cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exceptional electronic modulation of porphyrins through meso-arylethynyl groups. Electronic spectroscopy, electronic structure, and electrochemistry of [5,15-bis](aryl)ethynyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II) complexes

A new class of porphyrins in which intervening ethynyl moieties connect aryl groups to the porphyrin 5- and 15-positions is described. The synthesis and optical spectroscopy of five new compounds are reported: [5,15-bis[(4‘-dimethylaminophenyl)ethynyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II), [5,15-bis[(4‘-methoxyphenyl)ethynyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II), [5,15-bis[(phenyl)ethynyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II), [5,15-bis[(4‘-fluorophenyl)ethynyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II), and [5,15-bis[(4‘-nitrophenyl)ethynyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II). The X-ray structure of one of these complexes, [5,15-bis[(4‘-fluorophenyl)ethynyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II), is unusual in that it shows the arylethynyl-phenyl rings to be coplanar with the porphyrin macrocycle. This arrangement of aryl rings with respect to the porphyrin macrocycle underscores the fact that the steric barrier to rotation between the porphyrin and arylethynyl-phenyl aromatic systems has been removed and highlights the enha...
Electron transport and respiration in Beggiatoa and Vitreoscilla

Seven strains of bacteria belonging to the Beggiatoa-Vitreoscilla group were studied for their respiratory activity and for the presence of electron transport conponents. All strains tested oxidized [1-14C] and [2-14C] acetate to 14CO2 at relatively high rates. All strains tested were N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylphenylenediamine (TMPD)-oxidase positive and contained spectra representing a-type and carbon monoxide-binding cytochromes. Most of the strains also contained spectra representing c-type and b-type cytochromes. Beggiatoa alba B18LD contained b-type, a-type, c-type and CO-binding cytochromes, the latter two being located in the 144,000 x g soluble fraction. B. alba also contained ubiquinone-8 as its only detectable quinone.
Analysis of perfluorinated chemicals in sludge: method development and initial results.

Abstract A fast, rigorous method was developed to maximize the extraction efficacy for ten perfluorocarboxylic acids and perfluorooctanesulfonate from waste-water-treatment sludge and to quantitate using liquid chromatography, tandem-mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). First, organic solvents were tested for extraction efficiency, including acetonitrile (ACN), methanol (MeOH), isopropanol (IPA), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and 50/50 ACN/MeOH (v/v). Among the extractants tested, 50/50 ACN/MeOH yielded the best results for our combined criteria of extraction efficacy and solvent-handling convenience. Second, chemical pretreatment prior to solvent extraction was tested with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and potassium persulfate (K2S2O8). Pretreatment with NaOH and HCl effectively recovered additional PFCs from the sludge, but KOH and K2S2O8 digestion were less effective than no pretreatment. Third, cleanup methods were investigated with solid-phase extraction using HLB (hydrophilic–lipophilic balanced) and WAX (weak-anion exchange) stationary phases, and with ion-pairing. The HLB stationary phase yielded a slight edge over the other two cleanup strategies in terms of recoverable PFCs and chromatographic separation. Finally, the appropriateness of isotopically labeled PFCs for quantitating unlabeled PFCs using isotopic dilution in complex sludge extracts was evaluated by comparison to results obtained with the standard-addition method. A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) domestic sludge (CRM 2781) was analyzed using our finalized method and compared with previously reported results.
Water wars? Inequalities in the Tigris‐Euphrates river basin

The water resources of the Tigris‐Euphrates basin are contested by its three primary riparians ‐ Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Rapid population growth, inefficient methods of water harvesting and massive water development plans are placing considerable strain on the existing water supply of the basin, and in order to avoid conflict, an effective water‐sharing measure is an immediate necessity. However, owing to a number of geopolitical inequalities among the riparians, Turkey has little need to cooperate, and Iraq and Syria can do little to stop this. Without Turkish cooperation, any water‐sharing arrangement in the region is doomed to fail. Therefore finding incentive for Turkey to participate in negotiations is an exceedingly difficult task, but one that must be considered if a water agreement in the Tigris‐Euphrates Basin is to become a reality.
Metchnikoff's Legacy in 2008

This report presents themes highlighted during the eclectic and stimulating Metchnikoff's Legacy in 2008 meeting hosted at the Institut Pasteur in April 2008 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1908 Nobel Prize.
Repression of multiple CYP2D genes in mouse primary hepatocytes with a single siRNA construct

