cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biochemical pharmacology of (+)- and (-)-2',3'-dideoxy-3'- thiacytidine as anti-hepatitis B virus agents

2',3'-Dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine (cis-(+/-)-SddC) was found to have potent activity against hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency viruses in culture. Recent studies by us identified (-)-SddC as the stereoisomer responsible for the antiviral effect and showed that the cytotoxicity was mainly caused by (+)-SddC. Metabolism studies showed that these drugs were converted to their monophosphates, diphosphates, and triphosphates. The enzyme responsible for the formation of monophosphates was identified to be cytoplasmic deoxycytidine kinase in CEM cells. Uptake studies showed that the intracellular concentration of (-)-SddC and its metabolites was approximately 5-fold higher than that of (+)-SddC metabolites. (-)-SddCTP was more potent than (+)-SddCTP in inhibiting hepatitis B virus replication; (+)- and (-)-SddCTP exhibited minimal inhibition on polymerases alpha and delta, more inhibition on beta, and strong inhibition on gamma. In all cases, (+)-SddCTP was found to be more inhibitory than (-)-SddCTP to all four polymerases. (+)-SddCMP competed with dCTP for incorporation into DNA by DNA polymerase gamma and beta and served as a chain terminator; however, similar incorporation was not detected using other polymerases. The selective inhibition of DNA synthesis in isolated mitochondria by (+)- and (-)-SddCTP suggests a stereospecificity on the mitochondrial uptake of deoxynucleoside triphosphates.
Sex Hormones, Regulatory Behaviors, and Body Weight

Publisher Summary Sex and reproductive condition often have very dramatic effects on the behaviors, affecting body weight and composition in a wide variety of species, although most of the experimental work has been performed with rats. Gonadal steroids also affect behavioral and physiological regulation of body weight. A great deal of descriptive research and simple endocrinological approaches have given a good idea of how regulatory behaviors and body weight fluctuate with variations in reproductive status and which hormones are responsible for these fluctuations. A variety of factors, including diet palatability, environmental temperature, relative levels of various metabolic hormones, and the opportunity to exercise in running wheels, affect body weight level in rats. Several kinds of neurological damage may also raise or lower body weight set-point. Animals expend calories in a wide variety of ways, but the two principal sources of energy loss (and the two most affected by behavior) are exercise and heat loss to the environment. In female rats, estradiol is the principal ovarian steroid influencing behavioral regulation of energy balance, as well as progesterone also affects weight regulation in female rats. An estrogen-like compound could be used to lower body weight and combat obesity in human being. An ideal weight-control drug would be one that acts on neural weight-regulating systems to lower body weight set-point without being estrogenic or anti-estrogenic in other hormone-sensitive systems. Food intake is linked to sex hormone secretion to ensure that eating and energy stores will increase during pregnancy, and the fluctuations during estrous cycles are simply a by-product of this association.
Dual deficiency one transitive partial parallelisms

It is shown that every transitive deficiency one finite partial parallelism in with standard group uniquely extends to a parallelism that is never isomorphic to its dual parallelism.The 'derived' parallelisms of standard parallelisms are also shown to be non-isomorphic to their duals.
The average weight enumerator and the maximum likelihood performance of product codes

Product codes are widely used in data-storage, optical and wireless applications. Performance analysis of the product codes in the literature relied on the truncated union lower bounds due to lack of the knowledge of the weight enumerator of most product codes. In this paper, average weight enumerators of arbitrary product codes over F/sub q/ are derived. The split weight enumerators of some linear codes are studied and are used in the analysis. The average binary weight enumerator of product Reed Solomon codes is derived. The relationship between the codeword weight and the coordinate weight is discussed for product codes. Consequently, tight bounds on the performance of product codes at low signal to noise ratios are shown.
Boronic prodrug of 4-hydroxytamoxifen is more efficacious than tamoxifen with enhanced bioavailability independent of CYP2D6 status.

Poor initial response to tamoxifen due to CYP2D6 polymorphism and adverse side effects are two clinical challenges in tamoxifen therapy. We report the development and preclinical testing of a boronic prodrug to orally deliver 4-OHT at therapeutically effective concentrations but at a fraction of the standard tamoxifen dose.
African Constructions of Self

Paul Riesman. First Find Your Child. Good Mother: The Construction of Self in Two African Communities. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1992. xix. 241 pp.
The Evolving Virtual Relationships: A Longitudinal Analysis of Player Social Networks in a Large MMOG

How do social networks formed in MMOGs change over time? Are online relationships merely random, short-lived encounters or lasting and substantive connections? This study aims to examine the dynamic processes of relationship formation, maintenance, and demise in online worlds. Drawing from the theoretical framework of organizational ecology and network evolution, this study focuses on the effects of three sets of evolutionary factors in the context of social relationships formed in the online game EverQuest II (EQII): the aging and maturation processes, social architecture, and homophily and proximity. A longitudinal analysis of tie persistence and decay demonstrated the transient nature of social relationships in EQII, but these ties became considerably more durable over time. Also, character level similarity, shared guild membership and geographic proximity were powerful mechanisms in preserving social relationships.
A hybrid process for manufacturing surgical-grade knife blade cutting edges from bulk metallic glass

