P stimulates the reaction in a cooperative manner. It increases the Vmax of the reaction without affecting the Km for UDP-glucose. The degree of stimulation varies according to the phase of the life cycle. For zoospores, stimulation can be as high as 90-fold; for growing cells, it is around 4-fold only. The reaction is inhibited by nucleotides and nucleotide derivatives. Competitive inhibitors are UDP, ADP-glucose, and GDP-glucose. Noncompetitive inhibitors are ATP, ADP, GTP, and GDP. In the absence of glucose-6-P, the kinetic effects of the noncompetitive inhibitors are those expected of allosteric effectors. Glucose-6-P can completely reverse the inhibition by ATP, and, in a purely kinetic sense, glucose-6-P and ATP behave as antagonists. Neither glucose-6-P nor ATP bring about stable changes in the enzyme; their effects are easily reversed by the removal of the respective effector. ATP is effective at concentrations which are probably physiological and it is envisaged as an omnipresent allosteric inhibitor of the enzyme in vivo. The major effects of glucose-6-P in vitro, both as an activator and as a reliever of ATP inhibition, occur over fairly low concentrations (up to ∼0.5 mm). As has previously been suggested for yeast, we propose that, in B. emersonii, glycogen synthesis is regulated in a major way by the intracellular concentration of glucose-6-P.
An Adaptive Repetitive Control Scheme for Tracking periodic Signals with Unknown Period

This paper presents an adaptive repetitive control scheme for asymptotic tracking of periodic signals with unknown period. A discrete-time recursive scheme for identifying the period of a periodic signal with resolution better than the signal sampling interval is presented. An indirect adaptive digital repetitive control based on the identified period is proposed. With a fine tuning in the sampling time, the signal period is adjusted to integer multiples of the sampling time. This exact synchronization between the signal period and the repetitive control period makes a better tracking performance than that of fixed sampling time repetitive controller. Both simulation and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Continuum Damage Mechanics

Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) can be thought of as a subset of ISV theory as described earlier. It was introduced by Kachanov [1] and modified somewhat by Rabotnov [2]] has now reached a stage that practical engineering problems can be solved. In contrast to fracture mechanics which considers the process of initiation and growth of microcracks as a discontinuous phenomenon, continuum damage mechanics uses a continuous variable, ϕ, which is related to the density of these defects, to describe the deterioration of the material before the initiation of macrocracks.
Coherent control of inhomogeneous broadening

Summary form only given. Experiments in nonlinear optics and spectroscopy are often performed in atomic vapors, where the linewidths of the transitions of interest are dominated by Doppler broadening. In fact, several experiments on quantum coherent phenomena, such as lasing without inversion (LWI), and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), have been done in atomic vapors. Using the ideas of quantum coherence and interference, we propose a new scheme for obtaining subDoppler resolution at one transition of an inhomogeneously broadened, three-level atomic system, by use of an intense control field at the other transition.
Bicultural identities: The interface of cultural, personality, and socio-cognitive processes

Abstract This paper presents recent work examining the meaning and impact of individual variations in the way bicultural individuals organize their two cultural identities, a construct that we call Bicultural Identity Integration (BII). While biculturals high on BII describe their two cultural identities as ‘compatible’ (fluid and complementary), biculturals low on BII experience them as largely ‘oppositional’ (i.e., conflicting and disparate). We first report experimental evidence for how variations in BII moderate biculturals’ socio-cognitive behavior, specifically, the way in which bicultural individuals process cultural knowledge and use it to interpret social behavior. We then report structural equation modeling findings that elucidate some important personality, contextual, and performance predictors of BII. Finally, we conclude with a brief discussion of how the study of bicultural identities provides an ideal ground for the integration of cultural and personality psychology.
The pharmacist's role in smoking cessation counseling: perceptions of users of nonprescription nicotine replacement therapy.

