cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tweezer-shaped hydrazone derivatives for the selective detection of cyanide ion

A series of hydrazone moiety based probes with variable size of binding cavity flanked by mono-nitro and di-nitro group were synthesized. Characterization of the synthesized probes was performed by using 1H, 13C-NMR, HR-MS and FT-IR spectral techniques. Owing to the presence of N–H moieties and nitro groups in the synthesized structures, the probes were evaluated for the detection of anions. The synthesized receptors selectively detected cyanide ions in acetonitrile solution and displayed a distinct change in color. The change in color and selectivity was observed to be dependent on the cage-size and the number of nitro groups present in the structure of the probe. The DFT studies were also performed to understand the mode of binding and color observed in the probes. The parameters obtained from the DFT data correlated very well with the parameters obtained from experimental data. DFT studies indicated that the abstraction of the second proton is more difficult than the abstraction of the first proton due to the presence of H-bonds.
Peptide-Based Vaccines: Current Progress and Future Challenges

Vaccines have had a profound impact on the management and prevention of infectious disease. In addition, the development of vaccines against chronic diseases has attracted considerable interest as an approach to prevent, rather than treat, conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and others. Subunit vaccines consist of nongenetic components of the infectious agent or disease-related epitope. In this Review, we discuss peptide-based vaccines and their potential in three therapeutic areas: infectious disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. We discuss factors that contribute to vaccine efficacy and how these parameters may potentially be modulated by design. We examine both clinically tested vaccines as well as nascent approaches and explore current challenges and potential remedies. While peptide vaccines hold substantial promise in the prevention of human disease, many obstacles remain that have hampered their clinical use; thus, continued research efforts to address these challenges are warranted.
Surface coordination chemistry of germanium nanocrystals synthesized by microwave-assisted reduction in oleylamine.

As surface ligands play a critical role in the colloidal stability and optoelectronic properties of semiconductor nanocrystals, we used solution NMR experiments to investigate the surface coordination chemistry of Ge nanocrystals synthesized by a microwave-assisted reduction of GeI2 in oleylamine. The as-synthesized Ge nanocrystals are coordinated to a fraction of strongly bound oleylamide ligands (with covalent X-type Ge–NHR bonds) and a fraction of more weakly bound (or physisorbed) oleylamine, which readily exchanges with free oleylamine in solution. The fraction of strongly bound oleylamide ligands increases with increasing synthesis temperature, which also correlates with better colloidal stability. Thiol and carboxylic acid ligands bind to the Ge nanocrystal surface only upon heating, suggesting a high kinetic barrier to surface binding. These incoming ligands do not displace native oleylamide ligands but instead appear to coordinate to open surface sites, confirming that the as-prepared nanocrystals are not fully passivated. These findings will allow for a better understanding of the surface chemistry of main group nanocrystals and the conditions necessary for ligand exchange to ultimately maximize their functionality.
Characterization of a thermal aerosol generator for HVAC filtration experiments (RP-1734)

HVAC filters are exposed to a diverse mixture of aerosols during their service life. Aerosol physiochemical properties can have a significant impact on the removal efficiency and loading behavior o...
Development and feasibility of quantitative dynamic cardiac imaging for mice using μSPECT.

Despite growing interest in coronary microvascular disease (CMVD), there is a dearth of mechanistic understanding. Mouse models offer opportunities to understand molecular processes in CMVD. We have sought to develop quantitative mouse imaging to assess coronary microvascular function. We used 99mTc-sestamibi to measure myocardial blood flow in mice with MILabs U-SPECT+ system. We determined recovery and crosstalk coefficients, the influx rate constant from blood to myocardium (K1), and, using microsphere perfusion, constraints on the extraction fraction curve. We used 99mTc and stannous pyrophosphate for red blood cell imaging to measure intramyocardial blood volume (IMBV) as an alternate measure of microvascular function. The recovery coefficients for myocardial tissue (RT) and left ventricular arterial blood (RA) were 0.81 ± 0.16 and 1.07 ± 0.12, respectively. The assumption RT = 1 − FBV (fraction blood volume) does not hold in mice. Using a complete mixing matrix to fit a one-compartment model, we measured K1 of 0.57 ± 0.08 min−1. Constraints on the extraction fraction curve for 99mTc-sestamibi in mice for best-fit Renkin–Crone parameters were α = 0.99 and β = 0.39. Additionally, we found that wild-type mice increase their IMBV by 22.9 ± 3.3% under hyperemic conditions. We have developed a framework for measuring K1 and change in IMBV in mice, demonstrating non-invasive µSPECT-based quantitative imaging of mouse microvascular function.
Reliable Power Grid Expansion Considering $N-1-1$ Contingencies