The Cyp2d subfamily is the second most abun-dant subfamily of hepatic drug-metabolizing CYPs. In mice, there are nine Cyp2d members that are believed to have redundant catalytic activity. We are testing and optimizing the ability of one short interfering RNA (siRNA) construct to knockdown the expression of multiple mouse Cyp2ds in primary hepatocytes. Expression of Cyp2d10, Cyp2d11, Cyp2d22, and Cyp2d26 was observed in the primary male mouse hepatocytes. Cyp2d9, which is male-specific and growth hormone-dependent, was not expressed in male primary hepatocytes, potentially because of its dependence on pulsatile growth hormone release from the anterior pituitary. Several different siRNAs at different concentrations and with different reagents were used to knockdown Cyp2d expression. siRNA constructs designed to repress only one construct often mildly repressed several Cyp2d isoforms. A construct designed to knockdown every Cyp2d isoform provided the best results, especially when incubated with transfection reagents designed specifically for primary cell culture. Interestingly, a construct designed to knockdown all Cyp2d isoforms, except Cyp2d10, caused a 2.5× increase in Cyp2d10 expression, presumably because of a compensatory response. However, while RNA expression is repressed 24 h after siRNA treatment, associated changes in Cyp2d-mediated metabolism are tenuous. Overall, this study provides data on the expression of murine Cyp2ds in primary cell lines, valuable information on designing siRNAs for silencing multiple murine CYPs, and potential pros and cons of using siRNA as a tool for repressing Cyp2d and estimating Cyp2d’s role in murine xenobiotic metabolism.
Big Field, Small Potatoes: An Empirical Assessment of EPA's Self-Audit Policy

Environmental self-auditing by private firms is generally thought to both deserve and require encouragement. Firms can audit themselves more cheaply and effectively than can regulators, but too often are deterred for fear that the information they uncover will be used against them. To reduce this disincentive, the EPA's Audit Policy lowers punitive fines when firms promptly disclose and correct violations that they themselves discover. While some contend that the Audit Policy is inadequate, EPA touts its success, presenting as evidence the policy's track record to date. Yet our examination of that track record leads us to question EPA's conclusions. While the policy appears to have encouraged firms to self-audit in a number of instances, a comparison of the violations uncovered in these cases with those detected by standard enforcement practices suggests that the typical self-audited violation is relatively minor. For instance, cases arising under the Audit Policy are more likely to concern reporting violations, rather than emissions. The relative insignificance of self-audited violations raises a number of broader policy questions, including whether the Audit Policy could and should be revised to play a larger role in regulatory enforcement.
Polymerization of sterically congested α‐alkylacrylates under high pressure

A series of α-alkylacrylates, including methyl ethacrylate (MEA), methyl α-propylacrylate, methyl α-isopropylacrylate (MiPA), methyl α-butylacrylate (MnBA), and methyl α-isobutylacrylate (MiBA), were successfully polymerized at 65 °C under high pressure (1–9 kbar). In contrast to results obtained at ambient pressure, all monomers yielded high molecular weight polymers (number-average molecular weight = 4–18 × 104), except for MiPA (number-average molecular weight = 8 × 103), probably because of the high steric hindrance of the isopropyl group. Polymerization kinetics under high pressure were obtained for MEA, MnBA, and MiBA. Overall activation volumes were estimated to be −14.9, −17.0, and −11.6 mL mol−1 for MEA (3–7 kbar), MnBA (3–7 kbar), and MiBA (5–9 kbar), respectively. Extrapolation to ambient pressure provided rates of polymerization for these monomers unaffected by the ceiling temperature effect. These values were further used to quantitatively assess the steric influence exerted by the α-substituent on the polymerizability of these sterically congested acrylates with Meyer's steric parameter. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 836–843, 2002; DOI 10.1002/pola.10161
Some Aspects of the Ecology and Biology of Some Small Mammal Fleas from Yorkshire

Studies on the populations of small mammals and their fleas are very suitable for school biology projects at varying levels. The field work itself, its methods and the handling of the data obtained, can be directly dealt with only by the brighter senior pupils, but some relevant studies of the general biology and habitat preferences of the small mammal hosts can be usefully appreciated at Grammar School third-form level. The information can be used to demonstrate general biological and particular ecological principles from first-hand experience. A considerable amount of live trapping for all species of small mammals was undertaken in a variety of habitats around Keighley and in other areas of the country using Longworth Small Mammal Traps. The most intensive work was from November 1964 to June 1966 at Crookrise near Skipton, Yorkshire, on the field vole Microtus agrestis. Each trapping session, of which there were generally two per month, consisted of three visits to the area, the first to lay the traps, varying in number from about 120 to 160, the second and third to examine the captures, after which they were released, and finally the return of the traps to the school laboratory for cleaning and preparation for the next visit. The purpose was partly to determine the numbers of field mice, voles and shrews present in the area throughout the year, and their habits, but chiefly to gain information concerning their fleas. Mead-Briggs (1960, 1964), Rothschild (Rothschild & Ford, 1964, 1966) and other workers have recently shown that the rabbit flea Spilopsyllus cuniculi requires hormones produced by the host to trigger off and maintain its own breeding cycle. This survey showed, however, that this is probably not the case with most small-mammal fleas. It appears as though in Microtus agrestis, the bankvole Clethrionomys glareolus, and in particular the woodmouse Apodemus sylvaticus, in the summer months it is mature males which are more often infested and carry a larger population of fleas than do mature females and immatures of both sexes. No
Cross-border Languages in Southern African Economic and Political Integration

