cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Testing: Deterrence, Stewardship, and Arms Reduction

A limited resumption of nuclear testing is needed for effective nuclear deterrence. Nuclear testing is necessary to maintain an acceptable level of confidence in the current U.S. stockpile, enable modifications of legacy nuclear weapons that may be required to meet emerging stockpile requirements, support a prudent nuclear arms reduction program, and confirm by actual demonstration that we have the nuclear weapons design and manufacturing skills we think we have.
Some applications of rates of methiodide formation to alkaloid structural determination

Abstract The stereochemistry of selagine at C-11 has been determined, and this alkaloid can now be represented by expression IVa. Tetrahydroprotoberberines may exist in any of three different conformations IX, XV, or XVIII. depending upon the substitution pattern at C-1 and C-13. The alkaloids capaurine (XVI) and capaurimine (XVII) exist in conformation XVIII; and no stable B/C trans fused analog of these species can exist. Rates of methiodide formation provide a facile means for differentiating between pavine and isopavine bases, since the latter quaternize at a faster rate.
Measles vaccination a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease

It has been postulated that measles virus or receipt of the measles vaccination may pose a risk to developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This article presents a review of the literature discussing the measles virus as a possible risk factor for IBD. No data have confirmed this suspicion, and vaccination from measles virus should be strongly encouraged.
Generalized magnetic susceptibilities in metals: Application of the analytic tetrahedron linear energy method to Sc

A detailed study of the generalized susceptibility $\ensuremath{\chi}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}})$ of Sc metal determined from an accurate augmented-plane-wave method calculation of its energy-band structure is presented. The calculations were done by means of a computational scheme for $\ensuremath{\chi}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}})$ derived as an extension of the work of Jepsen and Andersen and Lehmann and Taut on the density-of-states problem. The procedure yields simple analytic expressions for the $\ensuremath{\chi}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}})$ integral inside a tetrahedral microzone of the Brillouin zone which depends only on the volume of the tetrahedron and the differences of the energies at its corners. Constant-matrix-element results have been obtained for Sc which show very good agreement with the results of Liu, Gupta, and Sinha (but with one less peak) and exhibit a first maximum in $\ensuremath{\chi}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}})$ at $(0, 0, 0.31)\frac{2\ensuremath{\pi}}{c}$ [vs $(0, 0, 0.35)\frac{2\ensuremath{\pi}}{c}$ obtained by Liu et al.] which relates very well to dilute rare-earth alloy magnetic ordering at ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}}}_{m}=(0, 0, 0.28)\frac{2\ensuremath{\pi}}{c}$ and to the kink in the LA-phonon dispersion curve at $(0, 0, 0.27)\frac{2\ensuremath{\pi}}{c}$.
A TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL MODEL–BASED SIEVERTS APPARATUS

We have reported the design, construction, and characterization of a computer controlled Sieverts apparatus based on a temperature differential model. This model was developed to account for the temperature differences created by heating the sample chamber and simultaneous cooling of attached conduits. The model was partially validated by two test experiments involving the change in pressure with respect to temperature in a closed sample chamber filled with hydrogen, in the absence of any sample and in the presence of a non-absorbing sample. The apparatus was then used to characterize the enthalpy of transition of a commercial LaNi5 alloy. The Van't Hoff plot demonstrated very linear behavior. The measured value, ΔHα→β = −29.5 kJ/mol H2, was found to be in good agreement with values reported in the literature. Finally, the cyclic response of the alloy was studied over 50 absorption–desorption cycles. It was found that the rate of absorption increased very sharply during the first 10–12 cycles. There was n...
Managing cancer treatment-induced bone loss and osteoporosis in patients with breast or prostate cancer

Purpose To discuss trends in breast and prostate cancer prevalence and survival; risk factors for bone loss, osteoporosis, and fractures and the approach to risk assessment in patients with these malignancies; established and investigational drug therapies for managing cancer treatment-induced bone loss and osteoporosis; and the role of health-system pharmacists in promoting bone health in patients with breast or prostate cancer. Summary Breast cancer and prostate cancer are common, deadly diseases, but many survivors are alive today because of improvements in early detection and treatment over the past 10–15 years. Cancer chemotherapy, corticosteroids, hormone-ablation therapy, and other common risk factors place patients with breast or prostate cancer at high risk for bone loss, osteoporosis, and fractures. Most patients with breast or prostate cancer should undergo assessment of risk for bone loss and osteoporosis that involves a bone-related history and physical examination, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning, and the FRAX fracture risk assessment tool from the World Health Organization. A recent National Comprehensive Cancer Network task force report on bone health in cancer care provides recommendations for considering the use of pharmacologic therapy on the basis of the results of this assessment. Bisphosphonates are useful for slowing or preventing bone loss associated with hormone-ablation therapy in women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer, although fracture data are limited in women and not available in men. The usefulness of other therapies (selective estrogen receptor modulators, teriparatide, calcitonin salmon, and estrogens) is limited by adverse effects, a lack of experience with the drugs in these patient populations, or both. Various drug therapies are in development for managing cancer treatment-induced bone loss and osteoporosis. The agent closest to approval by the Food and Drug Administration, denosumab, has been shown to improve bone mineral density in women and men receiving hormone-ablation therapy for breast or prostate cancer, but additional data are needed to dispel safety concerns that could limit the use of this drug in these patient populations. Health-system pharmacists play an important role in screening patients with a history of breast or prostate cancer for bone loss or osteoporosis, making drug therapy recommendations to address the problem, and counseling patients on modifiable risk factors for osteoporosis and proper use of drug therapies to improve bone health. Conclusion Health-system pharmacists can improve the detection and management of cancer treatment-induced bone loss and osteoporosis in patients receiving systemic therapy for breast or prostate cancer.
Characterization of Mn–Na2WO4/SiO2 and Mn–Na2WO4/MgO catalysts for the oxidative coupling of methane