Objectives: To characterize nonprescription nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) users with respect to sociodemographic characteristics, tobacco use history, and support for tobacco cessation received from health care professionals; assess the methods used for quitting (past and present) by NRT users; assess NRT users' perceptions of the need for and usefulness of pharmacist-facilitated cessation interventions; and determine the types of pharmacy-based interventions that would be most helpful before and during quit attempts. Design: One-time attitudinal assessment. Setting: Primarily Northern California. Participants: One hundred three individuals who had recently purchased nonprescription NRT products for use during their current or upcoming quit attempt. Intervention: In-depth telephone interviews. Main Outcome Measure: Perceptions of pharmacy-based tobacco cessation counseling services. Results: The concept of pharmacist-facilitated assistance was appealing to many NRT users. Sixty-three percent of participants believed that receiving advice or assistance from a pharmacist would either probably (46%) or definitely (17%) increase a smoker's likelihood of being able to quit. Twenty-one percent were unsure, and 16% thought pharmacist assistance would not increase the chance of success. Forty-six percent reported that they would be either very or extremely likely to meet with a pharmacist for one-on-one counseling if a nominal ($10) co-payment were required; this percentage increased to 68% if the service were provided free of charge. The preferred structure for counseling interventions varied widely among participants, suggesting that individually tailored counseling programs are necessary. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of nonprescription NRT users view pharmacist-assisted cessation as an appealing approach to smoking cessation.
Traffic modelling for packet communication networks

A general model for the description of traffic processes in packet communication networks is presented in this paper. The packet traffic generated by a network component is described in terms of a generalized Bernoulli process whose intensity depends on the state of the component. When the state space of the component is large, an approximate traffic characterization is proposed based on the dominant states. The latter characterization is shown to be well performing for the considered examples of practical network components. Based on the proposed general model, an analysis approach for multi-component communication networks is presented. Numerical results illustrate the inaccuracy of the widely adopted i.i.d. modelling, the effectiveness of the proposed general model and the significant complexity reduction through the adoption of the approximate one.
Healthcare Worker Contact Networks and the Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Infections

We present a comprehensive approach to using electronic medical records (EMR) for constructing contact networks of healthcare workers in a hospital. This approach is applied at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) – a 3.2 million square foot facility with 700 beds and about 8,000 healthcare workers – by obtaining 19.8 million EMR data points, spread over more than 21 months. We use these data to construct 9,000 different healthcare worker contact networks, which serve as proxies for patterns of actual healthcare worker contacts. Unlike earlier approaches, our methods are based on large-scale data and do not make any a priori assumptions about edges (contacts) between healthcare workers, degree distributions of healthcare workers, their assignment to wards, etc. Preliminary validation using data gathered from a 10-day long deployment of a wireless sensor network in the Medical Intensive Care Unit suggests that EMR logins can serve as realistic proxies for hospital-wide healthcare worker movement and contact patterns. Despite spatial and job-related constraints on healthcare worker movement and interactions, analysis reveals a strong structural similarity between the healthcare worker contact networks we generate and social networks that arise in other (e.g., online) settings. Furthermore, our analysis shows that disease can spread much more rapidly within the constructed contact networks as compared to random networks of similar size and density. Using the generated contact networks, we evaluate several alternate vaccination policies and conclude that a simple policy that vaccinates the most mobile healthcare workers first, is robust and quite effective relative to a random vaccination policy.
Toward Precision Medicine: A New Social Contract?

![Figure][1] CREDIT: ELISABETH FALL Earlier this year, Illumina and Life Technologies each announced new products that can sequence a genome for $1000 in a single day ([ 1 ][2]), which is approximately 3 million times cheaper than the cost during the Human Genome Project back in the early
Building a Misinformation Ontology

The importance of misinformation research has received wide recognition. However, one major challenge facing the research community is the lack of misinformation data and the difficulty in managing such data. Motivated by the role of ontology in information sharing and reuse, we propose a misinformation ontology and its representation based on the analysis of the characteristics of misinformation. The application of misinformation ontology is illustrated with a case study. Finally, we discuss implications of the research result.
DepSys: Dependency Aware Integration of Cyber-Physical Systems for Smart Homes

As sensor and actuator networks mature, they become a core utility of smart homes like electricity and water and enable the running of many CPS applications. Like other Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs), when a number of applications share physical world entities, it raises many systems of systems interdependency problems. Such problems arise in the cyber part mainly because each application has assumptions on the physical world entities without knowing how other applications work. In this work, we propose DepSys, a utility sensing and actuation infrastructure for smart homes that provides comprehensive strategies to specify, detect, and resolve conflicts in a home setting. Based on real home data, we demonstrate the severity of conflicts when multiple CPSs are integrated and the significant ability of detecting and resolving such conflicts using DepSys.
ANAESTHETIC REQUIREMENT IN MICE SELECTIVELY BRED FOR DIFFERENCES IN ETHANOL SENSITIVITY