Although the subject of southern African regional integration has attracted the most attention from a political, economic and trade perspective, it has remained least understood or researched sociolinguistically. This article deals with the questions about the role of the state and local community agency in the formation and legitimation of identities. It provides a counter-narrative on the subject of cross-border languages and their intersection with cross-border activities in contemporary southern Africa. Various ways by which southern African cross-border languages can be positively deployed to enhance regional economic, political and cultural integration are discussed and illustrated. The main argument is that the recognition and mainstreaming of cross-border languages promises to provide a foundation for a regional integration framework that accommodates all stakeholders including people involved in informal cross-border activities. In conclusion the article posits that the incidence of multiple cros...
Large cell carcinoma of the lung: A highly aggressive tumor with dismal prognosis

A retrospective review was made of 96 consecutive patients with large cell carcinoma of the lung admitted to Emory University Hospital over 10 years. Only 10 patients were seen with stage I lesions favorable for resection. The remainder were treated primarily with irradiation or chemotherapy. Mean survival for clinical stage I patients was 15.9 months; stage IIIA patients, 7.9 months; stage IIIB patients, 7.1 months; and stage IV patients, 5.8 months. Only 1 patient survived for 5 years. This distinct and highly aggressive form of lung cancer most commonly is seen at an advanced stage and is associated with an unusually dismal prognosis regardless of the method of treatment employed.
Phase diagram for the attractive Hubbard model in two dimensions in a conserving approximation

We calculate the superconducting transition temperature as a function of interaction strength and density for a two-dimensional attractive Hubbard model in the fluctuation exchange approximation (FEA). Significant corrections to mean-field theory are apparent, including a maximum in ${T}_{c}$ as a function of U and a fluctuation-broadened specific heat peak. At $n=1,$ competing pair fluctuations and charge-density fluctuations fail to drive ${T}_{c}$ to zero. This failure of the FEA reflects an inadequate account of the coupling among fluctuations. Because ${T}_{c}$ is determined from self-consistent calculations of thermodynamic potentials, the calculations are extremely sensitive to numerical errors, requiring accuracy up to 1 part in ${10}^{6}.$ We outline a procedure for systematically reducing numerical errors associated with the finite-frequency cutoff in numerical many-body calculations such as ours.
Lavrentiev's phenomenon for totally unconstrained variational problems in one dimension

We give examples of one-dimensional variational problems with free ends that exhibit Lavrentiev's phenomenon, i.e. the infimum of the functional over one class X of admissible functions is strictly greater than the infimum over another class Y of admissible functions – even though X is dense in Y.
Local cortical hypoperfusion imaged with CT perfusion during postictal Todd's paresis.

Introduction Postictal (“Todd’s”) paralysis, or “epileptic hemiplegia,” is a well-known complication of focal or generalized epileptic seizures. However, it is unclear whether the pathophysiology of Todd’s paralysis is related to alterations in cerebral perfusion. We report CT perfusion findings in a patient presenting with postictal aphasia and right hemiparesis.
Corrigendum: Jacobstein et al., Contraceptive implants: providing better choice to meet growing family planning demand

In the article “Contraceptive implants: providing better choice to meet growing family planning demand” by Roy Jacobstein and Harriet Stanley, which appeared in the March 2013 issue (Volume 1, Issue 1), the second sentence in the box on page 14 incorrectly stated implants use rose 31-fold in Rwanda. This has been corrected to “more than 15-fold.” In addition, on page 11, in the first sentence of the first paragraph under “What Women Like About Implants,” the term ultra-low “dose” was changed to ultra-low “amount,” to avoid the incorrect implication that implants deliver hormones into a woman's body in a single dose. In the third sentence, the missing word “protection” was added after “contraceptive” (…offer up to 3 to 5 years of extremely reliable contraceptive protection…). The article has been corrected accordingly.
Microarray analysis of gene expression during early adipocyte differentiation

The molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular differentiation during development and throughout life are complex. It is now recognized that precise patterns of differentially expressed genes ultimately direct a particular cell toward a given lineage and many of these are regulated during the earliest stages of differentiation. Using a microarray-based expression analysis, we have examined gene expression profiles during the first 24 h of 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. RNA was isolated at times 0, 2, 8, 16, and 24 h following stimulation of differentiation and hybridized in duplicate to high density Affymetrix microarray gene chips containing a series of 13,179 cDNA/expressed sequence tag (EST) probe sets. Two hundred and eighty-five cDNA/ESTs were shown to have at least a fivefold change in expression levels during this time course and both hierarchical and self-organizing map clustering analysis was performed to categorize them by expression profiles. Several genes known to be regulated during this time period were confirmed and Western blot analysis of the proteins encoded by some of the identified genes revealed expression profiles similar to their mRNA counterparts. As expected, many of the genes identified have not been examined in such a critical time period during adipogenesis and may well represent novel adipogenic mediators.
BATSE Observations of Gamma-Ray Burst Spectra. III. Low-Energy Behavior of Time-averaged Spectra