The $N-1-1$ contingency consists of the consecutive loss of two components in a power system with intervening time for system adjustments between failures. This paper considers the expansion of an electric power system to achieve the $N-1-1$ reliability criterion with operation compliance check on unit commitment, economic dispatch, and power flow under contingency states. The resulting problem yields a very large-scale mixed-integer optimization model. For an efficient solution, a two-level Lagrangian Benders decomposition algorithm is adapted. The model and algorithm are evaluated on modified versions of several IEEE test systems with different contingency state combinations to confirm the proposed method's effectiveness.
A digital health industry cohort across the health continuum

The digital health industry has grown rapidly in the past decade. There will be few future aspects of healthcare untouched by digital health. Thus, the current status of the industry, the implications of companies’ directions and clinical focus, and their external funding are increasingly relevant to healthcare policy, regulation, research, and all healthcare stakeholders. Yet, little is known about the degree to which the digital health industry has focused on the key domains in the health continuum, including prevention, detection, and management. We performed a cross-sectional study of a US digital health industry cohort that received publicly disclosed funding from 2011–2018. We assessed the number of companies; respective funding within each part of the health continuum; and products and services by technology type, clinical indication, purchasers, and end users. In this emerging industry, most companies focused on management of disease and the minority on prevention or detection. This asymmetry, which is similar to the traditional healthcare system, represents an opportunity to focus on earlier parts of the health continuum. Patients were a common purchaser of all products, but especially prevention-focused digital health products, implying a large unmet need not yet served by the traditional healthcare system.
Multiple Stable Isoprene-Ozone Complexes Reveal Complex Entrance Channel Dynamics in the Isoprene + Ozone Reaction.

Accurately characterizing isoprene ozonolysis continues to challenge atmospheric chemists. The reaction is believed to be a spontaneous, concerted cycloaddition. However, little information is avai...
Interest, Usury, and the Transition from “Muslim” to “Islamic” Banks, 1908–1958

This article examines the creation of the first privately-owned Muslim banks in the first half of the twentieth century and the legal debates they instigated among Muslim communities. Whether in Bosnia or India, these banks appeared suddenly in the years immediately before the First World War. They were envisioned as a way to free up Muslim capital for productive ends, and as the means to jumpstart a Muslim economic renaissance. Far from masking their interest transactions, the banks' founders and customers pointed to a range of Islamic legal rulings that justified interest levied on deposits and loans. These rulings varied from one geographic locale to the next, and were expressive of diverse Muslim institutional and legal histories. Yet in an age when the formerly diffuse discursive terrain around interest, usury, and the Islamic foundational sources was shifting towards a consensus that rejected any interest/usury distinction, some of these banks faced acute challenges, particularly in India. There, novel notions of interest-free Islamic economics were articulated from the interwar period, which rejected any form of Muslim interest-banking. In time, the earlier iteration of Muslim interest banking became overshadowed by the new paradigm of “Islamic banks” which purportedly eschewed all financial interest.
Perspective as practice: renaissance cultures of optics: edited by Sven Dupré, Turnhout, Belgium, Brepols, 2019, 512 pp., 90 Euros, ISBN: 978-2-503-58107-1

“From time to time I would like you to frequent not just scholars, but also all sorts of workers and mechanics”, Joachim du Bellay told readers in his mid-sixteenth-century manifesto on the French ...
Revealing nitrogen-containing species in commercial catalysts used for ammonia electrosynthesis

Stimulated by the growing demand for sustainable and/or economical distributed ammonia synthesis, the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction has attracted considerable interest. The nitrogen-containing impurities in commercial metal-based nitrogen reduction reaction catalysts such as metal oxides and metallic irons have, however, been overlooked. Herein we report the presence of nitrogen-containing species in NOx− or nitrides at substantial levels revealed from many commercial catalysts. We call attention to the necessity to screen the NOx−/nitrides impurities in commercial catalysts, as the nitrogen impurities are not commonly listed in vendors’ assay documents. A simple two-step procedure (alkaline/acidic treatment followed by HPLC/UV–vis analysis) is recommended as a reliable protocol for screening NOx−/nitrides impurities in catalyst materials. A case analysis is also carried out on the previously reported H2O–NaOH–KOH system with both 15N-isotopic labelling and nitrogen elemental tracking, reassigning the true nitrogen source of the electrochemically produced NH3 from gaseous N2 to nitrogen-containing impurities in catalysts. The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction has recently attracted significant interest, but the true source of ammonia formation remains sometimes unclear. This Analysis reports a systematic investigation of the presence of nitrogen-containing species in a number of commercial catalysts, revealing substantial levels of NOx− and nitrides impurities for some of them.
Super-Resolution Time-of-Arrival Estimation using Neural Networks