Anaesthetic requirements for nitrous oxide, enflurane and isoflurane were determined in mice selectively bred for their susceptibility ("long-sleep" mice) or resistance ("short-sleep" mice) to alcohol. Nitrous oxide and enflurane requirements, measured by the rolling-response test, were 34 and 20% greater, respectively, in short-sleep mice than in long-sleep mice. Although isoflurane requirement was 39% greater when measured by the tail-clamp test, it was not significantly different when measured by the rolling-response test. The greater anaesthetic requirement for short-sleep mice was not associated with a different synaptic membrane phospholipid, fatty acid or cholesterol composition.
The hegemonic cycle and free trade: the US and Mexico

Abstract The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a function of the declining hegemony of the US in the world-system. In the relationship between tariff politics and the hegemonic cycle, a core state rising to hegemony progressively favors a free trade doctrine to exercise its comparative advantages in production. During its decline it progressively favors a protectionist doctrine in the face of an increasing loss of market share in international markets. This paper shows that two periods in US-Mexican economic relations portray the US hegemonic cycle in the world-system. The first period corresponds with the initial stages of the upward slope of the US rise to hegemony in the world-system. In the first decade of the 20th century, lowered economic barriers with Mexico were necessary for the acquisition of raw material resource peripheries critical to the economy of a rising core state entering the first stage of hegemonic production in the world market. The second period of lowered economic barriers is partially in evidence at present and projected to mature with the inception of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This period corresponds to the downward slope of the US descent from hegemony in the world-system and is the manifestation of the increasing protectionism of a declining hegemon as the NAFTA primarily represents an economic barrier to other core states. The NAFTA will allow for the procurement of the resources necessary in an attempt by the declining hegemon to maintain faltering comparative advantage in the second stage of hegemonic production. Thus, US economic relations with Mexico manifests the trade policy of the hegemonic cycle.
Equine Articular Cartilage Stiffness Determination Using Indentation

In order to determine that the stiffness varies between different joint types, an indentation test was performed on fresh equine articular cartilage surfaces from the fetlock, carpal, and stifle joints. The results demonstrated that the stiffness varies on different joints showing different mechanical behaviors. A flat-ended cylindrical indenter is lowered at a constant rate for 20 s until the indentation depth reaches 0.2 mm (velocity of 10 μm/s). It was shown that the articular cartilage of the fetlock is stiffer than the carpal and stifle joints. The average stiffness of the fetlock, carpal, and stifle joints are 46.1 N/mm, 20.5 N/mm, and 2.73 N/mm, respectively. The coefficients of a fit for the joints were statistically compared as well using the student t-test. The differences of some coefficients between the fetlock, carpus, and stifle were “very highly significant” (p < 0.001). Four different surfaces in the fetlock and four in carpal joint were compared as well. The front lateral, front medial, rear lateral, and rear medial cartilage surfaces in the fetlock were not significantly different in stiffness. In the carpus, the distal radius and proximal radial carpal bone articular cartilage surfaces showed significantly different stiffness from the others, while the distal radial carpal bone and proximal third carpal bone articular cartilage surfaces possessed similar stiffness values. The cartilage surfaces from the radiocarpal joint were stiffer than the midcarpal joint. Clear trends in the correlations between stiffness and weight as well as stiffness and age of the horse were not observed.
Structure Prediction of a Cellulose Synthase Protein and the Effect of Mutations

Cellulose synthases (CesAs) are the proteins responsible for the polymerization of cellulose from glucose. They are integral membrane proteins that contain multiple transmembrane helices and a cytoplasmic catalytic domain. Due to the fact that CesAs are found on the membrane and that it is difficult to crystallize such proteins, the structure of CesAs has not been determined and the exact enzymatic mechanism is unknown. We used a combination of protein structure prediction servers and molecular dynamics simulations to predict catalytic domain of cotton CesA. The globular catalytic region from this gene revealed to contain a stretch of beta sheets flanked by a UDP-glucose binding site. The predicted structure explains well the effect of point mutations that generally characterized by dwarfism, reduction in cellulose crystallinity, and reduced root elongation. Moreover, we predicted the overall position of CesA towards the membrane that may be linked to the extrusion of the cellulose from the catalytic region to the exterior of the cell. Supported as a part of the Center of Lignocellulose Structure and Formation under DOE Award DE-SC0001090.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Quantum ellipsometry using correlated-photon beams