Abstract In this study, one of the most active catalysts in the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM), Mn–Na2WO4/SiO2, was investigated in detail using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to obtain more information about this complex catalyst. A poorly active Mn–Na2WO4/MgO and two reference catalysts, Mn/SiO2 and Na2WO4/SiO2, were also included. XRD reveals the presence of Na2WO4, Mn2O3 and the α-cristobalite phase of SiO2 on the active Mn–Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst, which all have been identified as very important in the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). In addition to facilitating the transformation from amorphous to crystalline α-cristobalite SiO2, the presence of Na2WO4 also yields a higher surface concentration of manganese. While this is necessary, it is not sufficient, for a highly active catalyst, as the poorly active Mn–Na2WO4/MgO also has a high manganese surface concentration. However, in contrast to the very stable Mn–Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst, the MgO support is not able to stabilize the specific Na2WO4 and Mn2O3 phases and a number of NaxWOy compounds with varying Na:W ratios together with MnO2 and mixed manganese compounds are identified by XRD. The broad Na 1s and W 4f XPS peaks support the presence of more than one NaxWOy compound on the surface of the Mn–Na2WO4/MgO catalyst. The fact that Na2WO4 and Mn2O3 are not stable on the MgO-supported catalyst is likely one reason for its poor activity, as the active site is believed to involve a distorted WO4 tetrahedron stabilized by Na (and α-cristobalite SiO2), and accessible Mn3+ in close proximity to the Na2WO4 may be necessary to yield a highly active catalyst. The Na:W surface concentration ratio of the Mn–Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst is significantly higher (5.8) than the stoichiometric Na:W ratio of Na2WO4 (2.0) revealing a surface enriched in sodium. This is due to some of the sodium interacting closely with the SiO2 as evidenced by shifts in the Na 1s and Si 2p peaks to lower binding energies than expected for SiO2 and Na2WO4. The Na may be important in the activation of oxygen species on the surface toward hydrogen abstraction. The importance of the specific Na2WO4 oxide is further supported by the H4Na2WO6 phase which is observed on the Mn–Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst after reaction. This phase has not been identified previously on the Mn–Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst, but corroborates earlier conclusions that Na2WO4 is important and suggests that Na2WO4 is indeed involved in the hydrogen abstraction from methane, the important first step in the oxidative coupling of methane. The strong interactions observed between all the species (Mn, Na, W and Si) on this catalyst may also indicate that the interface between Na2WO4 and Mn2O3 is important in this reaction.
Hypothesis: an erythropoietin honeymoon phase exists

TREAT was a recently concluded, and well-powered and designed, study of anemia treatment in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Unlike most previous studies of ESA treatment in nondialysis CKD, TREAT was a placebo-controlled trial. The placebo group in TREAT provides a unique long-term view of a conservative approach to anemia management in nondialysis CKD. The course of mean Hgb levels in the placebo group ran counter to expectations, increasing over time. We discuss possible reasons for this, including a new hypothesis that there may be an erythropoietin ‘honeymoon phase' similar to that observed in diabetes mellitus. We propose investigation of this phenomenon as it could lead to less expensive and safer approaches to treatment of CKD anemia.
An empirical model for smart meters using data security

Consumer concern regarding the privacy of their electric power usage behavior has been a major sticking point, disrupting utility fielding of smart-meters in many municipalities and regional service areas. Securing power meter readings in a way that addresses these privacy issues would alleviate public concerns and facilitate the implementation of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). This paper proposes an empirical secure data transmission model by examining the parameters that affect the required time to transmit secured data for a network of smart meters and collectors. In this paper, the data security is accomplished using Partial Homomorphic Encryption (PHE), and the transmission of data is facilitated by configuring the smart meters and collectors hierarchically. A case study compares PHE simulation program execution times running on various Advanced RISC Machine-based (ARM-based) boards and virtual machines to determine the efficiency by which the smart meters meet a reasonable meter reading polling time for a service area.
A rapid technique for the determination of unknown plasmid library insert DNA sequence directly from intact yeast cells.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technique is described which allows for the determination of library plasmid insert DNA sequence directly and rapidly from intact yeast cells. Yeast spheroplasts are used to template a PCR reaction to amplify the insert sequence. This PCR product is then purified and its sequence directly determined using thermal cycle sequencing. Readable sequence can reproducibly be obtained from multiple yeast colonies in just two days. Uses of this technique in yeast two-hybrid screening as well as other types of yeast library screens are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
II–VI lasers — new directions