This paper presents a learning-based algorithm that estimates the time of arrival (ToA) of radio frequency (RF) signals from channel frequency response (CFR) measurements for wireless localization applications. A generator neural network is proposed to enhance the effective bandwidth of the narrowband CFR measurement and to produce a high-resolution estimation of channel impulse response (CIR). In addition, two regressor neural networks are introduced to perform a two-step coarsefine ToA estimation based on the enhanced CIR. For simulated channels, the proposed method achieves 9% – 58% improved root mean squared error (RMSE) for distance ranging and up to 22% improved false detection rate compared with conventional super-resolution algorithms. For real-world measured channels, the proposed method exhibits an improvement of 1.3m in distance error at 90 percentile.
Cement Augmentation of Vertebral Compression Fractures May Be Safely Considered in the Very Elderly.

OBJECTIVE The objective of the current study was to perform a retrospective review of a national database to assess the safety of cement augmentation for vertebral compression fractures in geriatric populations in varying age categories. METHODS The 2005-2016 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases were queried to identify patients undergoing kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty in the following age categories: 60-69, 70-79, 80-89, and 90+ years old. Demographic variables, comorbidity status, procedure type, provider specialty, inpatient/outpatient status, number of procedure levels, and periprocedure complications were compared between age categories using chi-square analysis. Multivariate logistic regressions controlling for patient and procedural variables were then performed to assess the relative periprocedure risks of adverse outcomes of patients in the different age categories relative to those who were 60-69 years old. RESULTS For the 60-69, 70-79, 80-89, and 90+ years old cohorts, 486, 822, 937, and 215 patients were identified, respectively. After controlling for patient and procedural variables, 30-day any adverse events, serious adverse events, reoperation, readmission, and mortality were not different for the respective age categories. Cases in the 80- to 89-year-old cohort were at increased risk of minor adverse events compared to cases in the 60- to 69-year-old cohort. CONCLUSION As the population ages, cement augmentation is being considered as a treatment for vertebral compression fractures in increasingly older patients. These results suggest that even the very elderly may be appropriately considered for these procedures (level of evidence: 3).
Spinal conditioning

A classical conditioning paradigm was performed on acute paralyzed cats which had undergone spinal section at T-12. Electrical stimulation to the superficial peroneal nerve served as the CS and to the ankle skin as the UCS. Responses from the deep peroneal motor nerve indicated in two separate studies that CS-UCS pairing produced response amplitude increases not seen in unpaired or CS-only controls. A third study indicated that long-lasting sensitization due to the UCS could not account for the results.
Nonparametric extraction of the constitutive response of low-impedance materials at high rates

Abstract The Kolsky (or split-Hopkinson) bar has been the primary experimental method for obtaining high rate material behavior since the late 1940s. It is a diverse experimental device that allows for the study of material response ranging from brittle to ductile, and even hyperelastic behavior. At the same time, extracting the response of low-impedance materials at high rates leveraging the Kolsky bar method presents well-known challenges. These largely derive from the acoustic impedance mismatch between a soft sample and the bars. Namely, soft specimens have low acoustic wave speeds that delay stress equilibration in the specimen; a necessary condition for classical Kolsky analysis. We demonstrate that the long-standing challenge of achieving or validating stress equilibrium is in most cases not a fundamental limitation of the method itself, but rather an artifact of the traditional point-type measurements. This is especially true for soft specimens undergoing finite deformations, that is, on the order of 20–80%. We present and validate a full-field nonparametric analysis method that allows traction identification at any cross-section of the specimen via a well-defined mathematical operation, in contrast to the ill-defined difference operation of two nearly identical noisy signals required in the classical analysis. Moreover, we demonstrate the efficacy of the newer method on an open-cell polyurethane foam of very low density and stiffness. As high-speed imaging and quantitative digital image processing become more widespread, this method can be utilized to obtain properties of very soft specimens with low densities at high rates. The benefits associated with this method include a higher degree of confidence in the extracted behavior and the well-posedness of the calculations; potentially outweighing the increased cost in instrumentation and computational complexity. As a result, this method may prove useful for the experimental high rate soft-matter mechanics community.
Nurse Burnout in Hospice and Palliative Care: A Scoping Review

Burnout in hospice and palliative care nurses is a growing issue, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have focused specifically on burnout in this population. A scopi...
An Atypical Presentation of Bortezomib-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (1625)

