cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Checkpoint blockade in combination with cancer vaccines

Checkpoint blockade, prevention of inhibitory signaling that limits activation or function of tumor antigen-specific T cells responses, is revolutionizing the treatment of many poor prognosis malignancies. Indeed monoclonal antibodies that modulate signaling through the inhibitory molecules CTLA-4 and PD-1 are now clinically available; however, many tumors, demonstrate minimal response suggesting the need for combinations with other therapeutic strategies. Because an inadequate frequency of activated tumor antigen-specific T cells in the tumor environment, the so-called non-inflamed phenotype, is observed in some malignancies, other rationale partners are modalities that lead to enhanced T cell activation (vaccines, cytokines, toll-like receptor agonists, and other anticancer therapies such as chemo-, radio- or targeted therapies that lead to release of antigen from tumors). This review will focus on preclinical and clinical data supporting the use of cancer vaccines with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies. Preliminary preclinical data demonstrate enhanced antitumor activity although the results in human studies are less clear. Broader combinations of multiple immune modulators are now under study.
Inspiratory and expiratory muscle perfusion in maximally exercised ponies

The present study was carried out on seven healthy ponies to examine the extent of blood flow in various inspiratory and expiratory muscles at rest and during maximal exertion as well as to determine the proportion of cardiac output needed to perfuse respiratory muscles during these conditions. Tissue blood flow was studied with 15 micron-diameter radionuclide-labeled microspheres injected into the left ventricle during steady conditions. The inspiratory and expiratory muscles comprised 2.41 and 3.05% of body weight, respectively, and received 6.17 and 3.75% of the cardiac output at rest. With maximal exercise, heart rate (from 55 +/- 3 to 218 +/- 4 beats/min), mean aortic pressure (from 125 +/- 5 to 170 +/- 6 mmHg), and cardiac output (from 96 +/- 11 to 730 +/- 78 ml.min-1.kg-1) increased markedly. During exercise blood flow increased significantly in all respiratory muscles (P less than 0.0001) as vascular resistance decreased precipitously. Marked heterogeneity of perfusion existed among various inspiratory as well as expiratory muscles during exercise. Among the inspiratory muscles, the highest perfusion occurred in the diaphragm followed by serratus ventralis, and among the expiratory muscles, the highest perfusion occurred in the internal oblique abdominis and the transverse thoracis (triangularis sterni). Collectively, the inspiratory (8.44%) and expiratory (6.35%) muscle blood flow comprised 14.8 +/- 1.2% of the cardiac output during maximal exercise, a significant increase above resting value, whereas renal fraction of cardiac output decreased from 21% (at rest) to 0.72%.
Cross-correlation of system outputs-ambiguity function

Outputs of disjoint linear systems may be correlated for a nonstationary input process. For a nonstationary white input, the output cross-correlation function is simply characterized in terms of the generalized ambiguity function. An example is given for passive radiowave measurements with multiple individual sensors, in which case the ambiguity function is the spatial inverse Fourier transform of the aperture field cross-correlation. >
Classification of false-positive findings on computer-aided detection of breast microcalcifications

False positive detections of microcalcifications by computer aided diagnosis (CADx) systems are a distraction to the radiologist and raise questions as to the eventual clinical utility of computer aided diagnosis systems. We have carefully analyzed the mammographic findings that appear in the locations of CADx detections and have counted and classified them.
Breaking the on-chip latency barrier using SMART

As the number of on-chip cores increases, scalable on-chip topologies such as meshes inevitably add multiple hops in each network traversal. The best we can do right now is to design 1-cycle routers, such that the low-load network latency between a source and destination is equal to the number of routers + links (i.e. hops×2) between them. OS/compiler and cache coherence protocols designers often try to limit communication to within a few hops, since on-chip latency is critical for their scalability. In this work, we propose an on-chip network called SMART (Single-cycle Multi-hop Asynchronous Repeated Traversal) that aims to present a single-cycle data-path all the way from the source to the destination. We do not add any additional fast physical express links in the data-path; instead we drive the shared crossbars and links asynchronously up to multiple-hops within a single cycle. We design a router + link microarchitecture to achieve such a traversal, and a flow-control technique to arbitrate and setup multi-hop paths within a cycle. A place-and-routed design at 45nm achieves 11 hops within a 1GHz cycle for paths without turns (9 for paths with turns). We observe 5-8X reduction in low-load latencies across synthetic traffic patterns on an 8×8 CMP, compared to a baseline 1-cycle router. Full-system simulations with SPLASH-2 and PAR-SEC benchmarks demonstrate 27/52% and 20/59% reduction in runtime and EDP for Private/Shared L2 designs.
Elicitors and defence gene activation