Abstract In this overview we consider three problem areas which are likely to impact on future blue-green lasers. These are (i) issues of gain and its microscopic mechanism in the quantum well heterostructure emitters, (ii) vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, and (iii) the possibility of “quantum” microcavity effects for enhancing spontaneous and stimulated emission.
Reduced stroke risk in patients with compromised cerebral blood flow reactivity treated with superficial temporal artery to distal middle cerebral artery bypass surgery.

Extracranial-to-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery for the prevention of stroke in patients with symptomatic carotid artery occlusion has nearly ended after a randomized trial showed no benefit of the procedure. Although an EC-IC bypass might benefit patients with compromised cerebrovascular hemodynamics, the randomized trial did not differentiate patients with hemodynamic from embolic etiologies. However, subsequent investigators have identified a subgroup of patients at increased stroke risk from hemodynamic compromise. Methods : We examined the subsequent stroke rate of 42 patients with symptomatic carotid occlusion at high risk for stroke identified as having a baseline cerebral blood flow (CBF) 5% CBF reduction in one vascular territory after a vasodilatory challenge from 1 g of intravenous acetazolamide on stable xenon-computed tomography (CT) CBF imaging. Results : Thirty patients (group 1) treated medically were a subgroup with carotid occlusion from our long-term natural history study. During a median follow-up of 12 months, 9 patients (30%) had a new stroke within a median of 5 months. Twelve patients (group 2) had recurrent, disabling cerebral ischemic symptoms, with 8 progressing to mild fixed neurological deficits from deep white matter infarction identified on CT. All were treated with superficial temporal artery to distal middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass with restoration of cerebrovascular reserve postoperatively; none had a stroke during the 18-month minimum follow-up ( P =.041). Perioperative morbidity included subendocardial infarction in one and a small, asymptomatic left frontal hemorrhage in another patient. Early postoperative and delayed xenon/CT CBF studies obtained a median of 5 months postoperatively showed maintenance of cerebrovascular reserve. Conclusion : STA-MCA bypass surgery can restore cerebrovascular reserve in high-risk patients with symptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion. This was achieved with minimal perioperative complications, resulting in a subsequent reduction of stroke frequency. We suggest that the efficacy of STA-MCA bypass surgery for symptomatic carotid occlusion be re-examined prospectively using hemodynamic selection criteria.
Multiple pathways regulate MeCP2 expression in normal brain development and exhibit defects in autism-spectrum disorders

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in MECP2, encoding methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Although MECP2 is ubiquitously transcribed, MeCP2 expression is developmentally regulated and heterogeneous in neuronal subpopulations, defined as MeCP2(lo) and MeCP2(hi). To test the hypothesis that pathways affecting MeCP2 expression changes may be defective in RTT, autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders without MECP2 mutations, a high-throughput quantitation of MeCP2 expression was performed on a tissue microarray containing frontal cortex samples from 28 different patients with neurodevelopmental disorders and age-matched controls. Combined quantitative analyses of MeCP2 protein and alternatively polyadenylated transcript levels were performed by laser scanning cytometry and tested for significant differences from age-matched controls. Normal cerebral samples showed an increase in total MeCP2 expression and the percentage of MeCP2(hi) cells with age that could be explained by increased MECP2 transcription within the MeCP2(hi) population. A significant decrease in the relative usage of the long transcript in the MeCP2(lo) population was observed in postnatal compared to fetal brain, but alternate polyadenylation did not correlate with MeCP2 expression changes at the single cell level. Brain samples from several related neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, pervasive developmental disorder, Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes showed significant differences in MeCP2 expression from age-matched controls by apparently different transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. These results suggest that multiple pathways regulate the complex developmental expression of MeCP2 and are defective in autism-spectrum disorders in addition to RTT.
Physiological markers of emotion and behavior dysregulation in externalizing psychopathology