We report ellipsometric measurements made on semiconductor samples using photon-correlated beams produced by the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Such a source yields higher accuracy than its quantum-limited conventional counterpart. We also show that our approach has the added advantage of not requiring an external reference sample for calibration.
Genome-Wide Computational Analysis of Dioxin Response Element Location and Distribution in the Human, Mouse, and Rat Genomes

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediates responses elicited by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin by binding to dioxin response elements (DRE) containing the core consensus sequence 5′-GCGTG-3′. The human, mouse, and rat genomes were computationally searched for all DRE cores. Each core was then extended by 7 bp upstream and downstream, and matrix similarity (MS) scores for the resulting 19 bp DRE sequences were calculated using a revised position weight matrix constructed from bona fide functional DREs. In total, 72318 human, 70720 mouse, and 88651 rat high-scoring (MS ≥ 0.8437) putative DREs were identified. Gene-encoding intragenic DNA regions had ∼1.6 times more putative DREs than the noncoding intergenic DNA regions. Furthermore, the promoter region spanning ±1.5 kb of a TSS had the highest density of putative DREs within the genome. Chromosomal analysis found that the putative DRE densities of chromosomes X and Y were significantly lower than the mean chromosomal density. Interestingly, the 10 ...
Examining the unexpected sophistication of preservice teachers’ beliefs about the relational dimensions of teaching

Abstract Research on preservice teachers’ beliefs about professional teaching capabilities indicates strong attention to the relational dimension; these studies have contributed to a portrayal of preservice teachers as simplistic and overly optimistic about the teaching profession. In this article, I position preservice teachers’ attention to teacher–student relationships as a form of professional knowledge. Drawing from findings of a qualitative study of U.S. elementary (prekindergarten-Grade 4) preservice teachers who were asked to describe professional characteristics of effective teachers, I suggest their beliefs reveal surprisingly nuanced understandings about the complex nature of teaching.
Distinctions among sedative, disinhibitory, and ataxic properties of ethanol in inbred and selectively bred mice

Three different domains of behavioral action of ethanol (ETOH) were examined in a battery of seven inbred strains and in the selectively bred Long-Sleep (LS) and Short-Sleep (SS) mice. Sedative effects were examined with the loss of the righting reflex test at 3.8 g/kg. The variation among inbred strains was only half the size of the difference between LS and SS mice which were selectively bred for extremes in this phenotype; such a result is expected for phenotypes controlled polygenically. Blood ETOH levels at waking from the narcosis also showed a range of differences among the inbred strains that was less than the LS/SS difference. Ataxia was measured with the grid test, and the inbred strains fell into two groups, resembling the highly ataxic LS line, and the less ataxic SS line. Biphasic effects of ETOH on locomotor activity were strongly genotype dependent. Variation in degree of activation/disinhibition produced by doses up to 1.5 g/kg (IP) ranged from no activation, in the C57BL/6Abg strain, to a stimulation effect in the MOLD/RkAbg strain which was larger than that seen for SS mice. The patterns of strain differences for both ataxia and activation were highly different from the duration of loss of righting reflex measure, suggesting multiple independent genetically based “sensitivities” to ETOH.
The role of plasmin in kinin-release by preparations of human thrombin

Abstract A preparation of human a-thrombin previously reported to release kinin from human high molecular weight kininogen (1) was contaminated with small amounts of plasminogen and plasmin which were probably responsible for the kinin release. Inhibitors of plasmin which did not inhibit thrombin clotting activity blocked kinin release, and the removal of plasminogen from the thrombin depleted the preparation of kinin releasing activity.
Art of War, Art of Resistance: Palestinian Counter-Cartography on Google Earth

Rarely discussed about the Israel–Palestinian conflict is the antagonism that exists between the Palestinian leadership and the refugees. With the advent of the Oslo “peace process” in the 1990s, the antagonism began to escalate, for the process's key assumption became that the leadership would relinquish the refugees' right to return home so that Israel would be preserved as a majority Jewish state in exchange for the Palestinian leadership's sovereignty over the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Because the refugees’ return home would upset the demographic balance of a Jewish-majority state, they have become impossible figures for both Israel and for the Palestinian leadership's political frame, an “impossibility” that is taken for granted in dominant maps of Palestine/Israel. This article highlights some ways the refugees have refused this erasure by mapping onto the land their historical presence. Taking their use of Google Earth as a case study, it begins by providing background on Google Earth, situating th...
Photonic band structure in the nearly plane wave approximation