Abstract. Plants respond actively to infection and other environmental stresses by synthesizing phytoalexins and defence-related proteins. This response can be induced in plant cell suspension cultures with compounds known as elicitors. These are often carbohydrates of fungal origin. In bean, transcriptional activation of the defence genes commences less than five minutes after elicitor addition, thus it is clearly a very rapid response implying few biochemical steps exist between elicitor interaction and the initiation of defence gene transcription. The induction of phytoalexin biosynthesis during incompatible interactions of bean with Colletotrichum lindemuthianum occurs rapidly during the initial contact between the host and pathogen. This appears to be a direct response to molecular recognition of the pathogen. In compatible interactions however, the pathogen grows biotrophically and phytoalexin biosynthesis is not triggered until lesions begin to form. Thus this may be a response to tissue damage rather than direct molecular recognition. Many bean defence genes, including those regulating key points in the phytoalexin biosynthetic pathway, exist in the genome as small multigene families. In some cases there is differential regulation within a family in response to developmental and environmental signals. The analysis of the cis-acting sequences involved in the regulation of chalcone synthase has been facilitated by the use of electroporated protoplasts as a transient assay system. This work and the use of DNA footprinting and gel-retardation assays will help identify the corresponding trans-acting factors involved in the regulation of these genes. While progress is being made in understanding the mechanisms of transcriptional activation of defence genes little is known of how plants recognize pathogens and elicitors or how this signal is transduced to the nucleus.
Electrocatalytic and photocatalytic hydrogen production from acidic and neutral-pH aqueous solutions using iron phosphide nanoparticles.

Nanostructured transition-metal phosphides have recently emerged as Earth-abundant alternatives to platinum for catalyzing the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER), which is central to several clean energy technologies because it produces molecular hydrogen through the electrochemical reduction of water. Iron-based catalysts are very attractive targets because iron is the most abundant and least expensive transition metal. We report herein that iron phosphide (FeP), synthesized as nanoparticles having a uniform, hollow morphology, exhibits among the highest HER activities reported to date in both acidic and neutral-pH aqueous solutions. As an electrocatalyst operating at a current density of −10 mA cm–2, FeP nanoparticles deposited at a mass loading of ∼1 mg cm–2 on Ti substrates exhibited overpotentials of −50 mV in 0.50 M H2SO4 and −102 mV in 1.0 M phosphate buffered saline. The FeP nanoparticles supported sustained hydrogen production with essentially quantitative faradaic yields for extended time periods...
Bio-inspired synthesis and biological evaluation of a colchicine-related compound library.

A bio-inspired investigation of the reactions of substrates of type 1 with VOF3 and PIFA [phenyliodine(III) bis(trifluoroacetate)] led to a collection of colchicine-like compounds 2–5 and related systems. Biological evaluation revealed that some of the synthesized products had significant cytotoxic properties against the colon cancer cell line HT-29.
Bamberger Rearrangement during TNT Metabolism by Clostridium acetobutylicum

Studies were conducted to isolate and identify polar and oxygen-sensitive intermediates of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) transformation by Clostridium acetobutylicum. Studies conducted in anaerobic cell extracts demonstrated that a polar product formed from the transformation of 2,4-dihydroxylamino-6-nitrotoluene by a mechanism known as the Bamberger rearrangement. The product was stabilized by derivatization with acetic anhydride, and the structure was confirmed by mass spectroscopy, 1H NMR, and IR spectroscopy techniques. The reaction occurred in the presence of cell extract and H2 but did not occur in cell extract-free controls. From spectroscopic data, the product of 2,4-dihydroxylamino-6-nitrotoluene rearrangement was identified as either 2-amino-4-hydroxylamino-5-hydroxyl- 6-nitrotoluene (4-amino-6-hydroxylamino-3-methyl-2-nitrophenol) or 2-hydroxylamino-4-amino-5-hydroxyl-6-nitrotoluene (6-amino-4-hydroxylamino-3-methyl-2-nitrophenol). Acid-catalyzed rearrangement of 2,4-dihydroxylamino-6-nitrotoluen...
Similar Progression of Fibrosis Between HIV/HCV–Infected and HCV–Infected Patients: Analysis of Paired Liver Biopsy Samples

Background & Aims Fibrosis progression might be accelerated in patients who are coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV (HIV/HCV). However, no studies have directly compared fibrosis progression by paired liver biopsy between patients infected with HIV and HCV versus those infected with only HCV. Methods Liver biopsy samples were collected from patients with HIV/HCV (n = 306) and those with HCV; biopsies from 59 without a sustained virologic response (SVR) or cirrhosis were matched with those from patients with only HCV (controls) for initial fibrosis stage, demographics, and HCV treatment. For HIV/HCV patients, categorical variables at baseline and the area under the curve of continuous variables per unit time were analyzed for associations with fibrosis progression. Results Liver biopsies from HIV/HCV patients had more piecemeal necrosis than controls ( P = .001) and increased lobular inflammation ( P = .002); HIV/HCV patients also had shorter intervals between liver biopsies (4.7 vs 5.9 years, P P = .72). In paired biopsies from 66 patients, including those with SVR, there were no associations between fibrosis progression and demographics; numbers of CD4+ T cells; levels of aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase; use of highly active antiretroviral therapy; response to HCV therapy (no treatment, SVR, or non-response); baseline levels of FIB-4; or histologic features including inflammation, fibrosis, or steatosis. Conclusions On the basis of analysis of liver biopsy samples, fibrosis progression was similar between HIV/HCV-infected and HCV-infected patients; no clinical or laboratory parameters predicted disease progression.
Biotin-containing proteins of the insect nervous system, a potential source of interference with immunocytochemical localization procedures