Much of the research conducted in our lab over the past decade has focused on identifying peripheral and central nervous system markers of trait impulsivity and emotion dysregulation in preschoolers (e.g., Crowell et al., 2006), middle schoolers (e.g., Shannon, Beauchaine, Brenner, Neuhaus, & Gatzke-Kopp, 2007), and adolescents (e.g., Crowell et al., 2005). This body of work includes studies of boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), boys with conduct disorder (CD; e.g., Beauchaine, Katkin, Strassberg, & Snarr, 2001), and girls with borderline personality traits (e.g., Crowell , Beauchaine, et al., 2008). One key assumption of our work, which is now supported by a number of empirical findings (for a review see Beauchaine, Klein, Crowell, Derbidge, & Gatzke-Kopp, in press), is that heritable trait impulsivity interacts with socialized deficiencies in emotion regulation to potentiate conduct problems among boys and borderline traits among girls. Although space constraints preclude us from describing the theoretical bases of this assumption in full detail (for reviews see Beauchaine, Gatzke-Kopp, & Mead, 2007; Beauchaine et al., in press; Crowell, Beauchaine, & Linehen, in press), in writing this chapter we summarize how the use of genetic data, autonomic nervous system (ANS) markers, and neuroimaging have led us to our current thinking about the development of externalizing behavior disorders. We note at the outset that our discussion of environmental risk factors is limited given the objectives of this monograph. However, we consider such risk factors to be as important in the development of psychopathology as the biological vulnerabilities discussed below.
10.3.1 The “Big Navy” Meta‐model as a Framework for Major Defense Development Projects

Patterns, frameworks, meta-models: the utility of these tools for many systems architects and engineers is to avoid “heavy lifting”. Others will say that they use meta-models to keep from “reinventing wheels.” Builders and structural engineers have utilized patterns, frameworks and meta-models which include building codes and construction standards for thousands of years. In the realm of defense systems engineering, the “Mystical Land of DoDAF,” systems engineers have been slow to realize the full potential of meta- model applications. Instead, functional analysis teams performing work prescribed by the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) end up doing that “heavy lifting” in the course of developing JCIDS functional area, needs and solutions analyses. Analysis teams performing JCIDS Functional Area Analysis (FAA) assess hundreds of activities listed in the Universal Joint Task List (UJTL) for relevance to their functional domain. This paper does not intend to discount the importance of the review of the tasks and activities required in the FAA, yet it is highly desirable to utilize the precedent foundations provided by those functional area analysts who blazed the trail for predecessor systems currently operating within their operational domain. A systems engineering meta-model provides such a foundation for a living engineering model from operational needs analysis through production and deployment. The framework described below, the “Big Navy” Meta-model, is an example of one pattern that can be applied to facilitate the development of complex defense-related systems. Systems models derived from Big Navy can be further refined over its life cycle to include requirements capture, functional analysis, architecture development, concept and engineering design and design validation which includes modeling and simulation.
Alkylating HIV-1 Nef - a potential way of HIV intervention

Nef is a 27 KDa HIV-1 accessory protein. It downregulates CD4 from infected cell surface, a mechanism critical for efficient viral replication and pathogenicity. Agents that antagonize the Nef-mediated CD4 downregulation may offer a new class of drug to combat HIV infection and disease. TPCK (N-α-p-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone) and TLCK (N-α-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone) are alkylation reagents that chemically modify the side chain of His or Cys residues in a protein. In search of chemicals that inhibit Nef function, we discovered that TPCK and TLCK alkylated HIV Nef. Nef modification by TPCK was demonstrated on reducing SDS-PAGE. The specific cysteine residues modified were determined by site-directed mutagenesis and mass spectrometry (MS). The effect of TPCK modification on Nef-CD4 interaction was studied using fluorescence titration of a synthetic CD4 tail peptide with recombinant Nef-His protein. The conformational change of Nef-His protein upon TPCK-modification was monitored using CD spectrometry Incubation of Nef-transfected T cells, or recombinant Nef-His protein, with TPCK resulted in mobility shift of Nef on SDS-PAGE. Mutagenesis analysis indicated that the modification occurred at Cys55 and Cys206 in Nef. Mass spectrometry demonstrated that the modification was a covalent attachment (alkylation) of TPCK at Cys55 and Cys206. Cys55 is next to the CD4 binding motif (A56W57L58) in Nef required for Nef-mediated CD4 downregulation and for AIDS development. This implies that the addition of a bulky TPCK molecule to Nef at Cys55 would impair Nef function and reduce HIV pathogenicity. As expected, Cys55 modification reduced the strength of the interaction between Nef-His and CD4 tail peptide by 50%. Our data suggest that this Cys55-specific alkylation mechanism may be exploited to develop a new class of anti HIV drugs.
Families of choice and noncollegiate sororities and fraternities among lesbian and bisexual African-American women in a southern community: implications for sexual and reproductive health research.

Background Self-identified lesbian and bisexual African-American women living in the southern United States are a relatively hidden subpopulation within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Existing research suggests that African-American lesbian and bisexual women are at high risk for sexually transmissible infections (STIs), but the sexual and reproductive health needs of this population are just beginning to be understood. Methods: We conducted four focus groups and five individual interviews with 24 lesbian and bisexual African-American women living in the Jackson, Mississippi, metropolitan area, recruited through the local STI clinic and through word of mouth. We aimed to characterise the role of two types of social organisations (lesbian families and noncollegiate lesbian sororities and fraternities) among the local LGBT community, and their influence on the sexual health of their members. Results: Both types of social organisations serve positive functions for their members. Lesbian families provide support and stability; this appears beneficial for younger individuals, who may lack support from biological families. Lesbian sororities and fraternities are visible due to their emphasis on community service, and offer a strong sense of solidarity and belonging. In both organisation types, discussions about sex were common, although members acknowledged a lack of information regarding safer sex among lesbian and bisexual women. Conclusions: Existing social organisations within the LGBT community, such as lesbian families and lesbian sororities and fraternities, should be incorporated into community-based popular opinion leader or lay heath advisor interventions in an effort to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of marginalised populations.
Some implications of a social learning theory for the prediction of goal directed behavior from testing procedures.