Abstract The demand for precision surgical knives is enormous. Currently, diamond knives have been the preferred choice among surgeons for use in precision surgeries, owing to the extreme hardness of diamond and the sharpness that can be achieved in single crystal diamond blades, but material and processing costs are high. Bulk metallic glass (BMG) has the potential to be an economically viable material of similar performance for use in precision surgical knives. To this end, a novel hybrid manufacturing process integrating thermally assisted micro-molding and micro-drawing has been developed for producing BMG surgical-grade knife blade cutting edges with edge radii
Mice that carry the resistance allele of the Bcg gene (Bcgr) develop a superior capacity to stabilize bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) infection in their lungs and spleen over a protracted period in the absence of specific immunity

In mice, natural resistance to infection with BCG is under the influence of an autosomal gene designated Bcg. It is shown here in agreement with others that mice that possess the dominant resistant allele of the gene (Bcg r ) are more capable than mice that possess the susceptible recessive allele (Bcg s ) at restricting the growth of BCG in their lungs, as well as in their spleens, during the first 20 days of infection. It is shown, in addition, that in the absence of specific immunity the resistance difference between Bcg r and Bcg s mice became much more pronounced as infection progressed beyond day 20. Whereas T cell-depleted Bcg r mice developed a capacity after day 20 to cause infection in their lungs and spleens to stabilize and plateau for a least 40 days, T cell-depleted Beg s mice were unable to prevent infection from progressing in these organs. On the other hand, both types of T cell-depleted mice were capable of causing infection to plateau in their livers and kidneys. Moreover, this T cell-independent mechanism of resistance was essentially abolished in all organs in which it was expressed by treating the mice with hydrocortisone. In the lungs of immunocompetent Bcg s mice, failure to stabilize infection was associated with heavily infected macrophages and failure to contain BCG at original sites of infection.
Red herring detectors and speech perception: in defense of selective adaptation.

Abstract The selective adaptation paradigm was used extensively for about 5 years following its introduction to speech research in 1973. During the next few years, its use dropped dramatically; it is now little used. Several reasons for the abandonment of the paradigm are discussed, and theoretical and empirical justification is provided for rejecting these reasons. Experiment 1 demonstrates that “acoustic similarity” of an adapting sound and test items cannot account for the observed results. Experiments 2–4 demonstrate that adaptation effects are not equivalent to simple contrast effects. These experiments indicate that selective adaptation produces robust reaction time effects—items in the adapted category are identified more slowly than unadapted items. The effects found in a simple paired-contrast procedure differ from those found with selective adaptation. Most strikingly, contrast effects are extremely ear dependent—much larger effects occur if testing is conducted in the right ear than in the left; adaptation effects are relatively symmetrical with respect to ear. The empirical and theoretical analyses suggest that the selective adaptation paradigm can be a powerful tool for investigating the perception of complex acoustic stimuli like speech.
City Memory, City History: Urban Nostalgia, The Colossus of New York, and Late- Twentieth-Century Historical Fiction

No matter how long you have been here, you are a New Yorker the first time you say, That used to be Munsey's, or That used to be the Tic Toc Lounge. . . . You are a New Yorker when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now.
Are Outcomes of Bimalleolar Fractures Poorer Than Those of Lateral Malleolar Fractures with Medial Ligamentous Injury

Background: Recommendations for surgical treatment and expected outcomes differ for two unstable patterns of supination-external rotation ankle injuries. We compared the demographic characteristics and functional outcome following surgical stabilization between the two types of supination-external rotation type-4 fractures: distal fibular fracture with a deltoid ligament rupture and bimalleolar fracture. Methods: Demographic data on 456 patients in whom an unstable fracture of the ankle was treated surgically were entered into a database and the patients were prospectively followed. Two hundred and sixty-six of these patients sustained either a bimalleolar fracture or a lateral malleolar fracture with insufficiency of the deltoid ligament and widening of the medial clear space. No medial fixation was used in the patients with a deltoid ligament injury. All patients followed a similar postoperative protocol. The patients were followed clinically and radiographically at three, six, and twelve months after the surgery. Function was assessed with the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score. Results: Bimalleolar fractures were more commonly seen in female patients, in those older than sixty years of age, and in patients with more comorbidities. There was no significant association between the fracture pattern and either diabetes or the length of the hospital stay. At a minimum of one year postoperatively, the patients with a bimalleolar fracture had significantly worse function, even after we controlled for all other variables. The overall complication rate, including elective hardware removal, was also higher in the group with a bimalleolar fracture (seventeen compared with nine patients). Conclusions: At one year after surgical stabilization of an unstable ankle fracture, most patients experience little or mild pain and have few restrictions in functional activities. However, the functional outcome for those with a bimalleolar fracture is worse than that for those with a lateral malleolar fracture and disruption of the deltoid ligament, possibly because of the injury pattern and the energy expended. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Further characterization of an adenosine-containing modification of vaccinia virus proteins.