When the biotinylated Manduca sexta adipokinetic hormone gene was used as a probe for in situ hybridization, the intrinsic neurosecretory cells were stained with a biotin detection system that contained streptavidin or avidin. Further experiments showed that the DNA probe was not necessary for staining these cells by streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase, and that they were not stained by alkaline phosphatase alone. Similarly, the intrinsic neurosecretory cells were stained directly by streptavidin conjugated to a fluorescent dye. Other parts of the central nervous system could also be stained with streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase but not as readily as the intrinsic neurosecretory cells of the corpora cardiaca. Further analysis demonstrated three biotin-containing proteins in the intrinsic neurosecretory cells of the corpora cardiaca and in the brain. The most abundant of these proteins, when analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was found to have a molecular weight of 130,000, which is the size of the subunits of pyruvate carboxylase, a biotin-containing enzyme. The same protein was recognized by an antiserum against an insect pyruvate carboxylase, indicating that this protein is probably pyruvate carboxylase. The results reported here indicate that the intrinsic neurosecretory cells of the corpora cardiaca may contain pyruvate carboxylase in a concentration higher that other cells of the central nervous system. We also note that caution is necessary to avoid false positive results if an avidin containing detection system is used for in situ hybridization or immunocytochemistry.
Higher Education Fund Raising: What is the President to Do?

Reductions in state and federal allocations to higher education are requiring colleges and universities to seek alternative sources of funding, and higher education institutions are becoming progressively more involved in fund raising. This increased dependence on private sources of funding emphasizes the need for more in-depth studies of higher education fund raising, particularly for additional information regarding the function of the president in the fund-raising process. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the function of presidents in the fund-raising process within higher education. The study focuses on the president and the chief development officer in public four-year institutions within the state of Texas with capital campaigns less than $100m. The study uses a multiple case design, allowing the researcher to examine subjects in a real-life setting and, consequently, to identify specific themes relating to a phenomenon. The themes that emerged in the analysis of data related to six specific presidential behaviors within the broad context of fund raising: (1) strategic planning, (2) coordinating external stakeholders, (3) building teams, (4) coordinating internal stakeholders, (5) directing the fund-raising process, and (6) allocating resources to achieve fund-raising goals.
Dielectric constant of GaAs during a subpicosecond laser-induced phase transition

We measured the time evolution of the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant of GaAs following femtosecond laser pulse excitation. The data show a collapse of the average optical gap, or average bonding anti-bonding energy level separation. The rate of collapse increases with pump fluence. The decrease in the gap indicates that the pump beam induces a structural transformation from a covalent, tetrahedrally-coordinated crystal to a phase with metallic cohesive properties.
Closing Verses Opening Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy: an Evidence-Based Review

Knee osteoarthritis is a common and disabling disorder made worse by lower extremity malalignment [3]. Medial knee arthrosis is the most common indication for high tibial osteotomy (HTO). Surgical techniques include closing wedge osteotomy, opening wedge osteotomy, dome osteotomy, progressive callus distraction, and chevron osteotomy [4, 7]. Opening and closing wedge osteotomies are the most common. While lateral closing wedge HTO was once considered standard of care, both techniques have advantages and disadvantages, and neither has proven clinical superiority [3]. Technique selection, therefore, is largely driven by surgeon preference. Jackson [4] first described the closing wedge technique in the 1960s and demonstrated improvements in patient function and pain. This technique, however, is associated with fibular osteotomy or proximal tibiofibular joint release, possible peroneal nerve injury, longer rehabilitation, and a more challenging conversion to total knee arthroplasty [1, 6, 9]. Disadvantages of medial opening wedge osteotomy, on the other hand, include the possible need for bone graft, higher rates of nonunion, and the risk of collapse [9]. Reviewed here, Duivenvoorden’s article describes the mid-term follow-up on 92 patients randomized to high tibial opening wedge or closing wedge osteotomy for varus deformity and medial compartment OA. They investigated clinical and radiographic outcomes, in addition to survival rate, at a mean of 7 years postoperatively. The specific aims of this review are to (1) interpret this study’s findings and (2) to evaluate the validity of the authors’ conclusions and recommendations.
Electron Collisions in Neon Plasma

The momentum transfer collision frequencies of electrons with neon ions and neutral atoms were measured in a decaying neon plasma over the temperature range from 200 to 600\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The temperature-density dependence of the electron-ion collision frequency is determined to be ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{ei}}=3.6\frac{n}{{{T}_{e}}^{\frac{3}{2}}}\mathrm{ln}\frac{2.0\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}{{T}_{e}}^{\frac{3}{2}}}{{n}^{\frac{1}{2}}}.$ The energy dependence of the momentum transfer cross sections of electrons with neon atoms is best represented by ${Q}_{{m}_{1}}(u)=2.55\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}16}{u}^{\frac{1}{2}}$ and ${Q}_{{m}_{2}}(u)=1.07\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}17}+2.17\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}16}{u}^{\frac{1}{2}}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ for one-and two-term approximations, where $u$ is the electron energy in electron volts.
Structural Insights into Acetylated-Histone H4 Recognition by the Bromodomain-PHD Finger Module of Human Transcriptional Coactivator CBP