For photons propagating in a periodic dielectric lattice, the dispersion curve forms photonic bands separated by forbidden gaps. When the dielectric lattice deviates only slightly from being homogenous, the photonic band structure resembles the linear dispersion relation for photons folded into the first Brillouin zone, i.e., the so-called empty lattice bands. Using group theoretical technique, we calculate the splitting of the accidental degeneracies in the empty lattice bands at symmetry points for a simple cubic dielectric lattice.
The healthy moms study: The efficacy of brief alcohol intervention in postpartum women

Background: The prevention and treatment of alcohol use disorders among women of reproductive age have been well described. However, there is limited information on women specifically during the postpartum period. This period in a woman's life is a time of transition and provides an ideal opportunity for primary care providers to intervene.
ATLAS: an infrastructure for global computing

In this paper, we present a proposed system architecture for global computing that we call ATLAS, and we describe an early prototype that implements several of the mechanisms and policies that comprise the proposed architecture. ATLAS is designed to execute parallel multithreaded programs on the networked computing resources of the world. The ATLAS system is a marriage of existing technologies from Java and Cilk together with some new technologies needed to extend the system into the global domain.
A Comparison of Actuarial Methods for Identifying Repetitively Violent Patients with Mental Illnesses

This is a progress report on the development of practical methods for the actuarial prediction of violence. The literature indicates that actuarial prediction is more accurate than clinical prediction, but in practice actuarial methods seem to be used rarely. Here we address two obstacles to the clinical use of actuarial prediction methods. First, clinicians may be averse to actuarial methods that require calculations. To remedy this, we developed a regression tree screen that presents actuarial information about violence in a series of yes/no questions. Second, using actuarial methods to identify the small minority of violent patients in a general psychiatric population may be too costly. To remedy this, we developed a method to prescreen patients for intensive evaluation using an inexpensive assessment. We evaluated regression trees and two-stage screening by comparing their accuracies against conventional actuarial methods. The results showed that actuarial predictions based on regression trees and two-stage screens were as accurate as regression-based methods in identifying repetitively violent patients. These easier-to-use methods may therefore be useful techniques for actuarial predictions.
Density Functional Theory of Electronic Structure

Density functional theory (DFT) is a (in principle exact) theory of electronic structure, based on the electron density distribution n(r), instead of the many-electron wave function Ψ(r1,r2,r3,...). Having been widely used for over 30 years by physicists working on the electronic structure of solids, surfaces, defects, etc., it has more recently also become popular with theoretical and computational chemists. The present article is directed at the chemical community. It aims to convey the basic concepts and breadth of applications: the current status and trends of approximation methods (local density and generalized gradient approximations, hybrid methods) and the new light which DFT has been shedding on important concepts like electronegativity, hardness, and chemical reactivity index.
In vitro comparison of tension and stiffness between hamstring tendon and patella tendon grafts.

Following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, grafts relax and warm from the temperature of the operating room to body temperature. The current study compared graft tension and stiffness between patella tendon and hamstring tendon grafts. Six quadruple strand hamstring tendon grafts and six patella tendon grafts were preconditioned and loaded to 105 N while at 20 degrees C. Graft tension and stiffness were measured after 15 min, after an additional 4 h, and after increasing the temperature to 34 degrees C. A two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance and a post hoc test were used to compare the measurements between the two types of graft and identify significant (p 0.8). For both types of graft, tension and stiffness decreased significantly with time and the temperature increase. The lowest tension and stiffness measurements were 50 +/- 11 N and 129 +/- 35 N/mm, respectively, for the patella tendon grafts, compared to 18 +/- 5 N and 115 +/- 11 N/mm, respectively, for the hamstring tendon grafts. Both types of graft lose tension to relaxation and a temperature increase, but the tension loss is larger for hamstring tendon grafts.
Nutrients in groundwaters of the conterminous United States, 1992-1995.