Many sophisticated observers are aware that a wide gap exists between personality theory and the techniques or procedures used to measure personality variables. The low level of prediction of such testing procedures may well be a function of the failure to apply the theories themselves to the methods of measurement. Particularly, it is a failure to apply an analysis of the determinants of behavior in general to the specific test taking behavior of the subjects (Ss). The gap itself may be described as having three aspects. The first of these relates to the question of the constructs used in the theory and the constructs which the tests were developed to measure. In many instances rather than devising tests which measure specific theoretical constructs which are carefully denned and for which the test behavior can be understood as a logical referent, the descriptive constructs used to classify test response do not logically relate to the new theoretical constructs but are bent or twisted to measure the new variables. That is, test constructs which were used to classify test responses developed earlier are "translated" to be measures of the new variables. Examples of this are use of Rorschach variables such as color, movement, and shading which arose from imagery-type theory, to measure such constructs as "ego strength," "rigidity," and "tolerance for ambiguity."
Oat phytochrome A mRNA degradation appears to occur via two distinct pathways.

We have identified possible mechanisms for the degradation of oat phytochrome A (PHYA) mRNA. The majority of PHYA mRNA molecules appeared to be degraded prior to removal of the poly(A) tail, a pathway that differs from that reported for the degradation of other eukaryotic mRNAs. Polyadenylated PHYA mRNA contained a pattern of putative degradation products that is consistent with a 5'+3' exoribonuclease, although the participation of a stochastic endoribonuclease cannot be excluded. lhe poly(A) tail of PHYA mRNA was heterogeneous in size and ranged from -14 to 220 nucleotides. Early PHYA mRNA degradation events did not appear to involve site-specific endoribonucleases. Approximately 25% of the apparently full-length PHYA mRNA was poly(A) deficient. Oat H4 histone, P-tubulin, and actin mRNA populations had lower amounts of apparently full-length mRNAs that were poly(A) deficient. Degradation of the poly(A)-deficient PHYA mRNA, a second pathway, appeared to be initiated by a 3'+5'exoribonucleolytic removal of the poly(A) tail followed by both 5'-3' and 3'+5' exoribonuclease activities. Polysome-associated RNA contained putative P HYA mRNA degradation products and was a mixture of polyadenylated and deadenylated PHYA messages, suggesting that the two distinct degradation pathways are polysome associated.
Photopigment Spectral Absorbance in Four Hudson River Fishes

ABSTRACT We measured the spectral absorbance of photoreceptor cells from four fish species common to the lower Hudson River—striped bass (Morone saxatilis), white perch (Morone americana), Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia), and bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). Striped bass and white perch were dichromatic with maximum wavelength sensitivities around 530 nm and above 600 nm. Atlantic silverside had cones with peak absorbances at 400 nm, 449 nm, and 570 nm. The bluefish peak absorbances fell at 423 nm, 447 nm, 526 nm, and 564 nm.
Effect of zeolite framework type and Si/Al ratio on dimethoxymethane carbonylation

This work reports on the effects of zeolite framework type and Si/Al ratio on the carbonylation of dimethoxymethane (DMM) to produce methyl methoxyacetate (MMAc). Faujasite (FAU), ZSM-5 (MFI), Mordenite (MOR) and Beta (BEA) showed very similar activity for DMM carbonylation. However, FAU had a very high selectivity to MMAc compared to MFI, MOR and BEA because of very low rates of dimethyl ether (DME) and methyl formate (MF) formation, by-products of the disproportionation of DMM. The high rate of DMM disproportionation observed for MFI, MOR and BEA is ascribed to the small pores of these zeolites, which facilitate a critical initial step in the formation of DME and MF. FER showed very low activity for both carbonylation and disproportionation. Increasing the Si/Al ratio for both FAU and MFI led to an increase in the turnover frequency for DMM carbonylation. It is proposed that the low rate of MMAc formation found at low Si/Al ratios is due to repulsive interactions occurring between adsorbed species located within the same supercage (FAU) or channel intersection (MFI).
On nearest-neighbor error-correcting output codes with application to all-pairs multiclass support vector machines

A common way of constructing a multiclass classifier is by combining the outputs of several binary ones, according to an error-correcting output code (ECOC) scheme. The combination is typically done via a simple nearest-neighbor rule that finds the class that is closest in some sense to the outputs of the binary classifiers. For these nearest-neighbor ECOCs, we improve existing bounds on the error rate of the multiclass classifier given the average binary distance. The new bounds provide insight into the one-versus-rest and all-pairs matrices, which are compared through experiments with standard datasets. The results also show why elimination (also known as DAGSVM) and Hamming decoding often achieve the same accuracy.
Meis family proteins are required for hindbrain development in the zebrafish