Abstract Three vaccinia virus (VV) core proteins which become labeled when virus is grown in the presence of radiolabeled adenosine or orthophosphate were identified as the major viral core proteins 4A, 4B, and 25K on the basis of comigration with [[35S]methione-labeled viral proteins and immunoprecipitation with monospecific polyclonal antisera. Boronate affinity chromatography and HPLC analysis suggested that a cis-diol-containing adenosine compound is present on this set of viral proteins. The replication of VV in tissue culture cells was prevented by the ADP-ribosylation inhibitors nicotinamide (NIC), 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), and meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG). None of these compounds significantly affected viral DNA synthesis at lower drug concentrations, although at higher concentrations of the three drugs a reduction in viral DNA synthesis was evident. Total VV protein synthesis also decreased at higher inhibitor levels, and the proteolytic processing of the major virion core proteins was greatly diminished as well. The three inhibitors also affected labeling of viral core proteins and cellular histone proteins by [8-14C]adenosine. In addition, mature, infectious virus particles were not formed in the presence of either 60 mM NIC or 3-AB, or 0.6 mM MIBG. These results provide evidence that the major VV core proteins are subject to modification by an adenosine compound, and suggest the possibility that this modification might represent ADP-ribosylation.
Dissociation of Learning and Meprobamate

The study was designed to determine whether rats trained in an avoidance conditioning situation while drugged (meprobamate) would demonstrate a decrement in performance when tested without the drug. Also, would Ss trained without the drug exhibit a decrement when tested on the drug. The results indicated a decrement in latency and frequency of avoidance response only for Ss trained on the drug and tested without it.
Toward Understanding Plant Peroxisome Proliferation

Plant peroxisomes are highly dynamic organelles that adapt to environmental variation by altering their number, but the molecular basis for plant peroxisome proliferation is largely unknown. To begin understanding how this fundamental cell biological process is controlled in plants, we recently characterized the Arabidopsis homologues of the yeast Pex11p protein, which is involved in peroxisome proliferation via an unknown mechanism. Using a combination of fluorescence microscopy, immunobiochemistry, overexpression and loss-of-function studies, and heterologous gene expression in yeast cells, we showed that all five Arabidopsis PEX11 proteins target to peroxisomal membranes and promote peroxisome proliferation with partial redundancy and specificity. A subset of the dynamin-related proteins (DRPs) is also involved with peroxisome division in plants, yeast, and mammals. Future experiments should focus on addressing the biochemical function of PEX11 and using new tools to uncover additional components of th...
Periodic bedrock ridges on Mars

[1] Evidence for sediment transport and erosion by wind is widespread over the surface of Mars today and was likely a major geomorphic process for much of its geological past. Although Martian surface features resembling aeolian dunes and ripples have been recognized since the Mariner and Viking missions, such features have been interpreted previously as active, indurated, or exhumed sedimentary forms. Here we report evidence based on High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment images that show some megaripple forms are eroded into cohesive substrate rather than being composed of loose granular material or fossilized dunes. Exposure of stratigraphic continuity within layered, cohesive material extending crest to trough through features with mean wavelengths of 18 to 51 m demonstrates the primarily erosional formation of what we term periodic bedrock ridges (PBRs). Hence some surfaces on Mars previously considered to be covered by wind-deposited material are actually wind-carved exposures that offer windows into Martian history. PBRs lack the distinctive streamlining associated with wind-parallel yardangs and comparison of PBR orientation to yardangs, megayardangs, and active sedimentary dunes in the same vicinity confirm that these PBRs formed transverse to prevailing winds. Observed wavelengths of PBRs are comparable to those predicted by a simple model for erosional wavelengths of periodic transverse bed forms owing to the spacing of flow separations within the flow. Recognition of these transverse aeolian erosional forms brings up the question of how widespread Martian PBRs are and how many have been misinterpreted as active or indurated (fossilized) sedimentary dunes.
Genetic alterations in chondrosarcomas – keys to targeted therapies?

Background Chondrosarcomas are malignant tumors of chondrocytes and represent the second most common type of primary bone tumors. Within the context of normal chondrogenesis, this review summarizes results from recent research outlining the key molecular changes that occur during the development of this sarcoma type.
Remote experiment a workplace for intangible knowledge

