cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What's Luck Got to Do With It?: Reading the East in Maria Edgeworth's "Murad the Unlucky"

This article on Maria Edgeworth's short story "Murad the Unlucky" may seem out of place in this issue devoted to magic realism and fantasy. However, the juxtaposition of the real and the fantastic and the idea of being a skilled reader of signs that Colleen Booker explores here is echoed in this issue's other articles: how to read magic realism within children's literature; how to read fantastic phenomena within a realistic setting; how to read gender in texts; how to read signs within a text to gain larger social insights. Booker's careful discussion of Edgeworth's political, social, and economic concerns behind the writing of "Murad the Unlucky" sheds an important light on an often-overlooked tale.
Residual-based turbulence models for moving boundary flows: hierarchical application of variational multiscale method and three-level scale separation

SUMMARY This paper presents residual-based turbulence models for problems with moving boundaries and interfaces. The method is developed via a hierarchical application of variational multiscale ideas and the models are cast in an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) frame to accommodate the deformation of domain boundaries. An overlapping additive decomposition of velocity and pressure fields into coarse and fine scale components leads to coarse and fine scale mixed-field problems. The problem governing fine scales is subjected to a further decomposition of the fine scale velocity into overlapping components termed as fine scales level I and level II. In turn, in the bottom-up integration of scales, the model for level II fine scales serves to stabilize the problem governing level I fine scales, and model for level I fields yields the turbulence models. From the computational perspective, the coarse scales are represented in terms of the standard Lagrange shape functions, whereas level I and level II scales are represented via quadratic and fourth order polynomial bubbles, respectively. Because of the bubble functions approach employed in the consistently derived fine scale models, the resulting method is free of any embedded or tunable parameters. The proposed turbulence models share a common feature with the LES models in that the largest scales in the flow are numerically resolved, whereas the subgrid scales are modeled. The method is applied to flow around a plunging airfoil at Re = 40,000, and results are compared with experimental and numerical data published in the literature. Also presented are the results for the plunging airfoil at Re = 60,000 to show the robustness and range of applicability of the method. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New Roles for the Snp1 and Exo84 Proteins in Yeast Pre-mRNA Splicing

The mammalian 70K protein, a component of the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein involved in pre-mRNA splicing, interacts with a number of proteins important for regulating constitutive and alternative splicing. Similar proteins that interact with the yeast homolog of the 70K protein, Snp1p, have yet to be identified. We used the two-hybrid system to find four U1-Snp1 associating (Usa) proteins. Two of these proteins physically associate with Snp1p as assayed by coimmunoprecipitation. One is Prp8p, a known, essential spliceosomal component. This interaction suggests some novel functions for Snp1p and the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein late in spliceosome development. The other, Exo84p, is a conserved subunit of the exocyst, an eight-protein complex functioning in secretion. We show here that Exo84p is also involved in pre-mRNA splicing. A temperature-sensitive exo84 mutation caused increased ratios of pre-mRNA to mRNA for the Rpl30 and actin transcripts in cells incubated at the non-permissive temperature. The mutation also led to a defect in splicing and prespliceosome formation in vitro; an indication that Exo84p has a direct role in splicing. The results elucidate a surprising link between splicing and secretion.
Recombinant expression, purification, and characterization of Toxoplasma gondii adenosine kinase.

Toxoplasma gondii lacks the capacity to synthesize purines de no6o, and adenosine kinase (AK)-mediated phosphorylation of salvaged adenosine provides the major route of purine acquisition by this parasite. T. gondii AK thus represents a promising target for rational design of antiparasitic compounds. In order to further our understanding of this therapeutically relevant enzyme, an AK cDNA from T. gondii was overexpressed in E. coli using the pBAce expression system, and the recombinant protein was purified to apparent homogeneity using conventional protein purification techniques. Kinetic analysis of TgAK revealed Km values of 1.9 mM for adenosine and 54.4 mM for ATP, with a kcat of 26.1 min 1 . Other naturally occurring purine nucleosides, nucleobases, and ribose did not significantly inhibit adenosine phosphorylation, but inhibition was observed using certain purine nucleoside analogs. Adenine arabinoside (AraA), 4-nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR), and 7-deazaadenosine (tubercidin) were all shown to be substrates of T. gondii AK. Transgenic AK knock-out parasites were resistant to these compounds in cell culture assays, consistent with their proposed action as subversive substrates in 6i6o. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Very large proportional drift chambers with high spatial and time resolutions

Abstract The design, construction and performance of very large (13 m 2 ) drift chambers are described. Accurate time (11 ns) and position (0.35 mm) determinations are obtained by the use of a redundant number of planes. The general organization of the associated electronic read-out and a particular scheme utilizing a time expander are discussed.
X‐rays in research and development at the National Institute of Standards and Technology†