Meis homeodomain proteins function as Hox-cofactors by binding Pbx and Hox proteins to form multimeric complexes that control transcription of genes involved in development and differentiation. It is not known what role Meis proteins play in these complexes, nor is it clear which Hox functions require Meis proteins in vivo. We now show that a divergent Meis family member, Prep1, acts as a Hox co-factor in zebrafish. This suggests that all Meis family members have at least one shared function and that this function must be carried out by a conserved domain. We proceed to show that the Meinox domain, an N-terminal conserved domain shown to mediate Pbx binding, is sufficient to provide Meis activity to a Pbx/Hox complex. We find that this activity is separable from Pbx binding and resides within the M1 subdomain. This finding also presents a rational strategy for interfering with Meis activity in vivo. We accomplish this by expressing the Pbx4/Lzr N-terminus, which sequesters Meis proteins in the cytoplasm away from the nuclear transcription complexes. Sequestering Meis proteins in the cytoplasm leads to extensive loss of rhombomere (r) 3- and r4-specific gene expression, as well as defective rhombomere boundary formation in this region. These changes in gene expression correlate with impaired neuronal differentiation in r3 and r4, e.g. the loss of r3-specific nV branchiomotor neurons and r4-specific Mauthner neurons. We conclude that Meis family proteins are essential for the specification of r3 and r4 of the hindbrain.
The evolution of fetal protection policies

This article examines the evolution of fetal protection policies (FPPs) by detailing their historical legacy and a range of contemporary social forces that have contributed to their maintenance. It is based on a case study of the 1977 U.S. Depart- ment of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hearings to revise the industrial lead standard, the 1991 U.S. Supreme Court decision that such policies are unconstitutional (United Auto Workers v. Johnson Controls, 1991), and the case law preceding that decision. A primary issue is the notion that women and fetuses are disproportionately susceptible to lead. This study reveals the ways in which this belief is framed, disputed, and appropriated by various parties to the fetal protection policy debate. Implications of this case study for family health policy are also discussed.
Efficient solution of GSPNs using canonical matrix diagrams

The solution of a generalized stochastic Petri net (GSPN) is severely restricted by the size of its underlying continuous-time Markov chain. In recent work (G. Ciardo and A.S. Miner, 1999), matrix diagrams built from a Kronecker expression for the transition rate matrix of certain types of GSPNs were shown to allow for more efficient solution; however, the GSPN model requires a special form, so that the transition rate matrix has a Kronecker expression. In this paper, we extend the earlier results to GSPN models with partitioned sets of places. Specifically, we give a more restrictive definition for matrix diagrams and show that the new form is canonical. We then present an algorithm that builds a canonical matrix diagram representation for an arbitrary non-negative matrix, given encodings for the sets of rows and columns. Using this algorithm, a Kronecker expression is not required to construct the matrix diagram. The efficient matrix diagram algorithms for numerical solution presented earlier are still applicable. We apply our technique to several example GSPNs.
Restricted Slow-Start for TCP

In network protocol research a common goal is optimal bandwidth utilization, while still being network friendly. The drawback of TCP in networks with large bandwidth-delay products due to its AIMD based congestion control mechanism is well known. The congestion control algorithm of TCP has two phases namely slow-start phase and congestion-avoidance phase. Many researchers have focused on modifying the congestion avoidance phase of the algorithm. In this work, we propose a modification to the slow-start phase of the algorithm to achieve better performance. Restricted slow-start algorithm is a simple sender side alteration to the TCP congestion window update algorithm
A Real-Time Database Testbed and Performance Evaluation

A lot of real-time database (RTDB) research has been done to process transactions in a timely fashion using fresh data reflecting the current real world status. However, most existing RTDB work is based on simulations. Due to the absence of a publicly available RTDB testbed, it is very hard to evaluate real-time data management techniques in a realistic environment. To address the problem, we design and develop an initial version of a RTDB testbed, called Chronos, atop an open source database. We develop soft real-time database workloads that model online stock trades, providing several knobs to specify workloads for RTDB performance evaluation. In addition, we develop a QoS management scheme in Chronos to detect overload and reduce workloads, via admission control and adaptive temporal data updates, under overload. From the extensive experiments using the stock trading workloads developed in Chronos, we observe that adaptive updates can considerably improve the transaction timeliness. We also observe that admission control can only enhance the timeliness under severe overload, possibly causing underutilization problems for moderate workloads. Overall, we observe several results different from simulation-based work, warranting the need for RTDB performance evaluation in a real database system.
Mechanisms of Belief-Desire Reasoning Inhibition and Bias

Biases in reasoning can provide insight into underlying processing mechanisms. We demonstrate a new bias in children's belief-desire reasoning. Children between 4 and 8 years of age were told a story in which a character was mistaken about which of three boxes contained some object. The character wanted to go to one of the boxes, but only if it did not contain the object. In this scenario, the character would be expected to avoid the box where she falsely believed the object to be, but might go to either of the remaining boxes. Though the character was equally likely to go to either box, children were biased to predict that the character would go to the box that contained the object. In a control task, the character had the same desire but did not have a false belief; in this case, children showed no bias, choosing the two correct answers equally often. The observed pattern of bias was predicted by a developmental model of belief-desire reasoning. Competent belief-desire reasoning depends on a process of ...
Adolescent Health Risk Behavior: When Do Pediatric Psychologists Break Confidentiality?