We analyze time-averaged spectra from 86 bright gamma-ray bursts from the first 5 years of the Burst And Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on board the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory to determine whether the lowest energy data are consistent with a standard spectra form fit to the data at all energies. The BATSE Spectroscopy Detectors have the capability to observe photons as low at 5 keV. Using the gamma-ray burst locations obtained with the BATSE Large Area Detectors, the Spectroscopy Detectors' low-energy response can be modeled accurately. This, together with a postlaunch calibration of the lowest energy Spectroscopy Detector discriminator channel, which can lie in the range 5-20 keV, allows spectral deconvolution over a broad energy range, ~5 keV to 2 MeV. The additional coverage allows us to search for evidence of excess emission, or for a deficit, below 20 keV. While no burst has a significant (≥3 σ) deficit relative to a standard spectra model, we find that 12 bursts have excess low-energy emission, ranging between 1.2 and 5.8 times the model flux, that exceeds 5 σ in significance. This is evidence for an additional low-energy spectral component in at least some bursts, or for deviations from the power-law spectral form typically used to model gamma-ray bursts at energies below 100 keV.
A fundamental inequality for the sum of sets of m-tuples

Abstract For n a positive integer and A 1 , A 2 , …, A k sets of nonnegative integers, sufficient conditions are found which imply that the sum of the cardinalities of the sets {1, 2, …, n} ⌢ A i (i = 1, 2, …, k) does not exceed the cardinality of the intersection of {1, 2, …, n } and the number theoretic sum of the k sets. Some of the results are generalized to sets of m -tuples of nonnegative integers.
Sialyl Lewis x Liposomes as a Multivalent Ligand and Inhibitor of E-Selectin Mediated Cellular Adhesion

A sialyl Lewis x−PEG−DSPE derivative (3) has been prepared using a combined chemical enzymatic approach and incorporated into mPEG−DSPE containing liposomes (PEG, poly(ethylene glycol); mPEG, metho...
Ultrathin, Gas-Selective Polyimide Membranes Prepared from Multilayer Polyelectrolyte Films

Alternating electrostatic deposition of poly(amic acid) salts and poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) followed by heat-induced imidization yields ultrathin, gas-selective polyimide membranes on porous alumina supports. These membranes are appealing because of the stability and selectivity of polyimides and the fact that alternating polyelectrolyte adsorption allows formation of ultrathin (as low as 35−40 nm), defect-free films that allow high flux. FTIR spectroscopy shows that heating of poly(amic acid)/PAH membranes at 250 °C for 2 h completely converts the poly(amic acid) to the corresponding polyimide, and scanning electron microscopy reveals uniform films with minimal deposition in substrate pores. Permeability coefficients and selectivities (O2/N2 up to 6.9 and CO2/CH4 up to 68) of three different imidized poly(amic acid)/PAH membranes are comparable to literature values for the corresponding bulk polyimides, provided that the ratio of poly(amic acid) to PAH in the film is high (9:1). Electrostatic...
Women and Cardiovascular Disease—Prevention of Heart Disease

The specific characteristics of cardiovascular (CV) disease in women are discussed, emphasizing that coronary heart disease (CHD) is the major health problem in women but, overall, women are still less likely to die of CHD than men. This is clarified by the fact that women under age 75 are more likely to die from a myocardial infarction when one occurs and that CHD, when it is present, is especially malignant in women under the age of 50. Separate from risk are the issues of prevention and treatment. The latest in prevention with aggressive treatment of cholesterol especially is emphasized and discussed. Regardless of gender, the guidelines for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering have become more and more intensive with benefit accruing to the patient with high CV risk of either sex at levels of LDL cholesterol below 70 mg/dl. Inflammatory risk factors as well as homocysteine and lipoprotein (a) have been shown to make a difference and their control has assumed increased importance. There are now multiple therapeutic options for attaining blood lipid goals and the major therapeutic options are discussed. Statins are still primary in controlling LDL cholesterol but numerous other medications contribute secondary additional benefits or are primary because of specific metabolic problems such as the metabolic syndrome and hypertriglyceridemia. When CHD is established or the risk for CHD is high, it is essential to treat aggressively all major risk factors: hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Such management delays development of clinical CHD and saves lives.
QCD beta function with two flavors of dynamical Wilson fermions.