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology make extensive use of x-rays for everything from elemental analysis and microanalysis to metrology and lithography to basic research in physics. Instrumentation includes commercial x-ray spectrometers to synchrotron beam lines to the custom-designed electron beam ion trap. Without including diffraction, one will find x-rays as a research topic or as an analytical tool in five of the seven technical laboratories: Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Chemical Science and Technology, Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, and Building and Fire Research. This paper provides a brief tour of these x-ray facilities and current research, in both Gaithersburg, Maryland and Boulder, Colorado, that fall within the scope of X-Ray Spectrometry (and then some). Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Substrate designs and contacts for organic light-emitting displays

In the past several years, many research groups have been working on the engineering of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) into emissive displays. One of the major manufacturing challenges is that vacuum-deposited, low- molecular-weight organic materials are not very resistant to thermal and chemical processing, and it is therefore problematic to pattern them using standard masking and etching techniques. This has resulted in a substantial amount of the display design being manufactured into the substrate prior to the substrate being coated with the multilayer film of organic materials. In this paper an analysis of the various anode-on-substrate configurations which may be employed for OLED displays will be described and several high-work-function anodes as substitutes for the standard OLED anode of indium-tin oxide discussed.
Successful treatment of esophageal achalasia with laparoscopic Heller myotomy and Toupet fundoplication.

Background Recently, investigators have reported the use of endoscopic myotomy in the treatment of esophageal achalasia. As with the open operation, considerable disagreement exists regarding the appropriate length of the myotomy and the need for a concomitant antireflux procedure. Methods Patients presenting with symptomatic achalasia between 1993 and 1997 were included in this prospective study. Preoperative studies included barium upper gastrointestinal study, endoscopy, and esophageal manometry. Laparoscopic myotomy was completed in all 20 patients; 18 had concomitant Toupet fundoplication. Results Operative times ranged from 95 to 345 minutes (mean 216). Blood loss ranged from 50 to 300 cc (mean 100 cc). There were 7 minor complications (5 mucosal injuries repaired laparoscopically, 1 bile leak and 1 splenic capsular tear). Nine patients began a liquid diet on the first day postoperatively; 19 were tolerating liquids by postoperative day 3. Hospital stay ranged from 2 to 20 days (mean 5). Eighteen patients had complete relief of dysphagia, with less than one reflux episode per month. One individual continues to have mild persistent solid food dysphagia. Another patient initially did well but subsequently developed mild recurrent dysphagia and reflux. One patient required laparoscopic take-down of the wrap because of recurrent dysphagia and now has no problems swallowing, but does complain of mild reflux. Two other patients also have mild reflux, 1 of whom did not undergo fundoplication. Conclusions Laparoscopic Heller myotomy can be performed safely with excellent results in patients with achalasia. Adding a partial fundoplication appears to help control postoperative symptoms of reflux. This procedure should be considered the procedure of choice in patients with symptomatic esophageal achalasia.
Feasibility and compliance with daily home electrocardiogram monitoring of the QT interval in heart transplant recipients

Abstract Background Recent evidence suggests that acute allograft rejection after heart transplantation causes an increased QT interval on electrocardiogram (ECG). The aims of this pilot study were to (1) determine whether heart transplant recipients could achieve compliance in transmitting a 30-second ECG every day for 1 month using a simple ECG device and their home telephone, (2) evaluate the ease of device use and acceptability by transplant recipients, and (3) evaluate the quality of transmitted ECG tracings for QT-interval measurement. Methods A convenience sample of adult heart transplant recipients were recruited and trained to use the device (HeartOne, Aerotel Medical Systems, Holon, Israel). Lead II was used with electrodes that were easy to slip on and off (expandable metal wrist watch-type electrode for right wrist and C-shaped band electrode for left ankle). Patients used a toll-free number with automated voice prompts to guide their ECG transmission to the core laboratory for analysis. Results Thirty-one subjects (72% were male; mean age of 52 ± 17 years; 37% were nonwhite) achieved an ECG transmission compliance of 73.4% (daily) and 100% (weekly). When asked, how difficult do you think it was to record and transmit your ECG by phone, 90% of subjects replied “somewhat easy” or “extremely easy.” Of the total 644 ECGs that were transmitted by subjects, 569 (89%) were acceptable quality for QT-interval measurement. The mean QTc was 448 ± 44 ms (440 ± 41 ms for male subjects and 471 ± 45 ms for female subjects). Eleven subjects (35%) had an extremity tremor, and 19 subjects (55%) had ≥ 1+ left leg edema. Neither of these conditions interfered with ECG measurements. Conclusion Transplant recipients are compliant with recording and transmitting daily and weekly ECGs.
One Authentic Early Literacy Practice and Three Standardized Tests: Can a Storytelling Curriculum Measure up?.