Bromodomain functions as the acetyl-lysine binding domains to regulate gene transcription in chromatin. Bromodomains are rapidly emerging as new epigenetic drug targets for human diseases. However, owing to their transient nature and modest affinity, histone-binding selectivity of bromodomains has remained mostly elusive. Here, we report high-resolution crystal structures of the bromodomain-PHD tandem module of human transcriptional coactivator CBP bound to lysine-acetylated histone H4 peptides. The structures reveal that the PHD finger serves a structural role in the tandem module and that the bromodomain prefers lysine-acetylated motifs comprising a hydrophobic or aromatic residue at -2 and a lysine or arginine at -3 or -4 position from the acetylated lysine. Our study further provides structural insights into distinct modes of singly and diacetylated histone H4 recognition by the bromodomains of CBP and BRD4 that function differently as a transcriptional coactivator and chromatin organizer, respectively, explaining their distinct roles in control of gene expression in chromatin.
Impact of a Fixed-Length Rigid Cylinder on an Elastic-Plastic Homogeneous Body

A contact mechanics (CM) based model of a fixed-length rigid cylinder impacting a homogeneous elastic-plastic homogeneous body was developed and includes an improved method of estimating the residual depth after impact. The nonlinear elastic behavior during unloading was accounted for to develop an improved coefficient of restitution model. The impact model was applied to study a practical case of a cylindrical feature on the slider of a magnetic storage hard disk drive impacting the disk to predict various critical impact contact parameters. The CM model was validated using a plane strain finite element model and it was found that a cylindrical feature with a longer length results in a substantial alleviation of impact damage. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4002331]
The reactions of vanadium hexacarbonyl with olefinphosphine ligands

Abstract Monoolefin complexes of vanadium(0) of the type LV(CO)4 have been prepared using the bidentate ligands (2-allylphenyl)diphenylphosphine and (2-cis-propenylphenyl) diphenylphosphine. Upon reduction these yield the vandaium(−1) complexes, R +[LV(CO)5]−, in which the olefin-phosphine ligands are coordinated only through the phosphorus atom. Information regarding the mode of coordination of the ligands, and the metalolefin interaction in the case of the LV(CO)4 complexes, is obtained from infrared spectral data and is discussed in the context of previous studies of olefin-phosphine complexes.
Facilitation of lumbar monosynaptic reflexes by locus coeruleus in the rat

The present study was initiated to delinate whether species difference exists between cats and rats in the descending influence of locus coeruleus (LC) on spinal motoneuronal activity. In male Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with chloral hydrate (400 mg/kg, i.p.), localized activation of LC promoted an exclusive facilitation of lumbar spinal extensor and flexor monosynaptic reflexes (MSRs). Such LC-evoked potentiations may vary in degree (37.5–147.4%), duration (70.6–72.9 ms) and latency (3.0–5.5 ms) among different animals. While minimally affecting the control MSRs, theα1-adrenoceptor blocker prazosin (20 μg/kg, i.v.) significantly antagonized the enhancing effect of the LC on MSRs, suggesting the participation of noradrenergic neurotransmission in the process. Since these results are in general agreement with previous observations from our laboratory on the cat, we conclude that the LC exerts similar facilitatory actions on both extensor and flexor motoneuron activity of the hindlimb in rat least two animal species, rat and cat.
Remembering and Reenacting Hunger: Caochangdi Workstation's Minjian Memory Project

The Beijing-based Caochangdi Workstation's Minjian Jiyi Jihua (The Memory Project), launched in 2009, is an ongoing participatory creation. By engaging with genres of commemoration (e.g., oral history narratives, documentary, performance) participants retrieve and transmit the memories of peasant survivors of the Great Leap Famine of 1959 to 1961.
Response functions for proton-recoil proportional counter spectrometer

Abstract The accurate determination of neutron spectra with proton-recoil proportional counters requires that corrections be made for non-ideal electric-field effects and for wall-and-end effects. The use of field tubes to define a sensitive volume leads to a distortion of the internal field lines near the ends of the sensitive region and produces a counter whose multiplication is a function of position of the event along the anode. Wall-and-end effects are present when some proton-recoil tracks deposit only part of their energy in the sensitive region of the counter. Correction schemes have been obtained for electric-field distortion based on the solution of the electric field everywhere in the counter together with measured multiplication versus voltage data and for wall-and-end distortion based on analytically determined track length probability functions and measured stopping-power and range-energy data. The investigation of electric-field effects indicated that by using an unconventional counter design in which the diameter of the cathode over the field tube is reduced, it is possible to reduce the influence of electric-field distortion and produce a counter better suited for spectroscopy and absolute counting applications. Calculated pulse-height distributions have been compared with experimentally determined distributions. The extent of corrections for these effects has been assessed for a representative fast-reactor spectrum.
Copper(I) complexes of fluorinated triazapentadienyl ligands: synthesis and characterization of [N[(C3F7)C(Dipp)N]2]CuL (where L = NCCH3, CNBut, CO; Dipp = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl).