We test the asymptotic scaling behavior of state-of-the-art simulations of QCD with two flavors of light Wilson fermions. This is done by matching {pi} and {rho} masses on lattices of size 16{sup 3}{times}32 and 8{sup 3}{times}16. We find that at {beta}=6/{ital g}{sup 2}=5.3 matching is not possible over a range extending down to {beta}=3.5. The large lattice data at {beta}=5.5 matches the small lattice values at {beta}=4.9(1) leading to a shift {Delta}{beta}=0.6(1), considerably larger than the perturbative prediction of 0.45. In both cases we conclude that the simulations are very far from the asymptotic scaling region. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Translumbar ports: feasibility and efficacy of direct translumbar inferior vena cava approach for long-term central venous access

Purpose When traditional approaches for long-term central venous access are not feasible or not preferred, direct translumbar access to the IVC can offer an alternative approach for long-term central venous access. The aim of this study was to evaluate the indications, complications and long-term results of trans-lumbar port placements in our institution. Materials and Methods IRB approval was obtained for this retrospective study with waiver of informed consent. We identified all patients who underwent translumbar port placement for long-term intravenous access in our department from January 2000 to July of 2012. The electronic medical records for each patient were examined including indications, procedural details, complications and long-term follow up results. Results 32 patients (all female) with an average age of 52 (20-77) underwent translumbar placement of ports. 81% had a diagnosis of breast cancer (26/32), with other diagnoses including: lung (3/32), ovarian and rectal cancers and one patient with cystic fibrosis. The indications for direct translumbar IVC access were bilateral upper central venous occlusion (11/32) and bilateral mastectomies with lymph node dissections and plans for regional radiation therapy (21/32). All procedures were technically successful. There was no procedure-related death, infection or hemorrhage requiring intervention. An overall 30-day complication rate of 12% (4/32) was identified.Average functioning catheter use was 13.8 months (±20.8 SD, range: 2 days to 108 months). On long term follow up: 13 (13/32, 41%) ports were removed as they were no longer needed; 3 (9%) catheters required removal for port malfunction; 13 (41%) patients expired with their ports still in place and 2 (6%) ports remain in use. Two (6.3%) catheters required delayed repeat intervention to remain functional. Conclusion Although we identified a relatively high complication rate, translumbar port placement is a technically feasible and safe alternative method for long term central venous access. Table 1
Characterization and sequencing of rabbit, pig and mouse angiogenins: discernment of functionally important residues and regions.

Rabbit, pig and mouse angiogenins have been purified from blood serum and characterized, and the rabbit and pig proteins have been sequenced fully. A partial sequence of the mouse protein is consistent with the sequence deduced from the genomic DNA (Bond, M.D. and Vallee, B.L. (1990) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 171, 988-995). All three angiogenins are homologous to the pancreatic RNases and contain the essential catalytic residues His-13, Lys-40 and His-114, and the 6 half-cystines of the human protein. Like human angiogenin they display extremely low ribonucleolytic activities toward wheat-germ RNA, yeast RNA, poly(C) and poly(U). The rabbit and pig proteins induce neovascularization in vivo and also inhibit protein synthesis in vitro. The interaction of rabbit, pig and bovine angiogenins with placental ribonuclease inhibitor, a potent inhibitor of angiogenin, was examined by fluorescence spectroscopy. Rate and equilibrium binding constants indicate that rabbit angiogenin binds to the inhibitor much like human angiogenin, whereas the pig and bovine proteins show significant differences. A comparison of the five angiogenin sequences now available points to specific residues that are highly conserved among them but differ from the corresponding residues in the RNases. These residues are clustered in particular regions of the three-dimensional structure, two of which contribute to the angiogenic, second-messenger and/or protein synthesis inhibition activities of human angiogenin.
Principles and applications of coupled microring optical resonators

Recent developments in the design, analysis, and fabrication of microring resonators for waveguide-based photonics applications are summarized, with emphasis on the applications of microrings for controlling the waveguide dispersion for filtering applications. The concept of mode cycling in a coupled polymeric microring resonator interferometer is discussed and demonstrated.
Evaluation of the effects of cryopreservation of isolated erythrocytes and leukocytes of largemouth bass by flow cytometry

We examined the effects of separation and freezing on fish leukocyte and erythrocyte morphology by light microscopy and on DNA content as measured by flow cytometry (FCM). Leukocytes and erythrocytes of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides were isolated by density gradient centrifugation of whole blood, and frozen in liquid nitrogen in a buffer containing DMSO as a cryopreservative. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the G0/G1 peak of the cells was used to assess variation in nuclear DNA content within cell populations before and after separation and freezing treatments. In erythrocytes, the CV did not change significantly (P>0.05) when nuclei were isolated and stained without freezing or when erythrocytes were frozen prior to nuclear isolation and staining. In leukocytes, freezing and thawing prior to isolation and staining of nuclei significantly increased the CV (P 0.05). Microscopy showed that the freezing protocol had little effect on erythrocyte morphology, but caused irregular swelling in leukocytes. Freezing intact leukocytes also significantly (p<0.05) altered the apparent distribution of cells among the phases of the cell cycle as measured by FCM. The distributions of leukocyte nuclei that were isolated and stained prior to freezing were not different to non-frozen leukocytes. DNA measurements of nucleated blood cells are widely used in physiological, genetic and toxicological studies. Our results suggest that whole blood and erythrocytes for use in such studies can be frozen whole using a simple protocol, but leukocyte nuclei must be isolated and stained before freezing to avoid serious artifacts.
Food and beverage levels during the 2008‐2010 economic downturn in clubs