Remote experiment and his quite recent extension towards remote experiment network have created a new workspace in teaching / learning environment. There is well known the fact that “environment influences behavior” (Gallagher -1993). Remote experiment has an articulated, codified and stored shape being easy to be transmitted to others. It means that remote experiment has all of the characteristics of tangible knowledge. In short, moving towards actually acceptations, remote experiment represents: “know-what” because it is referred at facts, represents: “know-why” because is connected at scientific understanding and also represents: “know - who” because implies networking. In the paper authors want to stress other additional characteristics of the remote experiment as teaching / learning environment. These additional characteristics will be launched as questions: - remote experiment succeed to fuse two important things - “thinking” and “doing”?; - remote experiment succeed to combine in a happy manner the two sides of brain activity: linear way (written texts) with nonlinear way (visual side)?; - the combination between linear and nonlinear ways will add as a new characteristic of the remote experiment the “visual thinking”? There is well known the path of knowledge production: the raw intangible knowledge is transferred with the help of the tangible in other tangible but, during this process, it is also transformed in supplementary internalized intangible knowledge at other level (Nenonen -2004) [1]. Also there is well known the Polany (1958) statement: “we can know more than we can tell” [3]. Paper will deals with above questions and statements because the development of the remote experiment in the last five years need some pedagogical clarifications in its sustainability and development. Intangible knowledge, named many times “know how”, is often difficult to be measured. But is possible to do indirect effects using the remote experiment, as a new workspace, that will improve the process of knowledge creation.
Validation of a single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assay for the human serum paraoxonase gene using electronically active customized microarrays.

Objectives: Develop a microarray based genotyping assay to detect SNPs in human paraoxonase (PON I) and compare its accuracy with DNA sequencing and RFLP based assays. Design and Methods: Amplicons spanning the polymorphic regions of interest were genotyped by sequencing, RFLP, and microarray technology. Validation parameters included precision, linearity of signal response, and carryover between adjacent sites on the microarray. Results: A 100% correlation in results obtained using DNA sequencing, RFLP and microarray technology was observed. Conclusions: The microarray technology provides an accurate and reliable assay platform with applicability in high throughput genotyping studies.
Russian Wildrye Seedling Development under Three Temperature Regimes

Poor seedling vigor of Russian wildrye [Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski] has resulted in frequent establishment failures and deterred more widespread use of this grass. This study was conducted to ascertain coleoptile length and seedling emergence of Russian wildrye under three temperature regimes at a 70-mm planting depth in a Parshall fine-sandy loam soil (coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haplustolls; bulk density = L3 g cm -3 ) and to compare seedling development of four tetraploid populations with two diploid check cultivars. Diurnal temperatures (12/12 h, both dark) were 7/ 10°C (low), 13/16°C (medium), and 19/22°C (high). Soil water was maintained near field capacity. Coleoptile lengths for the low-, medium-, and high-temperature treatments averaged 48.3, 50.2, and 55.5 mm, respectively. Low and sporadic seedling emergence of 'Vinall' at all temperature treatments resulted in a significant (P ≤ 0.01) entry × temperature interaction. Entries had similar ranking for emergence within each temperature regime, and all entries but Vinall had increased emergence in response to increasing temperatures. Seedling emergence from a 70-mm planting depth was dependent on elongation of both the coleoptile and first seedling leaf, and diploid entries failed to emerge in most instances. Seedling emergence at the low-, medium-, and high-temperature treatments averaged 4.5, 14.5, and 16.5%, respectively, for the two diploid check cultivars and 16.5, 27.0, and 37.0%, respectively, for the four tetraploid populations. Tetraploids had greater seedling establishment potential than diploids, but any advantage for early-spring seeding would be due to factors other than soil temperature.
The regeneration of axolotl limbs covered by frog skin.

Abstract Forearm skin of Stage XXIV Rana pipiens , which cannot regenerate limbs, was removed and placed upon the skinned forearms of young axolotls. The axolotl limbs were amputated immediately through the level of the grafts. Frog epidermis migrated to cover the amputation surface. Dedifferentiation and early blastema formation occurred beneath the frog wound epidermis. Limb regeneration continued, but in time axolotl epidermis overgrew the frog epidermis. The experiment shows that epidermis from nonregenerating frog limbs is still capable of supporting typical epimorphic regeneration.
Manned mission to Mars

The cost of a manned mission to Mars is currently estimated at $500,000 million and rising. To this must probably be added the loss of one or more flight crews, a toll that is highly likely in view of the experiences of the Apollo and shuttle programmes. So terribly dear a project requires justification commensurate with its cost, but no such justification has ever been offered, as none exists. There are no scientific grounds for the mission, it being generally agreed that robots can perform scientific tasks in space as well as, or better than, human beings, at far less cost and with no risk to life. In our time, unlike previous centuries, men do not have to be sent to explore the unknown; they can explore through the robots they create and control. A manned mission to Mars is a fifteenth century response to a twenty-first century problem.
Role of His-16 in Turnover of T4 Pyrimidine Dimer Glycosylase