Sterically demanding triazapentadiene [N{(C3F7)C(Dipp)N}2] H has been synthesized in good yield. It features a W-shaped ligand backbone in the solid state. [N{(C3F7)C(Dipp)N}2]H reacts with copper(I) oxide in acetonitrile leading to [N{(C3F7)C(Dipp)N}2]CuNCCH3. This copper adduct serves as an excellent precursor to obtain thermally stable [N{(C3F7)C(Dipp)N}2]CuCNBut and [N{(C3F7)C(Dipp)N}2]CuCO. IR spectroscopic data of these copper(I) isocyanide (νCN = 2176 cm-1) and copper(I) carbonyl (νCO = 2109 cm-1) complexes indicate that the [N{(C3F7)C(Dipp)N}2]- ligand is a fairly weak donor.
Automatic Computation of Zeros of Bessel Functions and Other Special Functions

An efficient algorithm is developed for the automatic calculation of the zeros of Bessel functions of arbitrary order, Coulomb wave functions, and other special functions. Remarkably, this can be done without any actual functional evaluations. Limitations and generalizations are discussed.
Early school readiness predictors of grade retention from kindergarten through eighth grade: A multilevel discrete-time survival analysis approach

Abstract The literature on predictors and effects of grade retention is vast. Known predictors of grade retention include gender, ethnicity, poverty, parental education, and academic skills. The subsequent effects of grade retention are hotly debated; however, many studies have shown grade retention to be detrimental to the student. The current study used a multilevel discrete-time survival analysis to investigate when grade retention is most likely in addition to whether school readiness predictors influenced grade retention at both the child- and school-level above and beyond background and demographic factors using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort. The results suggested that grade retention was most likely by third grade. Importantly, results indicated that school readiness predictors, specifically low early academic skills (i.e. reading, math, and general knowledge skills), were the strongest predictors of grade retention. When school readiness predictors were controlled for, within schools, variables previously shown to be risk factors (e.g. ethnicity and language spoken at home) were protective factors, underscoring the importance of including school readiness factors when studying grade retention and examining school- and child-level effects.
Nitrate and ammonium nutrition in ryegrass: Changes in growth and chemical composition under hydroponic conditions

Abstract Nitrogen (N) is one of the most critical elements affecting grass seed yield. In soil and cropping conditions of Western Oregon, ammonium‐N may play an important role in the growth and development of ryegrass grown for seed. Our objectives were to determine the physiological and biochemical effects of ammonium and nitrate nutrition on ryegrass vegetative growth and subsequent expression of floral tillers, and changes in plant reduced‐N and carbohydrate composition. Plants were grown in hydroponics (active pH‐controlled) and fed nitrate and ammonium alone or in combination at 10 mM total N. The experiment was terminated at anthesis, which occurred at 68 days after planting (DAP). Changes in plant tiller number, height, dry weight, reduced‐N, and water‐soluble carbohydrates (WSC) were recorded. Vegetative growth rate of plants receiving lower ratios of nitrate/ammonium was up to twice those receiving total nitrate or 75/25 nitrate/ammonium. Total primary tiller number at 68 DAP (anthesis) was 30% g...
The Locke Essay: Achievement and Promise

Abstract Strauss's essay on Locke is devoted to Locke's early lectures on the law of nature, a text unpublished when he initially wrote on Locke in Natural Right and History. One purpose of his essay was to show that the Locke text did not contradict the position on the law of nature that Strauss had earlier attributed to him. Strauss also used the essay as an opportunity to further his own reflections on traditional natural law doctrine.
Eruptions at Chaos Crags, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

Abstract Chaos Crags are a group of silicic lava domes and associated tephra deposits composed of intermediate and silicic lavas on the edge of the central plateau of Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. The plateau coincides with a negative gravity anomaly interpreted as a large silicic magma reservoir. About 0.15 km3 of rhyodacitic pyroclastic flows were erupted 1100 years ago from vents beneath the present Crags and flowed for 21 km down the valleys of Lost and Manzanita Creeks. Pumice pyroclasts in the flows are characterized by high phenocryst content and low vesicularity. These eruptions were followed by the extrusion of 1.25 km3 of dacitic lava as a stubby flow and three-lobed dome. The tephra and lava appear to be products of intrusion of mostly liquid high-alumina basalt into a large, partially crystallized rhyolitic magma body with subsequent mixing. The earliest tephra contain only a minor basaltic component while the youngest portion of the Crags contains approximately 20%. This change with time reflects either a vertical zonation in the magma inherited from the mixing event or a continued admixing of basaltic magma within the chamber during the span of eruptive period.
Young America: Land, Labor, and the Republican Community – By Mark A. Lause