Objective: To determine the circumstances under which pediatric psychologists believe it is ethical to break confidentiality when presented with adolescent health risk behavior. Method: Members of the Society of Pediatric Psychology (N = 92) responded to a survey containing a vignette about an adolescent patient engaging in health-compromising behaviors. Participants rated the degree to which it is ethical to break confidentiality for health risk behaviors of varying frequency, intensity, and duration. Results: Respondents generally find it ethical to break confidentiality when health risk behaviors are more intense, more frequent, and of longer duration. Respondents also find it more ethical to break confidentiality for female smoking than for male smoking. Similarly, they find it more ethical to break confidentiality for female sexual behavior than for male sexual behavior, but only as the frequency/duration increases. Conclusions: At a certain point, maintaining the adolescent’s health is more important for pediatric psychologists than maintaining confidentiality.
Novel Essential DNA Repair Proteins Nse1 and Nse2 Are Subunits of the Fission Yeast Smc5-Smc6 Complex

The structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) family of proteins play essential roles in genomic stability. SMC heterodimers are required for sister-chromatid cohesion (Cohesin: Smc1 & Smc3), chromatin condensation (Condensin: Smc2 & Smc4), and DNA repair (Smc5 & Smc6). The SMC heterodimers do not function alone and must associate with essential non-SMC subunits. To gain further insight into the essential and DNA repair roles of the Smc5-6 complex, we have purified fission yeast Smc5 and identified by mass spectrometry the co-precipitating proteins, Nse1 and Nse2. We show that both Nse1 and Nse2 interact with Smc5 in vivo, as part of the Smc5-6 complex. Nse1 and Nse2 are essential proteins and conserved from yeast to man. Loss of Nse1 and Nse2 function leads to strikingly similar terminal phenotypes to those observed for Smc5-6 inactivation. In addition, cells expressing hypomorphic alleles of Nse1 and Nse2 are, like Smc5-6 mutants, hypersensitive to DNA damage. Epistasis analysis suggests that like Smc5-6, Nse1, and Nse2 function together with Rhp51 in the homologous recombination repair of DNA double strand breaks. The results of this study strongly suggest that Nse1 and Nse2 are novel non-SMC subunits of the fission yeast Smc5-6 DNA repair complex.
Civic Orientation in Cultures of Privilege: What Role Do Schools Play?

The context of privilege provides unique opportunities and challenges for youth civic development. A mixed-method approach was used to examine links between school-based community service, school climate, and civic orientation among students in cultures of privilege. Surveys completed by students (N = 376) at two private high schools—one with an extracurricular community service requirement and one without—suggest that students in the school without the service requirement report similar, and in some cases more positive, civic attitudes than students from the school with the requirement. Focus-group data indicated that the service requirement was viewed positively, but illuminated other school experiences that might promote community orientation in cultures of privilege, such as an emphasis on global awareness and making civic priorities fundamental to school identity.
Result of high-dose imatinib mesylate in patients with Philadelphia chromosome—positive chronic myeloid leukemia after failure of interferon-α

Imatinib at 400 mg daily is effective in chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) after interferon failure, although only a few patients achieve a molecular remission. We investigated whether higher doses of imatinib may be more effective. Thirty-six patients with chronic-phase CML after failure on interferon-alpha were treated with 400 mg imatinib twice daily. Median time from diagnosis was 25 months (range, 10-135 months); 4 patients (11%) had clonal evolution. All 11 patients with active disease achieved complete hematologic response. Excluding patients with fewer than 35% Ph-positive metaphases before the start of therapy, 19 (90%) of 21 evaluable patients achieved a major cytogenetic response. Of 27 evaluable patients, 24 (89%) achieved a complete cytogenetic response. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed in bone marrow every 3 months. Of 32 evaluable patients, 18 (56%) showed BCR-ABL/ABL percentage ratios lower than 0.045%, including 13 (41%) with undetectable levels. With a median follow-up of 15 months, all patients were alive in chronic phase. Toxicities were similar to those reported with standard dose; 71% of patients continue to receive 600 mg or more of imatinib daily. In conclusion, high-dose imatinib induces complete cytogenetic responses in most patients with chronic-phase CML after interferon failure. This is accompanied by a high rate of molecular remission.
Diagnostic Features and Differential Diagnosis of Churg-Strauss Syndrome in the Lung A Review