Previously, the histidine residue at position 16 in the mature T4 pyrimidine dimer glycosylase (T4-PDG) protein has been suggested to be involved in general (non-target) DNA binding. This interpretation is likely correct, but, in and of itself, cannot account for the most dramatic phenotype of mutants at this position: their inability to restore ultraviolet light resistance to a DNA repair-deficient Escherichia coli strain. Accordingly, this residue has been mutated to serine, glutamic, aspartic acid, lysine, cysteine, and alanine. The mutant proteins were expressed, purified, and their abilities to carry out several functions of T4-PDG were assessed. The mutant proteins were able to perform most functions tested in vitro, albeit at reduced rates compared with the wild type protein. The most likely explanation for the biochemical phenotypes of the mutants is that the histidine residue is required for rapid turnover of the enzyme. This role is interpreted and discussed in the context of a reaction mechanism able to account for the complete spectrum of products generated by T4-PDG during a single turnover cycle.
Evacuation as a climate adaptation strategy for environmental justice communities

With rising sea levels and possible storm intensification due to climate change, current United States urban coastal flood management strategies will be challenged. Due to limitations of current flood management strategies, evacuation is likely to become increasingly prominent in many coastal areas. Thus it is important to think critically about challenges for successful evacuation planning, particularly for vulnerable communities. This paper brings together the evacuation planning, climate change and environmental justice literatures. We describe the unique challenges that environmental justice communities face with evacuation, and identify best practice guidelines to improve the quality of evacuation planning for these communities. The guidelines presented, while not comprehensive, provide a framework for planners and policymakers to consider when developing evacuation plans, both for current and future climate conditions, and could improve the quality of evacuation planning.
Luminescence Quenching of Strongly Coupled Systems

The case of temperature quenching of luminescence of broad-band emitters is examined. On the basis of published and newly acquired data, it is concluded that the theory of nonradiative transitions based on coupling to a single vibrational mode, whether calculated in the Mott-Seitz terms or improved by the procedures developed by Struck and Fonger, is totally incapable of accounting for observed radiationless rates. There is no evidence for the operation of selection rules for nonradiative transitions.
The correctness of programs

This paper is concerned with the relationship between the correctness of programs and the satisfiability (or unsatisfiability) of certain formulas of the first-order predicate calculus. Results on the equivalence of programs are also included.
Noise Suppression in a Class-D Amplifier Using a Three-Level Converter

An architecture that reduces the harmonics of the output signal of a class-D amplifier using a three-level converter has been proposed. The structure consists of a sigma-delta modulator which converts a 15-bit input signal into a 2-bit signal at the clock frequency of 2.822 MHz. This signal drives a three-level diode clamped output power stage. The proposed structure, designed and simulated using 2.5V TSMC 0.25u process, enables the in-band noise suppression, improves the signal-to-noise ratio and reduces the switching losses and hence the complexity of the low-pass filter at the output.
Preservation of erythrocytes in blood containing various cryoprotective agents, frozen at various rates and brought to a given final temperature.

Summary Citrated human blood containing 10% glycerol, or 10% dextrose, or no additive, was frozen in capillary tubes at cooling rates ranging from 1 to 15,000°C per min to a temperature of −100°C and then stored in liquid nitrogen. The frozen blood was thawed rapidly, and the extent of injury to the erythrocytes was measured by a colorimetric determination of the amount of hemoglobin released from the damaged cells. The results obtained indicate that there is a definite range of cooling rates at which minimum hemolysis occurs and that this effective range varies depending upon the presence and nature of protective additives as follows: 1) in blood without additive minimum damage occurs at cooling rates of 1,600 to 3,500°C per min; 2) in blood containing 10% glycerol minimum injury is obtained with cooling rates of 5 to 150°C per min; and 3) although 10% dextrose in blood reduced hemolysis over the entire range of cooling rates investigated, minimum injury is obtained at rates of the order of 2,300 to 3,500°C per min. Cooling rates above and below these ranges cause an increase in lysis. These results confirm previous findings, in which blood was frozen at various rates by immersion to baths at different temperatures, that the effective factor in preventing or causing hemolysis is the cooling rate and not the final temperature.
Louis Pasteur, the Father of Immunology?

Louis Pasteur is traditionally considered as the progenitor of modern immunology because of his studies in the late 19th century that popularized the germ theory of disease, and that introduced the hope that all infectious diseases could be prevented by prophylactic vaccination, as well as also treated by therapeutic vaccination, if applied soon enough after infection. However, Pasteur was working at the dawn of the appreciation of the microbial world, at a time when the notion of such a thing as an immune system did not exist, certainly not as we know it today, more than 130 years later. Accordingly, why was Pasteur such a genius as to discern how the immune system functions to protect us against invasion by the microbial world when no one had even made the distinction between fungi, bacteria or viruses, and no one had formulated any theories of immunity. A careful reading of Pasteur’s presentations to the Academy of Sciences reveals that Pasteur was entirely mistaken as to how immunity occurs, in that he reasoned, as a good microbiologist would, that appropriately attenuated microbes would deplete the host of vital trace nutrients absolutely required for their viability and growth, and not an active response on the part of the host. Even so, he focused attention on immunity, preparing the ground for others who followed. This review chronicles Pasteur’s remarkable metamorphosis from organic chemist to microbiologist to immunologist, and from basic science to medicine.
Measurement of the ultrasound backscatter signal from three seed types as a function of incidence angle: application to permanent prostate brachytherapy.