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the food and beverage revenue changes in private clubs in the USA during the economic downturn from 2008 to 2010.Design/methodology/approach – Over 1,000 private club managers in the USA were surveyed to determine the impacts of two economic downturns on their financial performance.Findings – Findings of this study indicated that most clubs experienced a decrease in their overall net food and beverage revenues and consequently experienced significant losses in their overall food and beverage operations, especially affecting private party business in 2010.Research limitations/implications – This study examined private clubs requiring sponsorship of membership candidates by existing club members in order to maintain their exclusivity, whereas many for‐profit clubs, semi‐private clubs, and non‐private clubs do not require sponsorship. Future studies should investigate if for‐profit clubs, semi‐private clubs, and non‐private clubs experienced the same negative...
Design of Gallium Nitride Resonant Cavity Light‐Emitting Diodes on Si Substrates

A GaN resonant cavity light emitting diode was built on a GaN-AlN distributed Bragg reflector grown on a silicon substrate. The electroluminescence output increased by 2.5 times for a GaN diode coupled to a properly designed resonant cavity. Theoretical calculations showed that this enhancement could increase up to four times for transmission through a sem-transparent metal contact design, up to eight times for a flip-chip design
High-performance JPEG steganography using complementary embedding strategy

A high-performance JPEG steganography should be secure enough to resist modern steganalysis. In this paper, we propose a high-performance JPEG steganographic method. The proposed method adopts the complementary embedding strategy to avoid the detections of several statistical attacks. To show the effectiveness of the proposed method, several statistical attacks are simulated and used to detect the stego-images created by the proposed method. Several famous JPEG steganographic algorithms are also simulated for comparisons with the proposed method. Experimental results show that the proposed steganographic method has superior performance both in capacity and security, and is practical for the application of secret communication.
Age of onset of hypertension and risk of dementia in the oldest-old: The 90+ Study

Abstract Introduction We investigated the association between age of onset of hypertension and dementia risk in an oldest-old cohort. Methods Participants are from The 90+ Study , a population-based longitudinal study of people aged 90+ who are survivors from the Leisure World Cohort Study. We estimated hypertension onset age using self-reported information from The 90+ Study and Leisure World Cohort Study, collected about 20 years earlier. A total of 559 participants without dementia were followed every 6 months for up to 10 years. Results A total of 224 participants developed dementia during follow-up (mean = 2.8 years). Compared with those without hypertension, participants whose hypertension onset age was 80 to 89 years had a lower dementia risk (hazard ratio = 0.58, P = .04) and participants with an onset age of 90+ years had the lowest risk (hazard ratio = 0.37, P = .004). Discussion Developing hypertension at older ages may protect against dementia. Understanding the mechanisms for this lower risk is important for determining ways to prevent dementia in the very elderly.
Pupil dilation degrades iris biometric performance

Iris biometrics research has largely ignored the problems associated with variations in pupil dilation between the enrollment image and the image to be recognized or verified. Indeed, in most current systems, information about pupil dilation is discarded when the iris region is normalized to a dimensionless polar coordinate system from which the iris code is obtained. This work studies the effect of pupil dilation on the accuracy of iris biometrics. We found that when the degree of dilation is similar at enrollment and recognition, comparisons involving highly dilated pupils result in worse recognition performance than comparisons involving constricted pupils. We also found that when the matched images have similarly highly dilated pupils, the mean Hamming distance of the match distribution increases and the mean Hamming distance of the non-match distribution decreases, bringing the distributions closer together from both directions. We further found that when matching enrollment and recognition images of the same person, larger differences in pupil dilation yield higher template dissimilarities, and so a greater chance of a false non-match. We recommend that a measure of pupil dilation be kept as meta-data for every iris code. Also, the absolute dilation of the two images, and the dilation difference between them, should factor into a confidence measure for an iris match.
Mental Imagery and Its Potential for Physical Therapy

The purposes of this article are 1) to review the sports and motor-learning literature regarding the effects of mental imagery and mental practice on physical skills and 2) to explore the feasibility of using them as adjunctive techniques in physical therapy. In the area of sports, evidence exists that mental practice can improve motor skills. Research that supports a mind-body relationship is cited, in addition to research using mental imagery from the areas of medicine, biofeedback, psychoneuroimmunology, and physical therapy. Variables that influence the outcome of mental practice such as vividness, kinesthetic imagery, and combining physical and mental practice are examined, and two major variables associated with ineffective results are identified. The advantages and disadvantages of using mental imagery for physical therapy patients are discussed with the conclusion that mental imagery has the potential to be a viable technique for physical therapists.
Verizon vs the RIAA: implications for privacy and democracy