The current study was designed to assess the vocabulary and literacy skills of young children who participated in an authentic literacy practice, i.e., Vivian Paley's “storytelling curriculum,” over the course of their respective prekindergarten or kindergarten years. We asked: How do prekindergarten and kindergarten age children, who participate in the storytelling curriculum over the course of the school year, perform on pre- and postmeasures of AGS/Pearson Assessments' Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) (3rd ed.) Form IIIA, and Whitehurst's Get Ready to Read!, as compared to those young children in the same grade with similar backgrounds and in the same or similar school settings who did not participate in the storytelling curriculum? Results show that in comparison to same-age children in like settings, participants in the storytelling curriculum showed significant gains in both vocabulary knowledge and literacy skills. These findings underscore the possibilit...
Metabolic Syndrome and its Risk Factors in Bangladeshi Immigrant Men in the USA

Higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome risk factors and lowest self-rated health status (SRHS) were reported in Bangladeshi men compared to other South Asian immigrant men in the UK. No information is available on metabolic syndrome and its distribution among Bangladeshi men in the USA. We investigated metabolic syndrome, its association with SRHS and its distribution in Bangladeshi men in Houston, Texas, USA. Data for 91 men (age 46 ± 8 years) were drawn from a cross-sectional study on coronary artery disease in Bangladeshi immigrant men, Texas, 2007. Multivariate logistic models investigated association between metabolic syndrome and SRHS controlling for demographics, behavioral factors and intra-community variation based on social clustering. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 38%. SRHS (OR, 95% CI = 4.90, 1.11–21.57) and intra-community variation (4.10, 1.32–12.71) were independent indicators of metabolic syndrome in our participants. Dietary habits may have contributed to the intra-community variation that warrants investigation.
Scheduling deteriorating jobs on a single machine to minimize the maximum processing times

In many real-world scheduling problems the processing time of a job is a variable and depends on a function of its starting time. The origin of the mathematical modelling of these types of sequencing problems is new and most studies have concentrated on minimizing the makespan, and minimizing the total completion times. This paper addresses the problem of sequencing a set of n independent jobs on a single machine when the processing time of a job is a linear function of its starting time, with the objective of minimizing the maximum processing times. A heuristic algorithm for the problem is presented. The effectiveness of the algorithm is computationally tested. The algorithm can optimally solve the problem for some important special cases.
Utilization of an academic nursing center

Academic nursing centers, or nurse-managed clinics, are relatively new health care delivery systems. Little information exists as to the demographic characteristics of individuals who use academic nursing centers for health care. Moreover, little is found in the literature about the types of conditions diagnosed and the procedures and tests performed at academic nursing centers. Based on one academic nursing center, this project showed that 3,263 persons received care during an 8-month period. The types of conditions diagnosed and the demographic characteristics of individuals cared for are described. The procedures and diagnostic tests performed are identified. These data have important implications for marketing, predicting resources, and meeting the educational component of the academic nursing center.
Biochemical and Conjugation Studies of Romet-Resistant Strains of Aeromonas salmonicida from Salmonid Rearing Facilities in the Eastern United States

Abstract Strains of Aeromonas salmonicida (n = 585) were collected from covertly infected and diseased salmonid hosts from 12 hatcheries in the eastern United States. Strains and sites were selected because of their potential for harboring antimicrobial resistance, in particular, to Romet™. Resistance to Romet was displayed by 315 strains (53.8%), which were isolated from all six host species sampled at 10 of 12 sites. Thirty of the resistant strains (9.5%) from five sites had no zone of inhibition, whereas the other strains had either confluent growth or resistant colonies within a zone of inhibition. Fifty-one resistant strains, representing each of the three resistance phenotypes, were selected for biochemical and antimicrobial comparisons with Romet-sensitive strains. All were confirmed to be A. salmonicida, and no characteristic biochemical phenotypes were found to be associated with resistance to Romet. Differential resistances between resistant and sensitive strains were detected to the antimicrobi...
Optimal Cross‐Hedging Alternatives for the CFA Franc

Abstract: Multinational corporations and policy makers in the African Franc Zone face currency risk while participating in international trade or borrowing abroad. This paper investigates managing this currency risk through the foreign currency futures market. An optimal cross-hedging model is derived and empirically tested for alternative overlapping and nonoverlapping cross hedges of one, two, four, and twelve weeks in the British pound, Japanese yen, Swiss franc, and Deutsche mark futures contracts. The results indicate that spot positions in CFA francs can effectively be cross hedged in the Deutsche mark or Swiss franc futures contracts. This research demonstrates that the foreign currency futures market offers potential for less developed countries to reduce their currency risks effectively. Resume: Les entreprises multinationals et les charges de politiques dans la Zone Franc Africaine sont exposes au risque de changes en participant dans le commerce international ou empruntant a l'etranger. Cet article examine la gestion du risque de changes exterieurs a travers le marchea terme des monnaies. Un modele de couverture croisee optimale est derive et empiriquement teste pour des interventions alternatives d'une, de deux, de quatre, et de douze semaines dans les contrats a terme de la livre Anglaise, du yen Japonais, du franc Suisse, et du mark Allemand. Les resultats indiquent que les positions de changes au comptant libelees en francs CFA peuvent etre effectivement couvertes dans les contrats a terme du mark Allemand ou du franc Suisse. Cette recherche demontre que les marches a termes des monnaies offrent l'opportunite aux pays en developpement de se couvrir effectivement contre le risque de changes.
Stress-induced hyperthermia depends on both time of day and light condition.