Abstract Purpose To measure the relative ultrasound backscatter of different seed types as a function of seed orientation and to evaluate the corresponding images of these seeds. Methods and materials Three seed types were evaluated: OncoSeed (standard), EchoSeed (corrugated), and RAPID Strand(RS). Ultrasound images for angles of incidence varying from 90° (perpendicular) to 20° at 5MHz and 7.5MHz were produced by raster scanning the seeds in a degassed water bath. Seed images were visually inspected and analyzed using the integrated-optical-density (IOD) method. Results Corrugated seeds appear as contiguous objects over the range of frequencies and orientations examined, whereas standard seeds appear as contiguous objects from 90° to 80° only. The ranges and means of the backscattered IOD ratio of the seeds from 85° to 20° were: (corrugated vs. standard) 1.48 to 3.72 (2.32 ± 0.62) for 5 MHz and 1.26 to 3.77 (2.19 ± 0.84) for 7.5 MHz and (corrugated vs. RS) 1.21 to 9.53 (2.98 ± 2.48) for 5 MHz and 1.008 to 10.86 (2.79 ± 3.08) for 7.5 MHz. Backscattered signal increase ranged from 1.66 dB to 20.7 dB for the corrugated seed as compared to the other seeds. Conclusions Corrugated seeds produce greater backscatter signal and a more readily identifiable seed image over a large range of seed orientation as compared with standard brachytherapy seeds.
Polarized DNA Ejection from the Herpesvirus Capsid

Ejection of DNA from the capsid is an early step in infection by all herpesviruses. Ejection or DNA uncoating occurs after a parental capsid has entered the host cell cytoplasm, migrated to the nucleus, and bound to a nuclear pore. DNA exits the capsid through the portal vertex and proceeds by way of the nuclear pore complex into the nucleoplasm where it is transcribed and replicated. Here, we describe use of an in vitro uncoating system to determine which genome end exits first from the herpes simplex virus 1 capsid. Purified DNA-containing capsids were bound to a solid surface and warmed under conditions in which some, but not all, of the DNA was ejected. Restriction endonuclease digestion was then used to identify the genomic origin of the ejected DNA. The results support the view that the S segment end exits the capsid first. Preferential release at the S end demonstrates that herpesvirus DNA uncoating conforms to the paradigm in double-stranded DNA bacteriophage where the last end packaged is the first to be ejected. Release of herpes simplex virus 1 DNA beginning at the S end causes the first gene to enter the host cell nucleus to be α4, a transcription factor required for expression of early genes.
A general solution for catheter position effects for strain estimation in intravascular elastography.

Abstract Intravascular ultrasound (US) elastography reveals the elastic properties of vascular tissue and plaque. However, misalignment of the US catheter in the vessel lumen can cause incorrect strain estimation in intravascular US elastography caused by strain projection artifacts. In this paper, we present a general theoretical solution where the impact of catheter eccentricity, tilt and noncoplanar errors on the strain estimates are derived. Appropriate corrections to strain estimates can then be applied with prior knowledge of the catheter position information to reduce the strain projection artifacts. Simulations using a frequency-domain–based algorithm that models intravascular US imaging before and after a specified deformation are presented. The simulations are used to verify the theoretical derivations for two displacement situations (linear and nonlinear) under intraluminal pressure, with and without stress decay. The linear displacement case demonstrates that the correction factor is dependent only on the angle between the US beam and the cross-sectional plane of the vessel. For the nonlinear displacement case, where a l/r stress decay in the displacement is modeled, the correction factor becomes a more complicated function of the azimuthal angle. (E-mail: tvarghese@wisc.edu)
Polyphosphazene membranes. IV. Polymer morphology and proton conductivity in sulfonated poly[bis(3‐methylphenoxy)phosphazene] films

The microstructure of sulfonated poly[bis(3-methylphenoxy)phosphazene] was studied using wide- and small-angle X-ray diffraction. A reflection peak, attributed to the presence of ionic clusters, was observed in the small-angle X-ray diffraction patterns of hydrated and dry polymers with an ion-exchange capacity (IEC) ≥0.6 mmol/g. The Bragg spacing from the ionic cluster structure was about 30 A for the nonhydrated polymer and 50 to 90 A for fully hydrated films. The effects of IEC, cation form of the polymer, temperature, and polymer water content on the cluster structure were investigated. The specific proton conductivity of water-swollen, sulfonated poly[bis(3-methylphenoxy)phosphazene] films at 25°C increased with increasing IEC, with a maximum conductivity of 0.1 S/cm at a polymer ion-exchange capacity of 1.6 mmol/g. The water-content percolation threshold for conductivity was between 17.5 and 25 vol %, and decreased with polymer IEC. The temperature dependence of proton conductivity for 1.2 mmol/g IEC poly[bis(3-methylphenoxy)phosphazene] membranes exhibited Arrhenius behavior with an apparent activation energy of 27.8 and 36.7 kJ/mol for crosslinked and noncrosslinked polymers, respectively. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 49–59, 2001
The Role of Affect in Determining the Attributional Weight of Immoral Behaviors