In January 2003, a US district court in the District of Columbia ruled that Verizon must comply with a subpoena by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) requesting the name of a subscriber who allegedly made available more than 600 copyrighted music files over the Internet. This ruling rocked the Internet community, especially those critics who saw the decision as one advancing the interests of copyright owners at the expense of broader democratic values in cyberspace such as freedom of speech and privacy for individual users. In an appeals ruling on December 19, 2003, however, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned the lower court's decision. A particular challenge for computer ethicists is to determine how arguments on both sides of this case can be sorted out and evaluated from a moral perspective. The purpose of the present essay is to elucidate the issues surrounding this case by analyzing arguments advanced by both Verizon and the RIAA, and to examine some of the implications that the outcome of this ruling may have for future activities in cyberspace. Section 1 of the paper sets the background for understanding the arguments and ruling involved in both lawsuits, while Section 2 examines the infrastructure of the peer-to-peer (P2P) distribution model and how it supports the values inherent in democracy and democratic ideals. Section 3 examines some interrelationship between privacy and democracy, and shows why the former is essential for the latter. We conclude this essay in Section 4 by supporting Verizon's refusal to hand over the names, on the grounds that doing so would have violated the privacy of the individual subscribers which, in turn, would undermine any goals of achieving democracy in cyberspace.
The Woodbine Sand of Texas Interpreted as a Regressive Phenomenon

Evidence is presented to substantiate earlier statements of the writer that the age of the Woodbine is, for the most part at least, equivalent to the Cenomanian of Europe, and that its affinities are with the Comanchean rather than with the Gulf; that the Upper Grayson in northern Texas, except under certain conditions, is identical in time with the Buda of central Texas; that the disconformity between the Washita and the Woodbine appears to be only local; that the latter formation is regressive, as shown by impure waters, highly colored sands, gypsum and other salts, clays at the base, ripple marks, and a "bone bed" at the summit, etc.; that there is disconformity between the Woodbine and the Eagle Ford; that the "bone bed" at the top of the Woodbine is continuous into c ntral Texas; that it is a part of the Eagle Ford transgression, and therefore referable to the latter formation; that the age of this "bone bed" in northern Texas is equivalent to the Middle Cenomanian, and in central Texas to the Middle Turonian of Europe; and that equivalents of all of the Cenomanian and the lower half of the Turonian are missing in central Texas in the region of Austin. It is suggested that the regressive origin of the Woodbine may have an important bearing on the accumulation of its oil.
Graph-based Learning for Statistical Machine Translation

Current phrase-based statistical machine translation systems process each test sentence in isolation and do not enforce global consistency constraints, even though the test data is often internally consistent with respect to topic or style. We propose a new consistency model for machine translation in the form of a graph-based semi-supervised learning algorithm that exploits similarities between training and test data and also similarities between different test sentences. The algorithm learns a regression function jointly over training and test data and uses the resulting scores to rerank translation hypotheses. Evaluation on two travel expression translation tasks demonstrates improvements of up to 2.6 BLEU points absolute and 2.8% in PER.
Counter‐trade as a Third World strategy of development

(1986). Counter‐trade as a Third World strategy of development. Third World Quarterly: Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 177-204.
A novel approach for developing and interpreting treatment moderator profiles in randomized clinical trials.

Importance Identifying treatment moderators may help mental health practitioners arrive at more precise treatment selection for individual patients and can focus clinical research on subpopulations that differ in treatment response. Objective To demonstrate a novel exploratory approach to moderation analysis in randomized clinical trials. Design, Setting, and Participants A total of 291 adults from a randomized clinical trial that compared an empirically supported psychotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) pharmacotherapy as treatments for depression. Main Outcomes and Measures We selected 8 relatively independent individual moderators out of 32 possible variables. A combined moderator, M* , was developed as a weighted combination of the 8 selected individual moderators. M* was then used to identify individuals for whom psychotherapy may be preferred to SSRI pharmacotherapy or vice versa. Results Among individual moderators, psychomotor activation had the largest moderator effect size (0.12; 95% CI, M* , had a larger moderator effect size than any individual moderator (0.31; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.46). Although the original analyses demonstrated no overall difference in treatment response, M* divided the study population into 2 subpopulations, with each showing a clinically significant difference in response to psychotherapy vs SSRI pharmacotherapy. Conclusions and Relevance Our results suggest that the strongest determinations for personalized treatment selection will likely require simultaneous consideration of multiple moderators, emphasizing the value of the methods presented here. After validation in a randomized clinical trial, a mental health practitioner could input a patient’s relevant baseline values into a handheld computer programmed with the weights needed to calculate M* . The device could then output the patient’s M* value and suggested treatment, thereby allowing the mental health practitioner to select the treatment that would offer the greatest likelihood of success for each patient.
The Evolution of Materials for the Photolithographic Process