Results of a national water quality assessment indicate that nitrate is detected in 71% of groundwater samples, more than 13 times as often as ammonia, nitrite, organic nitrogen, and orthophosphate, based on a common detection threshold of 0.2 mg/L. Shallow groundwater (typically 5 m deep or less) beneath agricultural land has the highest median nitrate concentration (3.4 mg/L), followed by shallow groundwater beneath urban land (1.6 mg/L) and deeper groundwater in major aquifers (0.48 mg/L). Nitrate exceeds the maximum contaminant level, 10 mg/L as nitrogen, in more than 15% of groundwater samples from 4 of 33 major aquifers commonly used as a source of drinking water. Nitrate concentration in groundwater is variable and depends on interactions among several factors, including nitrogen loading, soil type, aquifer permeability, recharge rate, and climate. For a given nitrogen loading, factors that generally increase nitrate concentration in groundwater include well-drained soils, fractured bedrock, and ir...
Identification of diazinon and its metabolite in spinach by chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

Description du protocole analytique : reexamen par spectrometrie de masse avec ionisation chimique apres chromatographie en phase gazeuse avec un detecteur de conductivite electrolytique. Confirmation par cette methode de la presence de diazinon et de ses metabolites, a des taux de l'ordre du ppm, dans les epinards
The effect of darkness and inhibitors of protein synthesis on the replication of chloroplasts in the Moss, Polytrichum

Abstract The replication of chloroplasts in Polytrichum spores and germlings occurs to a more limited extent in darkness than in light. After 48 h of darkness a stable mean number of plastids per spore or germling is attained. Brief exposure to light permits further replication, which can occur in the light or darkness. Thus it appears that a response to light triggers a series of events that can continue in darkness. Cycloheximide (CHI) inhibits plastid replication completely, but chloramphenicol (CAP) inhibits only to the same extent as darkness. Neither inhibitor can stop the response to light. Replication of plastids in spores that have been incubated in darkness 48 h and transferred to light is prevented by both CHI and CAP, but only for as long as the inhibitors are present. If CHI or CAP is washed out when the spores and sporelings are returned to darkness, plastid replication commences. The data are used to support the concept that the plastids exist in two phases with regard to replication: a light sensitive phase and a light insensitive phase.
Design and manufacture of optical system for use in ultraviolet lithography with the free-electron laser

At Los Alamos National Laboratory, we are preparing to image submicrometer-size features using the Free Electron Laser (FEL) operating at 248 nm. This article describes the optical transfer systems that were designed to relay the ultraviolet (UV) optical output of the FEL, resulting in expected imaged feature sizes in the range 0.3 - 0.5 micrometers . Nearly all optical subsystems are reflective, and once the coatings were optimized any optical wavelength could be used. All refractive optics were UV-grade fused silica. The optical design, engineering, and manufacture of the various component systems are described along with some experimental results.
Structural characterization of the late competence protein ComFB from Bacillus subtilis.

Synopsis Many bacteria take up DNA from their environment as part of the process of natural transformation. DNA uptake allows microorganisms to gain genetic diversity and can lead to the spread of antibiotic resistance or virulence genes within a microbial population. Development of genetic competence (Com) in Bacillus subtilis is a highly regulated process that culminates in expression of several late competence genes and formation of the DNA uptake apparatus. The late competence operon comF encodes a small protein of unknown function, ComFB. To gain insight into the function of ComFB, we determined its 3D structure via X-ray crystallography. ComFB is a dimer and each subunit consists of four α-helices connected by short loops and one extended β-strand-like stretch. Each subunit contains one zinc-binding site formed by four cysteines, which are unusually spaced in the primary sequence. Using structureand bioinformatics-guided substitutions we analyzed the inter-subunit interface of the ComFB dimer. Based on these analyses, we conclude that ComFB is an obligate dimer. We also characterized ComFB in vivo and found that this protein is produced in competent cells and is localized to the cytosol. Consistent with previous reports, we showed that deletion of ComFB does not affect DNA uptake function. Combining our results, we conclude that ComFB is unlikely to be a part of the DNA uptake machinery under tested conditions and instead may have a regulatory function.
A microassay for guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate phosphodiesterase activity