Rats placed in an environment other than their home cage increase their body temperature (Tb) by more than 1 °C. This stress-induced hyperthermia is considered to be a fever, in the sense that the Tb rise seems to reflect an upward shift in the level of regulated Tb (set point). The circadian rhythm of Tb also reflects changes in set point. One might therefore expect to see differences in response to such stress during various phases of the light-dark (LD) cycle as Tb fluctuates between L and D. To test this, 3- to 6-month-old male Long-Evans rats were taken from their home cages (12:12 LD) and placed individually in a Plexiglas container for 30 min. Tb and activity were measured via telemetry. In the first experiment, rats were placed in the container during day (from 1 to 3 h after lights on) and night (from 1 to 3 h after lights off), with light on or off during the test. There was a significant Tb rise in response to placement in the container at all times except when the rats were tested during the n...
3,3-Dinitrobutyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles†

The syntheses of 3,5-bis(3,3-dinitrobutyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole and a series of 3-aryl-5-(3,3-dinitrobutyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazoles were accomplished by treating 4,4-dinitropentanoyl chloride with the appropriate amidoximes to yield the intermediate O-(4,4-dinitropentanoyl)amidoximes, which were dehydrated to the 1,2,4-oxadiazoles.
Substrate amino acid-mediated stabilization of gramicidin S synthetase activity against inactivation in vivo

Abstract We have examined the influence of the substrates of gramicidin S synthetase upon stability of its in vivo activity. A mixture of L-phenylalanine, L-proline, L-leucine, L-ornithine and L-valine at 6 mM each added to aerated suspensions of Bacillus brevis cells substantially protected the synthetase activity against oxygen-dependent inactivation. After six hours of incubation, more than 70% of the initial activity remained in the amino acid-supplemented vessels, whereas the unsupplemented control lost synthetase activity with a half-life of approximately one hour. Omission of L-leucine or L-ornithine resulted in diminished protection of the synthetase activity, whereas these two amino acids provided, synergistically, almost as good a stabilization as did the mixture of the five amino acids. The amino acid-mediated stabilization was independent of growth and de novo protein synthesis.
180-kD bullous pemphigoid antigen/type XVII collagen : tissue-specific expression and molecular interactions with keratin 18

The 180-kD bullous pemphigoid antigen (BPAG2) is a hemidesmosomal transmembrane protein, also known as type XVII collagen. In this study, potential interactions of BPAG2 with other proteins expressed in epidermal keratinocytes were explored by yeast two-hybrid system using the amino-terminal intracellular domain of BPAG2 as a bait. Several independent interacting clones encoding keratin 18 (K18) were identified when the keratinocyte cDNA library, cloned into the yeast two-hybrid activation domain vector, was screened. The peptide sequence responsible for the interaction of BPAG2 was restricted to amino acids 15-25, and substitution of a valine residue in the middle of this sequence by a proline (V23P) by site-directed mutagenesis abolished the interaction. Further examination of the K18 sequences by restricted cDNA constructs in yeast two-hybrid system identified a carboxyl-terminal segment corresponding to helix 2B domain as critical for BPAG2 binding. The interaction of BPAG2/K18 was confirmed by an in vitro protein-protein interaction assay, which also confirmed that normal human keratinocytes express K18 in culture. The tissue specific expression of BPAG2 was first examined using a multi-tissue RNA blot. Human multiple tissue cDNA panels representing a variety of adult and fetal tissues as well as tumor cells were used as PCR-templates to study the expression patterns of both BPAG2 and K18. The results demonstrated significant level of expression of BPAG2, besides in epidermal keratinocytes, also in a variety of tissues with predominant epithelial component, such as mammary, salivary and thyroid glands, colon, prostate, testis, placenta, and adult and fetal thymus, as well as in colon, pancreatic and prostatic adenocarcinoma cell lines, and an ovarian carcinoma. As expected, K18 transcript is present in liver, pancreas, colon, placenta, and in fetal kidney. Collectively, the results suggest that BPAG2 has a relatively broad tissue distribution including specialized and simple epithelia, and that within the tissues such as colon and placenta, BPAG2 may have direct interactions with K18, a keratin characteristically expressed in a simple epithelia.
Kinetic neutral-salt effects of organic salts on the alkaline hydrolysis of methyl-1-naphthoate

Abstract The reaction of methyl-1-naphthoate with hydroxide ion in 50·0 wt. % dioxane-water follows second-order kinetics and shows the following neutral-salt effects: (1) Alkali halide salts such as NaCl produce small and nearly colligative retardations. (2) Salts with organic anions such as sodium tetraphenylboride produce large and specific retardations. (3) Salts with organic cations such as (n-C4H9)4NI produce specific effects that range from barely significant retardations to marked accelerations. Detergent salts such as sodium lauryl sulphate produce specific effects that are characteristic of the organic ion. Hydrocarbons such as naphthalene or cyclohexane produce specific retardations that are comparable (per mole) to those produced by salts with structurally similar organic anions. NaCl, NaB(C6H5)4 and (CH3)4NCl produce characteristically different salt effects on the activation parameters. Spectral measurements of solutions of methyl-1-naphthoate and NaB(C6H5)4 fail to show ny significant interaction absorption. The results suggest the theory that methyl-1-naphthoate forms loose Van der Waals complexes with the added organic species. If the complexes bear a negative charge (organic anions), attack by hydroxide ion is impeded; if they bear a positive charge, attack is facilitated. The specific manner in which the neutral-salt effects vary with the structure of the organic species suggests that the dominant interactions leading to complex formation involve London dispersion forces.
Real Time Acousto-Optic Bispectral Processor