Theories about why immoral behaviors carry a large amount of attributional weight tend to emphasize traditional cognitive variables. In contrast, the authors propose that the degree of negative affect that these behaviors induce in observers is largely responsible for their attributional weight. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate an association between the amount of negative affect induced by immoral behaviors and their attributional weight. Studies 3 and 4 provide causal evidence for this idea by either “adding in” or “taking away” the negative affect associated with immoral behaviors to influence their attributional weight. Finally, Study 5 demonstrates that negative affect can be induced through a variety of negative emotions (disgust, sadness, and fear), with similar results. It is argued that it is difficult to account for these data solely on the basis of traditional cognitive variables, and so a theory that includes an emphasis on affect as a causal variable is desirable.
3D Immersive Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Trainer

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) plays a primary role in first-aid treatment. Instead of the traditional instructor-led training course, we propose a virtual reality system which provides an immersive 3D environment for CPR training with visual and haptic feedback. To simulate a real world CPR experience, our immersive trainer system enables a trainee to perform CPR compressions to a virtual human, inside the virtual world. During the training procedure, the trainee can not only watch his/her 3D image performing CPR, but also feel the force feedback from the chest compressions in real-time. To further enhance the visual fidelity, a haptic-enabled deformable model is applied to show the visual change of chest during compression.
Scalability in fuzzy rule-based learning

Learning algorithms have been developed to construct fuzzy rule-based models from training data. The quality of the resulting model is affected by the decomposition of the input and output domains and by the number and precision of the training examples. This paper investigates the robustness of fuzzy models produced from training data. The objective is to analyze the effects of increasing complexity on the off-line performance of the learning algorithm and the on-line performance of the model, where the complexity is measured by the number of variables describing the problem domain and the number of rules in the model. A hierarchical model is proposed to reduce the complexity in high dimensional systems.
Release Kinetics of Tobramycin Sulfate from Polymethylmethacrylate Implants

AbstractThe effects of various formulation factors on the in vitro release characteristics of spherical polymethylmethacrylate implants were studied. Physical and mathematical models were proposed to describe observed in vitro release profiles. The in vitro release data could be described by a biexponential equation of the type: fraction of tobramycin remaining in the implant at time t = Ae−αt + Be−βt, where α and β represent the rate constants for the initial rapid and subsequent slow phases of release. The influence of drug loading, volume of dissolution medium, implant size, type of commercial cement and the incorporation of water soluble additives on the release profiles as well as the α and β rate constants is described
PUBLIC ANTHROPOLOGY: The 2009 UN Climate Talks: Alternate Media and Participation from Anthropologists

ABSTRACT The United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen during December of 2009 were surrounded by numerous side events. Some anthropologists and other social scientists at these events used the Web as a technology for reporting on activities as they occurred. The success of alternate publishing fora is difficult to gauge, but these weblogs reflect some of the difficulties faced by lone researchers in observing and reporting on large-scale meetings. Some geographers, in contrast, came to Copenhagen as part of an effort organized through the Association of American Geographers. Such a planned and collaborative process may be useful for anthropologists at future meetings.
Dynamics of Credit Spreads: A Non-Parametric Analysis

This article uses a particular non-parametric approach to examine the conditional drift and variance of credit spreads. The data include Moody9s Aaa and Bbb seasoned bond index yields for the period February 1977 through May 2001. The results show that the drift function is linear and mean-reverting for Aaa index spreads, but Bbb spreads show a strong non-linearity in the drift function. Around its mean, the drift of Bbb spreads is essentially zero, behaving like a random walk, but it mean-reverts strongly when far away from the mean. For pricing and hedging applications, the affine class of parametric diffusion specifications is therefore likely to work well for Aaa spreads, while a non-linear specification is preferable for Bbb spreads.
Simulation of trace species production by lightning and corona discharge in moist air

Abstract Numerical simulations of chemical processes initiated in moist air by lightning strokes and lightning coronas indicate that the amounts of major new species generated are not very different from the amounts previously found in dry air. Thus, the major new species produced globally in moist air are estimated to be: 2.4 megatonnes NO y−1, 0.28 megatonnes NO2 y−1 and 220 tonnes N2O y−1. The minor species, ozone and those containing hydrogen released by lightning from water in moist air are: 1.2 kilotonnes O3 y−1, 25 kilotonnes HNO2 y−1, 1.2 kilotonnes HNO3 y−1, 0.32 kilotonnes H2O2 y−1 and 0.32 kilotonnes HO2 y−1.
Power supply regulators for Josephson logic