Abstract The activity of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase was determined using a three step procedure. In the first step, cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase catalyzes the conversion of cyclic GMP to 5′-GMP. In the second step, a known amount of ATP and guanylate kinase are incubated with the 5′-GMP formed in the first step. The amount of ATP which remains is inversely related to the amount of 5′-GMP formed. In the third step, the concentration of ATP is measured using the firefly luciferin-luciferase technique. The validity of the assay is confirmed by its ability to show the linearity of the cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase reaction with respect both to time of incubation and concentration of tissue. It is capable of detecting less than 5 pmoles of 5′-GMP in 150 μl, and can be used to measure cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity in a supernatant fraction of rat cerebrum which contains less than 25 ng of protein. It has been used to determine the activity and properties of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase in unpurified supernatant and particulate fractions of several tissues of the rat, as well as in highly purified fractions of rat caudate nucleus.
Immunohistochemical identification ofprostatic acid phosphatase and prostate specific antigen in female periurethral glands

Periurethral glands were found in 7 of 10 female urethras harvested at autopsy. In all 7 cases, immunoperoxidase staining showed the presence of prostatic acid phosphatase in glandular acini. By similar techniques, prostate specific antigen was demonstrated in acini of 4 of 7 urethras with periurethral glands. The findings support a female homologue of the male prostate.
Technology Diffusion: An Empirical Test of Competitive Effects:

The authors provide an empirical test of the effects of competition on the adoption of technological innovations by organizations. They follow the conceptualization developed in the model they prop...
Book Review: Gangoli, G. (2007). Indian Feminisms: Law, Patriarchies, and Violence in India. London: Ashgate Publishing. das Dasgupta, S. (Ed.). (2007). Body Evidence: Intimate Violence Against South Asian Women in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press

Reviews the books, Indian feminisms: Law, patriarchies, and violence in India by G. Gangoli (2007) and Body evidence: Intimate violence against South Asian women in America by S. das Dasgupta (2007). In the first book, the author both informs and enlightens readers about multiple feminist movements in India--a strongly patriarchal society with a long history of violent oppression of women--and the possible negative impact of legislative efforts designed to protect the rights of women. He illustrates the evolution of the movement as occurring simultaneously with the 1920s women's movement in the United States, but being separate and largely uninfluenced by Westernized feminist movements. The second book, describes intimate violence against women of South Asian descent who have migrated to the United States. In the reviewer's opinion, the essays are well written, informative, and provocative, and as a whole they bring to light the deleterious effects of violence suffered by women in the South Asian community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Action of nitroglycerin on the coronary circulation in normal and in mild cardiac subjects.

Nitroglycerin has been used extensively as a coronary vasodilator. Its remarkable clinical effect has been presumed to be related to a direct action on the smooth muscle of the coronary arteriole. No observations have been made of nitroglycerin action on the coronary circulation in man. This report presents studies of changes induced by the drug in 10 normal or nearly normal subjects. The authors present evidence that although coronary vasodilatation does indeed occur, it appears to be secondary to changes in myocardial oxygen requirements. Hemodynamic observations revealed a general decrease in pressures in both peripheral and pulmonary circuits; caution is urged concerning the occasional severe hypotensive effects of nitroglycerin.
Posttraumatic headache with ptosis, miosis and chronic forehead hyperhidrosis.

SYNOPSIS Injury to the right lateral forehead was followed by headaches, and chronic ipsilateral ptosis, miosis, and forehead hyperhidrosis. Episodes of headache were accompanied by an increase in ptosis, miosis and forehead hyperhidrosis. The headaches abated within 6 weeks but the ptosis and miosis, due to postganglionic sympathetic insufficiency, were persistent. Spontaneous forehead hyperhidrosis, was also persistent at the time of last follow-up, 15 months later. Autonomic assessment of the oculocephalic sympathetic dysfunction, localization of the lesion and possible explanation of the autonomic findings are discussed.
Responsive parenting is associated with improved type 1 diabetes-related quality of life.