An acousto-optic system for the calculation of a signal bispectrum is described. The system is a modification of a time-integrating signal correlator and has the capability of real or near-real time operation. Preliminary experimental results are presented indica-ting the nature of the bispectral output.
Effects on opioid-induced rate reductions by doxepin and bupropion

Twelve pigeons key-pecked under a multiple variable interval 15-second, variable interval 150-second schedule of food reinforcement. Effects of two opioid drugs, buprenorphine and methadone, were determined alone and in combination with chronic daily administration of the antidepressants doxepin or bupropion. Methadone initially produced dose-dependent key-pecking rate reductions when administered acutely, prior to the session, while buprenorphine produced key-pecking rates that reached a plateau at 50-80% of baseline rate and were not reduced further by higher doses. Neither doxepin nor bupropion, given alone, had lasting effects on key-pecking rates. Chronic daily doxepin administration significantly attenuated methadone-induced response rate reductions. Bupropion reduced the effect of the highest methadone dose, but this effect was mitigated by the development of opioid tolerance. Unlike bupropion, doxepin interfered with the development of opioid tolerance. Neither antidepressant systematically altered effects of buprenorphine on key-pecking.
Surgical Treatment of Myocardial Ischemia

Miss Kubla, a graduate of Allegheny Valley Hospital, Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, is currently employed in the cardiovascular department of The Methodist Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas. She has worked for three years in the Allegheny Valley Hospital operating room, and has taken a course in cardiovascular operating technique at The Methodist Hospital. Miss Kubla wishes to thank Dr. Michael E. De Bakey, Professor and Chairman of Department of Surgery, Baylor University College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and Dr. Edward Dielhrich, Instructor, Department of Surgery, Baylor University College of Medicine, HOILSton, Texas for checking the technical aspects of this article. ments over the past five years have added impetus to the surgical management of coronary heart disease. 1) The introduction of selective cinecoronary arteriography by Sones and his associates makes it possible to determine the anatomic localization, distribution and severity of atherosclerotic disease in the coronary arteries. 2) The demonstration that an implanted internal mammary artery (Vineberg) will remain patent and perfuse the coronary arteries many years after implantation has established a sound basis for indirect myocardial revascularization. 3) The use of cardiopulmonary bypass during coronary endarterectomy makes myocardial revascularization feasible in selected rases. Recent clinical efforts have been directed toward more extensive myocardial revascularization. thereby enabling both the ischemic anterior and posterior left ventricular myocardium to be approached surgically. This achievement represents a fourth and exceedingly important contribution in the surgical
Conformational Transitions in ATP-Driven Calcium Pump SERCA

Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) is an integral membrane protein that uses ATP hydrolysis as a source of free energy to pump two calcium ions per ATP molecule from calcium poor cytoplasm of the muscle cell to the calcium rich lumen of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, thereby maintaining a ten thousand fold concentration gradient. Detailed structural studies of the pump under different conditions provided analogues of various intermediates in the reaction cycle and revealed important changes in the tertiary structure of the protein both in the cytoplasmic and in the transmembrane parts. Two major outstanding issues are the pathways of the ions to and from the transmembrane binding sites and a detailed understanding of the large scale conformational changes among various functionally relevant states. We have applied all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) and string method with swarms-of-trajectories to study transition pathways among various experimental structures. The size of the system (291,000) and the time-scale involved in the large scale motions prohibit the use of brute-force unbiased simulations to obtain statistically meaningful information. To circumvent this challenge, the string method with swarms-of-trajectories is used to discover the optimal minimum free energy path between the two end-states. The path, which is represented as a chain of states or images in the space of relevant collective variables, is optimized by iterating two steps: moving each image along the drift calculated from an ensemble (swarm) of short unbiased MD trajectories initiated from the image and a reparametrization procedure that keeps all the images equidistant. We hope to understand the molecular details of the complex motions involved in the conformational transitions by studying the pathways produced by the string method and correlating these observations to available structural and biochemical experiments.
American Jury Voir Dire and the Ideal of Equal justice

Two approaches to the minimizing of jury bias have gained attention in recent years. One attempt is to increase the representativeness of juries by developing jury lists that better reflect a cross-section of the community. The second leads to more extensive voir dire examination and the use of what has been called "scientific jury selection." This article focuses upon the second approach—extensive voir dire—and argues that gains in representativeness from expanded jury pools may be lost because citizens are needlessly dismissed from juries during voir dire. This is of particular concern since the small amount of empirical evidence available on the effectiveness of voir dire suggests that it may not be very useful in identifying biased jurors. The article reviews the literature on voir dire, discusses the effects of dismissal on attitudes of jurors, and suggests some topics for research.
Translating research into practice: criteria for applying literature search results to your work