Josephson logic circuits require a high frequency (f up to 1 GHz) trapezoidal, regulated power supply waveform with an amplitude on the order of 6-12mV (1). This can be formed from an incoming sinusoidal waveform at f/2 by using two or four Josephson tunnel junctions in series as the regulating device. Alternating current is supplied to a number of such regulators located at electrically equivalent positions on a logic chip by a transformer distribution system (2). The regulator with its highly nonlinear current-voltage characteristic clips the incoming ac to produce a trapezoidal current waveform that is supplied to the logic gates [Figs. 1 (a) and 1(b)]. Logic functions are performed when the voltage across the regulator is in the positive and negative regulated regions; the latching logic devices reset as the polarity reverses. The three key concerns in the design of the regulator are duty cycle, skew, and voltage regulation.
Impact-parameter method for electronic excitation of molecules by electron impact

The semiclassical impact-parameter method is extended to study the electronic excitation of molecules by electron impact. The formalism describes the molecular electrons quantum mechanically but treats the collision classically using straight-line trajectories. The expression for the integrated cross section satisfies reciprocity. The method is applicable to spin-allowed transitions at intermediate and high impact energies where electron exchange is negligible. Theoretical excitation cross sections are presented for the $X{^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{g}}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}B{^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{u}}^{+}$ transition in ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, $X{^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{g}}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1{^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{u}}^{+}$, $3^{1}\ensuremath{\Pi}_{u}$ in ${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$, and $X{^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{g}}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{b}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, ${c}^{\ensuremath{'}}{^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}_{u}}^{+}$ in ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$. Below 50-eV impact energies, the method gives more accurate integrated cross sections than the Born approximation.
Comment on Gros and Gonciarz

Ž . Gross and Gonciarz 1996 find little potential for future trade expansion, since Ž . Ž . the relevant ratios were already by 1992 very close to those of other EU countries. Further, they note that per capita income enters the model with a positive parameter, since ‘‘as income increases, the share of tradeables in overall income should increase’’. Therefore, as CEE countries become richer, they should Ž increase their trade potential though the present prognoses for their future . economic expansions are bleak, as noted by the authors . I am uncomfortable with the reliance on the ‘Gravity Model’. There are both well-known empirical problems, as well as theoretical ones, associated with it. My experience with such models is that they tend to explain cross-section patterns well, but possess poor explanatory power with changes over time. Furthermore, they lack any sound economic logical basis. Their use tends to lead to ad hoc applications which, at times, may well yield interesting or perhaps intuitive results. However, being detached from any general economically logical behavioral model, the conclusions cannot easily be generalized. The methodological problem is well illustrated in the Gros–Gonciarz study. They justify the estimated positive coefficient by the statement, ‘‘as income increases, the share of tradeables in overall income should increase’’. But ‘should’ it indeed? I can think of no obvious theoretical basis for this assumption. Lacking any theoretical support, this fact Ž . Ž . and by implication the whole approach must rely on empirical numerical observations. That is, is it indeed correct that as per capita incomes increase, the tradeable ratios generally tend to increase? In order to test this proposition, I used the World Bank World Development Report 1993, to examine two subsets of countries. The first was a set of the Ž . poorest 35 countries. I ran a correlation and rank correlation between per-capita
INTEGRATIVE POTENTIAL AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE AS ANTECEDENTS OF JOINT BENEFIT IN NEGOTIATION DYADS

This paper explores the relationship between integrative potential, information exchange, and behavioral and perceptual indicators of negotiation outcome. A measure of integrative potential is introduced that allows the researcher to quantify how much potential for integrativeness is contained in various bargaining scenarios. An experiment using a variant of Pruitt's (1981) bargaining scenario was conducted to investigate the usefulness of the measure. In particular, competitiveness interacted with information exchange to affect joint benefit. It is concluded that integrative potential can help develop useful theories of integrative bargaining.
A new look at T cell receptor signaling to nuclear factor-κB

Antigen stimulation of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling to nuclear factor (NF)-κB is required for T cell proliferation and differentiation of effector cells. The TCR-to-NF-κB pathway is generally viewed as a linear sequence of events in which TCR engagement triggers a cytoplasmic cascade of protein-protein interactions and post-translational modifications, ultimately culminating in the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. However, recent findings suggest a more complex picture in which distinct signalosomes, previously unrecognized proteins, and newly identified regulatory mechanisms play key roles in signal transmission. In this review, we evaluate recent data and suggest areas of future emphasis in the study of this important pathway.
Microcirculatory stasis precedes tissue necrosis in ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in the rat.

The relation of blood flow stasis to the development of unequivocal histologic necrosis (loss of parietal cells from the column of contiguous cells) in ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury was studied in anesthetized rats. The most rapid vascular change that occurred when the gastric mucosa was exposed to 100% ethanol was a severe segmental constriction of the large submucosal venules. At 22 sec, the average venular diameter was 52.2±6.0% of the original one. This was followed by complete superficial mucosal blood flow stasis at 49±4 sec and appearance of histologic evidence of necrosis in one of seven rats at 2.5 min, four of six rats at 10 min, and seven of seven rats at 60 min. We conclude that in ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury, submucosal venular constriction occurs first, followed by cessation of mucosal blood flow to be followed later on with histologic evidence of necrosis.