In 1844 a handful of New York City radicals headed by veteran labor editor George Henry Evans founded the National Reform Association (NRA). The organization espoused a wide range of reforms, but i...
The synthesis of hafnium nanomaterials by alkali metal reduction of hafnium tetrachloride

Hafnium tetrachloride was reduced in organic solvents with lithium powder, sodium–potassium alloy, or lithium hydride/Et3B. All reductions required sonochemical agitation to proceed at an appreciable rate, with the notable exception of the reaction of HfCl4 with Li in diethyl ether. Activation of C–H bonds occurred in all reactions, which resulted in carbon-containing products. HfCl4 was reduced on a 50-g scale with LiH/Et3B, and a 10-g scale with Li powder in pentane. All the solid products from the reductions were converted to nanomaterials by annealing under vacuum from 500 to 1,000 °C, which also resulted in the sublimation of the alkali metal salts. The nanomaterials contain a mixture of products with the α-Hf (hexagonal) structure (crystallite size 8–250 nm) and the HfC (FCC) structure (crystallite size 3–80 nm), with the amount of hafnium in the bulk annealed product varying from 88 to 99 wt%. When toluene, pentane, or triethylamine solvents were used, the presence of amorphous graphitic or carbonaceous material was also detected by solid state 13C NMR. Thermally annealed products were additionally characterized by electron microscopy and thermal analysis under Ar/O2, and have BET surface areas ranging from 2.7 to 155 m2/g.
The role of adolescents’ hopeful futures in predicting positive and negative developmental trajectories: Findings from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development

Hope for one's future and intentional self-regulation skills may be important in the development of positive and problematic outcomes across adolescence. Using data from 1273 participants from Grades 7 to 9 of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), we assessed the role of a hopeful future in predicting developmental outcomes, measured by trajectories of PYD, contribution (e.g., thinking about and acting on social justice behaviors), risk behaviors, and depressive symptoms. A measure of intentional self-regulation, which involves selecting goals (S), optimizing resources to achieve goals (O), and compensating when original goals are blocked (C), was also used to predict outcomes. Higher levels of both hopeful future and selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) significantly predicted membership in the most favorable trajectories, controlling for sex and socioeconomic status (SES). Hopeful future was a stronger predictor than SOC for each of the outcomes assessed. Implications for future ...
Complexity of two dual criteria scheduling problems

In this article we answer the complexity question of two dual criteria scheduling problems which had been open for a long time. We show that both problems are binary NP-hard.
Temporal queries and version management in XML-based document archives

By storing the successive versions of a document in an incremental fashion, XML repositories and data warehouses achieve: (i) the efficient preservation of critical information and (ii) the ability to support historical queries on the evolution of documents and their contents. In this paper, we present efficient techniques for managing multi-version document histories and supporting powerful temporal queries on such documents. Our approach consists of: (i) concisely representing the successive versions of a document as an XML document that implements a temporally-grouped data model and (ii) using XML query languages, such as XQuery, to express complex queries on the content of a particular version, and on the temporal evolution of the document elements and contents. We show that the data definition and manipulation framework of XML and XQuery can effectively support temporal models and historical queries without requiring extensions to the current standards; in fact, this approach is effective at representing and querying the histories of relational database tables, which are difficult to manage using SQL. These conclusions emerge through a number of interesting case studies presented in this paper that include W3C documents, the UCLA course catalog, and the CIA World Factbook.
School Learning, Time and Learning Disabilities: The Disassociated Learner

Most proposals describing the fundamental nature of learning disabilities have been single paradigm notions emphasizing either intrinsic or extrinsic factors. These descriptions generally lack explanatory power and fail to provide a comprehensive statement. This paper describes the learning disabled child as a disassociated learner in the sense of a student not actively involved in the learning process. The description is based on a framework incorporating knowledge of the normal teaching-learning process as well as theoretical ideas about correlates of learning disabilities. The framework shows how it may be logically conceptualized that some children dissassociate themselves from academic learning and come to be termed learning disabled.
Genetic alterations in bladder cancer

To see whether genetic alterations follow a sequence of events leading to bladder cancer progression, 60 paired bladder tumours and normal tissues were analysed with polymorphic DNA markers, correlating loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at candidate tumour suppressor gene sites with pathological indices of poor clinical outcome. Distinct genotypic patterns were associated with early and late stages of bladder cancer. 9q deletions were observed in all superficial papillary tumours (Ta) and almost all tumours invading the lamina propria (T1), suggesting that this event associates with the development of superficial bladder tumours. However, 3p, 5q, and 17p deletions were absent in the Ta tumours but were identified in invasive bladder cancers. Two genetic pathways characterise the evolution of superficial bladder tumours. 9qLOH was detected in most Ta tumours, but in only 43% of muscle invasive neoplasms. Our hypothesis is that certain chromosomal abnormalities have a defined role in bladder tumour development, whereas others correlate with pathological indices of poor clinical outcome.
The moral nature and practice of natural family planning versus contraception