Evidence-based practices in the fields of health education and health promotion require evaluating the validity and reliability of relevant and timely research. Skills associated with effectively assessing and applying research findings are essential when researchers and practitioners are developing a new program, writing a grant, or completing a research project. This Tool outlines steps and resources with which health educators and health promotion specialists can critically appraise the literature before deciding to apply a concept or practice. It also includes descriptions of "levels of evidence" for determining level of academic rigor, and questions to guide critical appraisals of published literature and other resources for determining their relevance to the work at hand. Assessing the evidence involves two steps: synthesizing selected articles and then applying their content to a certain situation, population, or need. This Tool is intended to advance the profession by offering tips for assessing and applying the results of literature searches, which involves evaluating the quality of the articles and determining how to best put the research into practice.
Trace fossil evidence suggests widespread dwarfism in response to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction: Braggs, Alabama and Brazos River, Texas

As a proxy for the body size of the tracemaker, burrow diameter provides information on fundamental characteristics such as organism biology and behavior. Furthermore, changes in this endobenthic parameter provide insight into the timing and recovery of burrowing organisms in response to large-scale processes operating in ancient trophic systems. We herein report a decrease in burrow size in Thalassinoides-dominated ichnoassemblages across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in well studied shallow-marine sections along the Brazos River and Cottonmouth Creek, Texas and at Braggs, Alabama. At the Cottonmouth Creek and Brazos River localities, Thalassinoides isp. occurring above the previously reported negative δ13C shift and the first occurrence of unequivocal Danian planktonic foraminifera are 17% smaller in short-axis diameter and 22% smaller when diameters are corrected for sediment compaction (mean K = 27.15 ± 7.12 mm, mean Pg = 21.13 ± 6.88 mm; n = 53) than those excavated and filled prior to deposition of a hummocky cross-bedded, ejecta-bearing sandstone complex commonly interpreted as the Chicxulub ‘event deposit’. Across the K–Pg boundary at Braggs, diameters (DTh) of simple maze Thalassinoides structures from similar, recurring depositional facies abruptly decrease by 22% (mean K = 13.08 ± 1.86 mm, mean Pg = 10.21 ± 1.87 mm; n = 26). The Cretaceous and Paleogene burrows were preserved in beds of similar lithology, suggesting that the reduction in size is not attributed to sedimentological factors. At both localities, up-section trends in DTh are statistically significant (α < 0.05, equal variance t-test, non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test). A reduction in DTh above the K–Pg boundary reflects dwarfing within the post-extinction endobenthic community. These ichnological trends are similar to those recently documented at more impact-distal sites along the New Jersey Coastal Plain. Dwarfing during the early recovery stages of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, as recorded by trace fossils, was widespread and occurred within siliciclastic, carbonate, and glauconite-producing depositional environments. Since this ichnological signal in shallow marine successions appears to be a general phenomenon across the crisis interval, trace-fossil analysis provides a potential in-situ field method for constraining and correlating the stratigraphic position of the event, particularly in the absence of other macroscopic, microscopic, and geochemical indicators.
Characterization of an in vitro rhesus macaque blood-brain barrier

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been modeled in vitro in a number of species, including rat, cow and human. Coculture of multiple cell types is required for the correct expression of tight junction proteins by microvascular brain endothelial cells (MBEC). Markers of inflammation, especially MHC-II, and cell adhesion molecules, such as VCAM-1, are not expressed on the luminal surface of the barrier under resting conditions. The rhesus macaque model has been used to study early events of HIV-neuropathogenesis in vivo, but a suitable in vitro model has not been available for detailed mechanistic studies. Here we describe an in vitro rhesus macaque blood-brain barrier that utilizes autologous MBEC and astrocytes. We believe that this model is highly relevant for examining immunological events at the blood-brain barrier and demonstrate its potential usefulness for examining early events in AIDS neuropathogenesis.
SAXS instrumental broadening and the order dependence of peak width

The width at half-height of SAXS discrete diffraction peaks has been used to compute the number of polyethylene lamellae in a stack. The dependence of this width on diffraction order reflects the nature and magnitude of lattice fluctuations. Within the literature there have been conflicting reports on this order dependence and hence on the nature of the lattice fluctuations. Previous studies have neglected the effects of instrumental broadening. These present studies show that instrumental effects can account for some 40% of the observed first-order peak width and drastically change the ratio of peak widths as a function of order. These studies, carried out on isothermally grown polyethylene single-crystal mats, also demonstrate the importance of the functions chosen to represent the various broadening factors. A mat was made up consisting of randomly stacked lamella with two distinct fold periods. The scattering from this mixed mat could not be described by either of the prevailing theories.
Population of high spin states in 22Na by means of the 10B(16O, α) reaction

Abstract Strong selectivity has been observed in the population of states in 22 Na up to high excitation energies. Angular distributions were measured, and a comparison with Hauser-Feshbach calculations allow us to select strong candidates for the high-spin members of the K π = 3 + , T = 0 and K π = 0 + , T = 0 bands in 22 Na.
A hierarchical projection pursuit clustering algorithm