Objective: NA Background: Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor and one of the available treatments for patients with amyloidosis. One possible side effect of bortezomib is peripheral neuropathy, which most commonly presents with isolated painful distal extremity sensory loss. We present an atypical neuropathy with bortezomib use, expanding the phenotypic spectrum in bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy (BIPN). Design/Methods: A 76 year old male with recently diagnosed AL amyloidosis treated with CyBorD (cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, dexamethasone) presented with subacute progressive lower extremity proximal weakness resulting in recurrent falls and distal, painful sensory loss. EMG showed findings most consistent with a length-dependent axonal sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy and no evidence of myopathy. Contrast-enhanced lumbar plexus MRI showed diffuse fascicular T2 hyperintensity and enlargement of the lumbosacral plexus without significant enhancement. Laboratory evaluation (CRP, ANCA, ENA, HbA1c, SPEP) and contrast-enhanced lumbar spine MRI were unremarkable. Sural nerve biopsy revealed multifocal and severely decreased myelinated fiber density, increased axonal degeneration with secondary demyelination, perivascular epineurial inflammatory collections with transmural inflammation and hemosiderin deposition, perineurial thickening, and neovascularization. Vastus lateralis biopsy showed denervation atrophy. Congophilic deposits were absent in both biopsies. His proximal leg weakness was attributed to a motor-predominant lumbosacral polyradiculoneuropathy or plexopathy due to nerve microvasculitis from the bortezomib, which was discontinued. He was started on weekly IV methylprednisolone with significant improvement at 4-month follow-up. Results: NA Conclusions: BIPN is one of the most common side effects limiting ongoing treatment and affecting quality of life. This typically presents as a painful, sensory-predominant length-dependent neuropathy and less commonly, as a demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. There are rare reports of patients on bortezomib with motor-predominant axonal polyradiculoneuropathy and nerve microvasculitis on biopsy, similar to our patient. This case highlights the importance of recognizing this rare presentation of BIPN given the impact on treatment and goal of maximizing functional outcomes for these patients. Disclosure: Dr. Santilli has nothing to disclose. Dr. Martinez-Thompson has nothing to disclose.
Teaching Serious Game App Design Through Client-based Projects

This paper explores mobile game development courses conducted during the 2012/2013 academic year at George Mason University. In the courses, students had to design mobile games for clients. Each design group of five students was responsible for developing a game that would address the clients’ goals. Throughout each course students developed mobile game prototypes and, eventually, an alpha build of the proposed mobile game on a phone or tablet. This paper explores the effectiveness of studio courses in embodying the game design process over individual tool-based courses. It examines the effectiveness of an immersive client-based design project at demonstrating development issues to students. Lastly, it explores how such courses can fit into a Game Design curriculum while still addressing specific Serious Game issues. Through the exploration proposed, educators can consider whether the challenges, surprises, and management issues inherent in client-based projects are worth wider adoption.
Error control techniques for the z-channel

The asymmetric nature of bit errors in several practical applications provides grounds for efficient error control techniques. The Z-channel model and special classes of codes like asymmetric error detection codes and t-asymmetric error correcting/d-asymmetric error detecting codes can be successfully used in ARQ protocols for feedback error control enhancement. This thesis presents some efficient feedback error control techniques, suitable for the Z-channel. Precisely, some forms of hybrid ARQ protocols specific to the Z-channel characteristics are introduced. First a diversity combining scheme is presented and analyzed. The undetected error probability and the expected number of retransmissions are calculated for this protocol. Then the Bose-Lin codes are analyzed and feedback error control specific parameters are derived for them. Finally, a type I hybrid ARQ one-code scheme is proposed and analyzed. The proposed techniques improve the throughput efficiency of feedback error control protocols and decrease their accepted packet error rate. The coding analysis is also of theoretical value, in the sense that it solves some open problems in this area.
Detection of human parvovirus B19 DNA by using the polymerase chain reaction.