Background Improved quality of life is an important treatment goal for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.While previous research supports a relationship between family environment and quality of life,little research has addressed the relationship of parenting style constructs to quality of life in children with chronic disease.The present investigation assesses the relationship of parent responsiveness and demandingness with diabetes-related quality of life among children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Methods Baseline and 12-month follow-up self-report assessments were collected on a sample of 81 children with type 1 diabetes participating in an efficacy trial of a behavioural intervention to enhance adherence.The sample had a mean age of 13.3 years (SD = 1.7) and duration of diabetes of 7.7 years (SD = 3.7).Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the relationship of parent responsiveness and demandingness to diabetes-related quality of life at each time point. Results After adjusting for demographic and diabetes characteristics,as well as diabetes-specific parent‐child behaviours,parent responsiveness was significantly associated with baseline diabetes-related quality of life (b = 0.23;P = 0.04).This relationship was sustained at 12-month follow-up (b = 0.22;P = 0.04) after adjusting for baseline quality of life and treatment group assignment,suggesting that parent responsiveness is associated with improved quality of life. Conclusions Findings indicate the importance of a supportive and emotionally warm parenting style in promoting improved quality of life for children with type 1 diabetes.Appropriate parenting skills should be an element of diabetes family management health care.
The Relationship Between African American Enculturation and Racial Identity

This study investigated how predictive the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS; B. J. Vandiver, W. E. Cross, F. C. Worrell, & P. Fhagen-Smith, 2002), a measure of Black racial identity, was of African American cultural practices, beliefs, and attitudes (i.e., enculturation) as measured by the African American Acculturation scale-33 (H. Landrine & E. Klonoff, 1995). Findings revealed that all but 1 of the CRIS subscales significantly predicted enculturation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Este estudio investigo hasta que punto la Escala Cross de Identidad Racial (CRIS, por sus siglas en ingles; B. J. Vandiver, W. E. Cross, F. C. Worrell, & P. Fhagen-Smith, 2002), una medida de la identidad racial Negra, podria predecir practicas culturales, creencias y actitudes Afroamericanas (p. ej, la endoculturacion) medidas por la Escala de Aculturacion Afroamericana-33 (H. Landrine & E. Klonoff, 1995). Los hallazgos revelaron que todas, a excepcion de una, de las subescalas CRIS predijeron la endoculturacion de una manera significativa. Se discuten implicaciones teoricas y practicas.
A probabilistic approach for mine burial prediction

Predicting the degree of burial of mines in soft sediments is one of the main concerns of Naval Mine CounterMeasures (MCM) operations. This is a difficult problem to solve due to uncertainties and variability of the sediment parameters (i.e., density and shear strength) and of the mine state at contact with the seafloor (i.e., vertical and horizontal velocity, angular rotation rate, and pitch angle at the mudline). A stochastic approach is proposed in this paper to better incorporate the dynamic nature of free-falling cylindrical mines in the modeling of impact burial. The orientation, trajectory and velocity of cylindrical mines, after about 4 meters free-fall in the water column, are very strongly influenced by boundary layer effects causing quite chaotic behavior. The model's convolution of the uncertainty through its nonlinearity is addressed by employing Monte Carlo simulations. Finally a risk analysis based on the probability of encountering an undetectable mine is performed.
Neuroprotective effect of sulfhydryl reduction in a rat optic nerve crush model.

PURPOSE The signaling of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death after axotomy is partly dependent on the generation of reactive oxygen species. Shifting the RGC redox state toward reduction is protective in a dissociated mixed retinal culture model of axotomy. The hypothesis for the current study was that tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP), a sulfhydryl reductant, would protect RGCs in a rat optic nerve crush model of axotomy. METHODS RGCs of postnatal day 4 to 5 Long-Evans rats were retrogradely labeled with the fluorescent tracer DiI. At approximately 8 weeks of age, the left optic nerve of each rat was crushed with forceps and, immediately after, 4 muL of TCEP (or vehicle alone) was injected into the vitreous at the pars plana to a final concentration of 6 or 60 microM. The right eye served as the control. Eight or 14 days after the crush, the animals were killed, retinal wholemounts prepared, and DiI-labeled RGCs counted. Bandeiraea simplicifolia lectin (BSL-1) was used to identify microglia. RESULTS The mean number of surviving RGCs at 8 days in eyes treated with 60 microM TCEP was significantly greater than in the vehicle group (1250 +/- 156 vs. 669 +/- 109 cells/mm(2); P = 0.0082). Similar results were recorded at 14 days. Labeling was not a result of microglia phagocytosing dying RGCs. No toxic effect on RGC survival was observed with TCEP injection alone. CONCLUSIONS The sulfhydryl-reducing agent TCEP is neuroprotective of RGCs in an optic nerve crush model. Sulfhydryl oxidative modification may be a final common pathway for the signaling of RGC death by reactive oxygen species after axotomy.