We define a cluster to be characterized by regions of high density separated by regions that are sparse. By observing the downward closure property of density, the search for interesting structure in a high dimensional space can be reduced to a search for structure in lower dimensional subspaces. We present a hierarchical projection pursuit clustering (HPPC) algorithm that repeatedly bi-partitions the dataset based on the discovered properties of interesting 1-dimensional projections. We describe a projection search procedure and a projection pursuit index function based on Cho, Haralick and Yi's improvement of the Kittler and Illingworth optimal threshold technique. The output of the algorithm is a decision tree whose nodes store a projection and threshold and whose leaves represent the clusters (classes). Experiments with various real and synthetic datasets show the effectiveness of the approach.
On the atomic resolution of a field ion microscope

Abstract The effects of tip temperature ( T T ), imaging gas mixture, and electric field strength on the resolution of the field ion microscope have been measured quantitatively. The image diameter of individual tungsten atoms had a quadratic dependence on T T between 11 °K and 62°K. This result was in agreement with the theory of resolution which predicted that the transverse component of the velocity of the imaging ion limited the resolution of the FIM. The data also indicated that the imaging gas atom was not accommodated fully to T T when it was ionized. The degree of thermal accommodation of the imaging gas atom prior to its ionization was increased as a result of imaging in a 10 % neon-helium gas mixture as opposed to imaging with pure helium gas. The extrapolated value of the experimental contribution to the image size at 0°K was larger than the value predicted by the existing theory. This discrepancy was attributed to the neglect, in the existing model of resolution, of the nature of the local electric field strength in the region of space where the imaging atom was ionized. The dependence of image size of an atom at constant T T exhibited a maximum. This result was at variance with the existing theory of atomic resolution. An explanation of this effect in terms of the field dependence of the equilibrium concentration of gas atoms at the surface of the tip was given.
An analytical method for modeling first-order decay networks

A wide range of numerical methods are available to integrate coupled differential equations for first-order decay networks. When greatly differing decay rates exist in a reaction network, the stiffness of ordinary differential equations increases and requires additional effort to obtain solutions numerically. Although analytical solutions are preferred, they are limited to relatively simple reaction networks and small numbers of species. In this paper, we propose a methodology for formulating analytical solutions of ODEs for an unlimited number of species and more generalized reaction networks, including multidaughter branching and multiparent converging reactions. The derivation of analytical solutions for user-defined first-order reaction networks is implicitly implemented as a generalized computer code. Then, derived analytical solutions of the first-order reactions are coupled with numerical solutions for transport using an operator-splitting scheme. The solution method is then used to obtain analytical solutions of transport systems coupled by complex decay networks.
Thermodynamic relationships among cytochrome bK, cytochrome bT, and ubiquinone in mitochondria

Abstract The reduction of cytochrome bT (b565), cytochrome bK (b561), and ubiquinone have been measured in mitochondrial suspensions under various metabolic conditions. Their oxidation-reduction behavior was then analyzed by calculating the respective oxidation-reduction potentials (Eh), assuming that half-reduction potentials (Em) measured in suspensions of uncoupled mitochondria are relevant. Cytochrome bK and ubiquinone are near equilibrium (ΔEh approximately 0) under all of the measured respiratory conditions. Cytochrome bT exhibits very different behavior from cytochrome bK and ubiquinone. In suspensions of uncoupled mitochondria, the calculated ΔEn between cytochrome bT and bK is approximately zero, while in respiring mitochondria in the presence of high ratios of [ATP ] [ADP][P i ] , the calculated ΔE is greater than 100 mV. Conditions for which the [ATP] [ADP][P i ] ratio is high and cytochrome c is maintained reduced, further increase the calculated ΔEn value to greater than 160 mV. These data provide evidence supporting the proposed role for cytochrome bT in mitochondrial energy transduction at oxidative phosphorylation site 2 [ Wilson and Dutton (1970) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.39, 59–64 ].
Studies of the effects of hypophysectomy and prolactin on plasma osmolarity and plasma sodium in Tilapia mossambica

Abstract The effect of ovine prolactin on plasma osmolarity and sodium of hypophysectomized Tilapia mossambica was examined. When Tilapia are continuously maintained in fresh water before and after hypophysectomy, plasma osmolarity declines gradually, the decrease becoming significant only after 6 days. A single injection or several daily injections of a low dose of prolactin (10 μg/fish) does not significantly raise the plasma osmolarity or sodium of hypophysectomized fish even when the drop in plasma osmolarity is significant. However, a high dose of prolactin (10 μ/g body weight) administered repeatedly for 5–6 days starting a day after hypophysectomy, completely replaces the pituitary in maintaining plasma osmolarity and plasma sodium. When hypophysectomized fish preadapted to isosmotic Ringer's are transferred to fresh water, the drop in plasma osmolarity is significant 24 hr later. A single injection of a low dose of prolactin (10 μg/fish) given at the time of transfer to fresh water partially prevents this drop. When seawater-adapted hypophysectomized fish are transferred to fresh water, there is an even greater drop in plasma osmolarity and sodium 24 hr after the transfer. A low dose of prolactin (10 μg/fish) administered 24 hr before the transfer to fresh water prevents the drop partially, while a high dose in some cases prevents it completely. The effect of prolactin on plasma osmolarity differs from its effect on plasma sodium. ACTH or cortisol does not add to the effect of prolactin in maintaining plasma osmolarity and plasma sodium of hypophysectomized Tilapia in fresh water. Thus, Tilapia mossambica responds to prolactin in the same way as do several other species, when the post-hypophysectomy fall in plasma osmolarity is appreciable and the amount of prolactin administered is sufficient.
Composition Space of the (CdO, 0.5Nb2O5)/(HF)x·Pyridine/H2O System. Structure and Synthesis of CdNb(py)4OF5