Churg-Strauss syndrome is a rare systemic vasculitis occurring in patients with asthma and blood eosinophilia. Lungs, skin, and nervous system are the most common sites of involvement, although many other organs are affected frequently. The diagnosis often is established from clinical findings or biopsy of extrapulmonary sites, and lung biopsy is performed infrequently. The classic pathologic findings in the lung include a combination of eosinophilic pneumonia, granulomatous inflammation, and vasculitis. All 3 features may not be present in every case, however, and diagnosis often requires careful correlation of the clinical and pathologic findings. The differential diagnosis in the lung includes diseases that are associated with eosinophil infiltrates or a combination of eosinophil infiltrates and granulomatous inflammation. Distinguishing these various diseases from Churg-Strauss syndrome is especially important, since many are more common than Churg-Strauss syndrome, and treatment is usually different.
Putting Environmental Infographics Center Stage: The Role of Visuals at the Elaboration Likelihood Model’s Critical Point of Persuasion

Infographics, which integrate visuals and text, can increase audience engagement with message content. Relying on two experiments, this study demonstrates the role of visuals for decisions to critically evaluate pro-environmental messages. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a theoretical foundation, we demonstrate that individuals engage in greater levels of issue-relevant thinking when shown infographics compared to messages that rely just on text or just on illustration, with learning preferences and visual literacy as moderators. The findings demonstrate that visual content is an important factor for persuasive message processing, and infographic messages hold opportunities for the communication of environmental issues.
A critical review of correlations for the critical properties of defined mixtures

An extensive critical evaluation of available correlations for predicting critical properties of binary defined hydrocarbon as well as some multicomponent hydrocarbon and hydrocarbon-nonhydrocarbon mixtures is presented using all available literature data. The Li method is recommended for critical temperature prediction based upon its accuracy and simplicity, although the Chueh-Prausnitz method is equivalent in accuracy. The Kreglewski method is most accurate for critical pressure prediction. All methods evaluated yielded high errors for the critical properties of methane-containing mixtures. Current correlations on critical volume are discussed, and correlational work on prediction using an excess volume approach is described.
First medium energy neutral atom (MENA) images of Earth's magnetosphere during substorm and storm-time

InitialENA images obtained with the MENA imager on the IMAGE observatory show that ENAs ema- nating from Earth's magnetosphere at least crudely track both Dst and Kp. Images obtained during the storm of August 12, 2000, clearly show strong ring current asymme- try during storm main phase and early recovery phase, and a high degree of symmetry during the late recovery phase. Thus, these images establish the existence of both partial and complete ring currents during the same storm. Further, they suggest that ring current loss through the day side mag- netopause dominates other loss processes during storm main phase and early recovery phase.
An evolving paradigm for the secretory pathway

The paradigm that the secretory pathway consists of a stable endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, using discrete transport vesicles to exchange their contents, gained important support from g...
Parallel Cone Bipolar Pathways to a Ganglion Cell Use Different Rates and Amplitudes of Quantal Excitation

The cone signal reaches the cat9s On-β (X) ganglion cell via several parallel circuits (bipolar cell types b1, b2, and b3). These circuits might convey different regions of the cone9s temporal bandwidth. To test this, I presented a step of light that elicited a transient depolarization followed by a sustained depolarization. The contribution of bipolar cells to these response components was isolated by blocking action potentials with tetrodotoxin and by blocking inhibitory synaptic potentials with bicuculline and strychnine. Stationary fluctuation analysis of the sustained depolarization gave the rate of quantal bombardment: ∼5100 quanta sec −1 for small central cells and ∼45,000 quanta sec −1 for large peripheral cells. Normalizing these rates for the vastly different numbers of bipolar synapses (150–370 per small cell vs 2000 per large cell), quantal rate was constant across the retina, ∼22 quanta synapse −1 sec −1 . Nonstationary fluctuation analysis gave the mean quantal EPSP amplitude: ∼240 μV for the transient depolarization and 30 μV for the sustained depolarization. The b1 bipolar cell is known from noise analysis of the On-α ganglion cell to have a near-maximal sustained release of only approximately two quanta synapse −1 sec −1 . This implies that the other bipolar types (b2 and b3) contribute many more quanta to the sustained depolarization (≥46 synapse −1 sec −1 ). Type b1 probably contributes large quanta to the transient depolarization. Thus, bipolar cell types b1 and b2/b3 apparently constitute parallel circuits that convey, respectively, high and low frequencies.
Extracting and querying network attack scenarios knowledge in IDS using PCTCG and alert semantic networks

The increasing use of intrusion detection system gives rise to a huge volume of alert logs, making it hard for security administrators to uncover hidden attack scenarios. In this paper, we propose a four-layer semantic scheme designed to allow inferring attack scenarios and enabling attack semantic queries. The modified case grammar, PCTCG, is used to convert the raw alerts into machine-understandable uniform alert streams. The 2-atom alert semantic network, 2-AASN are used to generate attack scenario classes. Afterwards, based on the alert context, attack scenario instances are extracted and attack semantic query results on attack scenario instances using spreading activation technique are forwarded to the security administrator.