The morality of contraception has not always been clear to many Catholics. Although the popes have been clear in their teaching that it is a grave evil, many theologians, priests, and Catholics eit...
Bond alternation in phosphonitrilic compounds

Abstract The molecular structures of linear phosphonitrilic compounds demonstrate a dependence on the number of repeat units and on ligand electronegativity. Recent structural measurements of short length phosphonitrilic molecules have indicated the presence of bond alternation, in contrast to previous X-ray studies of the polymer itself. Ab initio electronic structure calculations have been performed on a series of short phosphonitrilic compounds H 3 P(NPH 2 ) n NH, n =1–4, which show that bond alternation does exist for the small chain compounds. The behavior of the alternation as the number of repeat units is increased suggests that alternation continues into the infinite limit.
The effect of leads utilized upon discrepancies between spatial vectors recorded by SVEC and by mean vector methods.

In a former study significant differences were found in the orientation and magnitude of spatial ECG vectors as determined using two different methods. The results presented in this series show that the difference in the leads used account for the major part of these discrepancies and thus emphasize the importance of a standardization of electrode position for spatial vectorcardiography.
Improvement of duty-cycle heating compensation in NMR spin relaxation experiments.

Abstract To reliably measure NMR relaxation properties of macromolecules is a prerequisite for precise experiments that identify subtle variations in relaxation rates, as required for the determination of rotational diffusion anisotropy, CSA tensor determination, advanced motional modeling or entropy difference estimations. An underlying problem with current NMR relaxation measurement protocols is maintaining constant sample temperature throughout the execution of the relaxation series especially when rapid data acquisition is required. Here, it is proposed to use a combination of a heating compensation and a proton saturation sequence at the beginning of the NMR relaxation pulse scheme. This simple extension allows reproducible, robust and rapid acquisition of NMR spin relaxation data sets. The method is verified with 15N spin relaxation measurements for human ubiquitin.
Irreversibility and randomness

Some recent development in the theory of irreversible processes and nonequilibrium thermodynamics are reviewed. At the macroscopic level, the concept of irreversibility as a source of order, as developed during the last decade, is presented in the context of nonequilibrium phase transitions and dissipative structures. Next, a stochastic theory of rate processes is introduced to study fluctuations, the mechanisms of instability and transition. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of quite recent results on the relation between the deterministic laws of dynamics and the probabilistic description of physical processes.
Sideband frequency response function based damage identification of rotor system with open cracks

This paper develops a new vibration based damage detection method to identify the location and severity of structural damage of periodically time-varying systems. The frequency response function (FRF) shifts induced by cracks are utilized to detect the location, depth and orientation angle of open transverse cracks on a shaft-disk system. The dynamical model of system is built based on the Lagrange principle and the assumed mode method while the crack model for periodically time-varying systems is based on the fracture mechanics. This method provides the advantages of arbitrary interrogation frequency and multiple inputs/outputs which greatly enriches the dataset for damage identification. The method is synthesized via harmonic balance and numerical examples for a shaft/disk system to demonstrate the effectiveness in detecting both location and severity of the structural damage.
Synthesis and crystal structure of 2'-se-modified guanosine containing DNA.

Selenium modification of nucleic acids is of great importance in X-ray crystal structure determination and functional study of nucleic acids. Herein, we describe a convenient synthesis of a new building block, the 2′-SeMe-modified guanosine (GSe) phosphoramidite, and report the first incorporation of the 2′-Se-G moiety into DNA. The X-ray crystal structure of the 2′-Se-modified octamer DNA (5′-GTGSeTACAC-3′) was determined at a resolution of 1.20 A. We also found that the 2′-Se modification points to the minor groove and that the modified and native structures are virtually identical. Furthermore, we observed that the 2′-Se-G modification can significantly facilitate the crystal growth with respect to the corresponding native DNA.
A dynamic method for continuously measuring magnetic field profiles in planar micropole undulators with submillimeter gaps

Abstract Conventional techniques for measuring magnetic field profiles in ordinary undulators rely predominantly on Hall probes for making point-by-point static measurements. As undulators with submillimeter periods and gaps become available, such techniques will start becoming untenable, due to the relative largeness of conventional Hall probe heads and the rapidly increasing number of periods in devices of fixed length. In this paper a method is presented which can rapidly map out field profiles in undulators with periods and gaps extending down to the 100 μm range and beyond. The method, which samples the magnetic field continuously, has been used successfully in profiling a recently constructed 726 μm period undulator, and seems to offer some potential advantages over conventional Hall probe techniques in measuring large-scale undulator fields as well.
Rapid glucose-dependent increases in phosphatidic acid and phosphoinositides in rat pancreatic islets.