Single crystals of a new CdII/NbV compound, CdNb(py)4OF5, have been synthesized using CdO and Nb2O5 in pyridine/(HF)x·pyridine/water solution. The corner-shared [Cd(py)4(O/F)2/2]0.5+ and [NbF4(O/F)2/2]0.5- octahedra form infinite chains perpendicular to the c axis, switching between the [1 1 0] and [1 −1 0] every c/2. The pyridine/(HF)x·pyridine/water composition space for (CdO, 0.5Nb2O5) is discussed.
Atomic scale imaging of alkanethiolate monolayers at gold surfaces with atomic force microscopy

Monolayer films formed by the chemisorption of alkanethiols (CH 3 (CH 2 ) n SH, n=1-17) at epitaxially grown Au(111) films were examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Atomically resolved images were found for films with n≥4, directly revealing for the first time the arrangement of the alkyl chain structure. All of the images exhibit a periodic hexagonal pattern of equivalent spacings (e.g., respective nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor distances of 0.52±0.03 and 0.90±0.04nm for n=17 and 0.51±0.02 and 0.92±0.06 nm for n=5)
Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of the Two-Component Lantibiotic Haloduracin

The lantibiotic haloduracin consists of two posttranslationally processed peptides, Halalpha and Halbeta, which act in synergy to provide bactericidal activity. An in vitro haloduracin production system was used to examine the biological impact of disrupting individual thioether rings in each peptide. Surprisingly, the Halalpha B ring, which contains a highly conserved CTLTXEC motif, was expendable. This motif has been proposed to interact with haloduracin's predicted target, lipid II. Exchange of the glutamate residue in this motif for alanine or glutamine completely abolished antibacterial activity. This study also established that Halalpha-Ser26 and Halbeta-Ser22 escape dehydration, requiring revision of the Halbeta structure previously proposed. Extracellular proteases secreted by the producer strain can remove the leader peptide, and the Halalpha cystine that is dispensable for bioactivity protects Halalpha from further proteolytic degradation.
Presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in gingival squamous cell carcinoma

Periodontal disease has been recently linked to a variety of systemic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, preterm delivery, and oral cancer. The most common bacteria associated with periodontal disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) has not yet been studied in the malignant gingival tissues. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of P. gingivalis in specimens from squamous cell carcinoma patients. We have performed immunohistochemical staining to investigate the presence of P. gingivalis and Streptococcus gordonii (S. gordonii), a non invasive oral bacteria, in paraffin embedded samples of gingival squamous cell carcinoma (n=10) and normal gingiva (n=5). Staining for P. gingivalis revealed the presence of the bacteria in normal gingival tissues and gingival carcinoma, with higher levels (more than 33%, P<0.05) detected in the carcinoma samples. The staining intensity was also significantly enhanced in the malignant tissue by 2 folds (P<0.023) compared to specimens stained for the non-invasive S. gordonii. P. gingivalis is abundantly present in malignant oral epithelium suggesting a potential association of the bacteria with gingival squamous cell carcinoma.
Activation of the Slx5-Slx8 ubiquitin ligase by poly-small ubiquitin-like modifier conjugates.

Protein sumoylation is a regulated process that is important for the health of human and yeast cells. In budding yeast, a subset of sumoylated proteins is targeted for ubiquitination by a conserved heterodimeric ubiquitin (Ub) ligase, Slx5–Slx8, which is needed to suppress the accumulation of high molecular weight small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) conjugates. Structure-function analysis indicates that the Slx5–Slx8 complex contains multiple SUMO-binding domains that are collectively required for in vivo function. To determine the specificity of Slx5–Slx8, we assayed its Ub ligase activity using sumoylated Siz2 as an in vitro substrate. In contrast to unsumoylated or multisumoylated Siz2, substrates containing poly-SUMO conjugates were efficiently ubiquitinated by Slx5–Slx8. Although Siz2 itself was ubiquitinated, the bulk of the Ub was conjugated to SUMO residues. Slx5–Slx8 primarily mono-ubiquitinated the N-terminal SUMO moiety of the chain. These data indicate that the Slx5–Slx8 Ub ligase is stimulated by poly-SUMO conjugates and that it can ubiquitinate a poly-SUMO chain.