Underlying the rapid growth of the semiconductor field is a significant advancement in the materials utilized in the photolithographic process. In order to produce smaller devices, exposure wavelengths are decreased. Each wavelength reduction has demanded the synthesis of novel materials that are not only transparent at the new wavelength, but also meet all of the requirements of an effective resist polymer. The transition from 248 nm exposures to 193 nm precluded the use of aromatic functional groups, and the recent drop to 157 nm exposure has inspired a large amount of effort toward the development of resist materials containing fluorine. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) roadmap predicts the use of extreme ultra-violet (EUV) radiation as the next move for the industry, but the high cost and high energy associated with this technology may make alternative lithographic technologies seem more practical.
New Roads Leading to Ca2+ Sensitization

Gprotein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) activated by a wide variety of agonists can switch on myosin light chain phosphorylation and force in smooth muscle. The extent of myosin light chain phosphorylation reflects activity of both the Ca2+/calmodulin–dependent myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and the myosin light chain phosphatase. Thus, at constant Ca2+ and MLCK activity, processes that inhibit myosin phosphatase activity cause a leftward shift of the Ca2+ force-response curve, a physiological relevant phenomenon known as Ca2+ sensitization.1,2⇓ There are two well-described myosin phosphatase inhibitory pathways. The first is through the small GTPase RhoA, in which GTP-bound RhoA translocates to the membrane and activates Rho-kinase that either directly or indirectly acts on the regulatory phosphatase subunit (MYPT-1) to inhibit phosphatase activity. The second signaling pathway, which is present in only some smooth muscles, is through phosphorylation of a phosphatase inhibitor, CPI-17 that, when phosphorylated, potently inhibits the catalytic subunit of myosin phosphatase.3 Crosstalk between the two pathways has been implicated from experiments using the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632.4 A new signaling messenger of Ca2+ sensitization, which converges on the RhoA pathway at the level of Rho-kinase, is presented by Kobayashi and colleagues5 in this issue of Circulation Research : they demonstrate that sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), a product of sphingomyelin deacylation, leads to an increase in force in the absence of an increase in the fura 2 Ca2+ signal. This force is inhibited by a …
Wortmannin blocks lipid and protein kinase activities associated with PI 3-kinase and inhibits a subset of responses induced by Fc epsilon R1 cross-linking.

Abstract We have investigated the effects of wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), on antigen-mediated signaling in the RBL-2H3 mast cell model. In RBL-2H3 cells, the cross-linking of high affinity IgE receptors (Fc epsilon R1) activates at least two cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases, Lyn and Syk, and stimulates secretion, membrane ruffling, spreading, pinocytosis, and the formation of actin plaques implicated in increased cell-substrate adhesion. In addition, Fc epsilon R1 cross-linking activates PI 3-kinase. It was previously shown that wortmannin causes a dose-dependent inhibition of PI 3-kinase activity and also inhibits antigen-stimulated degranulation. We report that the antigen-induced synthesis of inositol(1,4,5)P3 is also markedly inhibited by wortmannin. Consistent with evidence in other cell systems implicating phosphatidylinositol(3,4,5)P3 in ruffling, pretreatment of RBL-2H3 cells with wortmannin inhibits membrane ruffling and fluid pinocytosis in response to Fc epsilon R1 cross-linking. However, wortmannin does not inhibit antigen-induced actin polymerization, receptor internalization, or the actin-dependent processes of spreading and adhesion plaque formation that follow antigen stimulation in adherent cells. Wortmannin also fails to inhibit either of the Fc epsilon R1-coupled tyrosine kinases, Lyn or Syk, or the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase as measured by in vitro kinase assays. Strikingly, there is substantial in vitro serine/threonine kinase activity in immunoprecipitates prepared from Fc epsilon R1-activated cells using antisera to the p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase. This activity is inhibited by pretreatment of the cells with wortmannin or by the direct addition of wortmannin to the kinase assay, suggesting that PI 3-kinase itself is capable of acting as a protein kinase. We conclude that Fc epsilon R1 cross-linking activates both lipid and protein kinase activities of PI 3-kinase and that inhibiting these activities with wortmannin results in the selective block of a subset of Fc epsilon R1-mediated signaling responses.
STRUCTURAL STUDIES OF BRIDGED BIMETALLIC NEODYMIUM AND URANIUM PENTAMETHYLCYCLOPENTADIENYL COMPLEXES: {[(C5Me5)2Nd(THF)l2[μ-Cl}{BPh4} and [(C5Me5)2UCl]2[μ-O]

Abstract The solid state structure of {[C5Me5)2Nd(THF)]2[μ-Cl]}{BPh4} C6H6, 1, consists of a cation with THF-solvated decamethylneodymocene units connected symmetrically by a chloride bridge with 2.839(3) A Nd-(μ-Cl) bonds and a 174.09(10)° Nd-Cl-Nd angle. The {BPH4}-anion is non-coordinating. The structure of [(C5Me5)2UC1]2[μ-O] C7H8, 2, consists of two chloride ligated [(C5Me5]2U] units bridged symmetrically by a single oxide ion with 2.129(5) A U-(μ-O) distances and a 167.1(2)° U-O-U angle. Both complexes have normal metrical parameters in the (C5Me5)2M metallocene units.