Glucose effects on islet phospholipids were examined during direct incubation or after 3 days of 32P prelabeling in primary culture. In both cases, glucose increased the 32P content of phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and polyphosphoinositides (PPI). Glucose-induced increases in PA, PI, and PPI in the culture-prelabeling experiments were evident within 1 min, dose related, and reflective of increases in phospholipid mass, which was confirmed in direct incubations by measurement of PI phosphorus. Thus, in addition to increasing PI-PPI hydrolysis, glucose increases de novo phospholipid synthesis in pancreatic islets. The latter may result from enhanced glycolysis and substrate availability for PA-PI-PPI synthesis, since glyceraldehyde and pyruvic acid also increased PI levels. Our findings raise the possibility that increases in PA, PI, and PPI synthesis could serve as a mechanism to enhance the generation of intracellular mediators, which are purported to regulate insulin secretion. (Endo...
Coupling a spatially-explicit forest gap model with a 3-D solar routine to simulate latitudinal effects

Abstract A multi-scaled forest model (ZELIG) which spatially embeds patch-scale processes into a larger landscape was linked with a 3-D insolation routine to simulate the effects of latitudinal variation in solar radiation on the growth and spatial patterns of idealized early successional, shade-intolerant and late successional, shade-tolerant species. At the individual tree level, average tree height increased for the shade-intolerant species with decreasing latitude as steep angled direct-beam radiation more readily penetrated narrow canopy gaps. This yielded an increase in interspecific competition and intraspecific competition among shade-intolerant trees. Consequently, though stem density dropped, basal area of shade-intolerant species increased as growth increased with decreasing latitude. Conversely, basal area for the shade-tolerant species increased with increasing latitude as stem density increased as the proportion of diffuse radiation increased. In terms of spatial pattern, the combined models produced non-random, anisotropic patterns which changed over the course of succession and were different for the shade-intolerant and tolerant species. However, differences in spatial patterns for the tropical, temperate, and boreal solar regimes were inexplicable. Shade-tolerant species consistently exhibited negative autocorrelation on adjacent grid cells (10–20 m away) during early successional stages and later stages after species replacement. Auto-correlation of shade-intolerant species shifted from negative to positive at this scale as its role changed from canopy dominant to gap colonizer. At scales > 20 m, whether or not a specific direction/distance autocorrelation value was positive or negative and significant or not significant was highly variable for both species and was attributed to stochastic properties (i.e., birth and mortality) of the model.
Quantum photochemistry. Accurate quantum scattering calculations for an electronically nonadiabatic reaction

Abstract We present converged quantum mechanical scattering calculations of reaction and quenching probabilities for a problem involving an electronically excited product. The calculations correspond to two coupled potential energy surfaces representing the ground and first electronically excited state of H2Br. Results are presented for H + HBr → H2 + Br and H + Br → H 2 + Br ∗ , where an asterisk denotes electronic excitation, and the lack of an asterisk denotes the electronic ground state. The calculations are carried out by linear algebraic variational methods with a multi-arrangement diabatic basis. These benchmark calculations are used to test a one-dimensional model, which is found to be quantitatively unreliable.
Dielectric Constant Measurements of Solid 4He

Careful measurements of the dielectric properties of solid 4He have been carried out down to 35 mK, considerably lower than the temperature range of previous studies. The sample was prepared from high purity gas with 3He concentrations of the order of 200 ppb and were formed by the blocked capillary method. The molar volume of the sample was 20.30 cm3. The dielectric constant of the samples was found to be independent of temperature down to 120 mK before showing a continuous increase with decreasing temperature and saturating below 50 mK. The total increase in e is 2 parts in 10−5. The temperature dependence of e mimics the increase in the resonant frequency found in the torsional oscillator studies and also the increase found in the shear modulus measurements.
Chemical descriptors with distinct levels of information content and varying sensitivity to differences between selected compound databases identified by SE-DSE analysis.

Analysis of the variability of molecular descriptors in large compound databases has recently been carried out using both the Shannon entropy (SE) and differential Shannon entropy (DSE) concepts that reduce descriptor distributions to their information content (SE analysis) and detect intrinsic differences between descriptor settings in compound databases (DSE analysis). Here it is shown that a combination of SE and DSE calculations, termed SE-DSE analysis, makes it possible to identify molecular descriptors most sensitive to systematic differences in databases consisting of synthetic, drug-like, and natural molecules. Descriptors with consistently high information content are detected, and database-specific differences are quantified. Different sets of only very few descriptors were found to be most responsive to principal differences between synthetic, natural, and drug-like molecules. Descriptors with DSE values furthest away from zero are likely to best distinguish between compounds with different cha...
Attention Training Through Breathing Control To Modify Hyperactivity

The use of a psychophysiological method for training children in the control of hyperactive behavior is explored. The method involved attention training through breathing control, incorporating biofeedback and operant conditioning principles to help the child develop self-control over excessive and distracting motor behaviors and to maintain attention in learning situations. Six children (age 6-8 years old), from a private school for children with learning disabilities, participated in the study, three assigned to a group given the breathing control and attention training and three assigned to a control group. Measures obtained before, during, and after training included respiration indices, attention and vigilance test performance scores, and teacher ratings of classroom behaviors. The findings supported the feasibility of the training approach and provided important information relevant for future refinements in training and evaluation procedures.