Abstract The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was investigated for detecting human parvovirus B19 (B19) DNA in sera. Three pairs of oligonucleotides were evaluated as primers. The best oligonucleotide pair spanned 699 nucleotides, including the region common to VP1 and VP2. After PCR amplification of B19 DNA in serum, a 699-nucleotide DNA fragment was detected on agarose gels. This DNA fragment was B19 DNA, because after Southern transfer it hybridized to a 19-nucleotide internal probe and contained a single PstI cleavage site. Dot blot hybridization with a radiolabeled cloned portion of the B19 genome as a probe was compared with PCR. PCR was 10(4) times more sensitive than dot blot hybridization and, with an internal radiolabeled probe, 10(7) times more sensitive than dot blot hybridization. Of 29 serum specimens from 18 patients with proven B19 infections, 24 were PCR positive. None of 20 serum samples from uninfected controls were positive. Of 22 serum samples positive for immunoglobulin M to B19, PCR detected B19 DNA in 17. Seven serum samples lacking immunoglobulin M were PCR positive. PCR detected B19 DNA in urine, amniotic fluid, pleural fluid, ascites, and leukocyte extracts. PCR is a rapid and simple method for diagnosing infections with human parvovirus B19 but must be combined with serologic tests for immunoglobulin M to B19, especially when testing only a single serum sample.
Work in progress - developing an international field project in China

ENGR0035 is an optional three-credit study abroad opportunity offered jointly by the school of business and engineering as a follow-up to the freshman writing assignments. The course consists of a field study trip to Valparaiso, Chile; Nanjing, China; Prague, the Czech Republic; or Augsburg, Germany. The course involves lectures at the local universities, company visits and sightseeing. It culminates in a group research paper and a presentation focused on one of the visited companies, as well as in the national and global industry in which it operates. The groups consist of both business and engineering students, thus their viewpoints are considered in the paper and in the presentation. This paper outlines the course layout for the China component.
μ2-Iodido-bis­{dimeth­yl[methyl­bis(quinolin-8-yl)silanyl-κ3N,Si,N′]platinum(IV)} tetra­kis(penta­fluoro­phen­yl)borate dichloro­methane 0.66-solvate

The title complex, [Pt2(CH3)4(C19H15N2Si)2I][B(C6F5)4]·0.66CH2Cl2, resulted from an attempt to synthesize a stable five-coordinate platinum species via ligand abstraction of a six-coordinate platinum precursor. However, dimerization occurred after ligand abstraction, thereby yielding the compound described in this study. The cation is a dinuclear PtIV organometallic complex, in which the metal centers are bridged by an I− anion. Both metal centers display a coordination geometry close to octa­hedral, including cis-arranged quinoline ligands connected by Si atoms, which form Pt—Si bonds, two cis-methyl groups, and the bridging I− anion. In the crystal structure, voids between cations and anions are partially filled with an average of 0.66 mol­ecules of dichloro­methane solvent.
BODY DISPROPORTIONS AND OCCUPATIONAL SUCCESS IN BUS AND TRUCK DRIVERS.

Ten indices of body proportion were compared among 43–103 champion and 200–268 regular truck drivers. Significant differences were found in the mean values for three indices — biacromial diameter/chest circumference, chest depth/ biacromial, and calf circumference/biacromial — but in only one disproportion percentage (percentage of the group beyond one standard deviation from the champions mean) — namely, chest depth/biacromial. Differences in mean values were attributable mainly to the champions larger biacromial breadth. Previous reports that superior performers within an occupational group had fewer disproportions than average performers were not confirmed.
The International Court of Justice's Decision in Congo v. Belgium: How Has It Affected the Development of a Principle of Universal Jurisdiction That Would Obligate All States to Prosecute War Criminals

There are significant gaps in the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction which states must fill by prosecuting international crimes in national courts. How effectively states will be able to perform this task depends upon whether they can assert jurisdiction over offenses and offenders outside their territorial boundaries. The stakes are high. The failure to arrive at a workable principle of universal jurisdiction will mean the most serious breaches of international criminal law will be beyond the reach of any prosecuting authority. Part I of the article starts with an exposition of the various ways the term “universal jurisdiction” is used and how the multiplicity of uses confuse the issue. Then, Part II examines accepted theories of extraterritorial jurisdiction to see whether they provide for "universal" jurisdiction, as is sometimes claimed. Part III will analyze the development of "extradite or prosecute" jurisdiction in a series of post-war, multilateral conventions, and try to answer the question whether, either as the result of these conventions or separate from them, a principle of universal jurisdiction over certain core international crimes (such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide) has emerged. Finally, Part IV of the article considers how the separate opinions in Congo v. Belgium affect these developments and what the current state of the law is.
Protein acetylation dynamics in response to carbon overflow in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli, acetylation of proteins at lysines depends largely on a non-enzymatic acetyl phosphate-dependent mechanism. To assess the functional significance of this post-translational modification, we first grew wild-type cells in buffered tryptone broth with glucose and monitored acetylation over time by immunochemistry. Most acetylation occurred in stationary phase and paralleled glucose consumption and acetate excretion, which began upon entry into stationary phase. Transcription of rprA, a stationary phase regulator, exhibited similar behavior. To identify sites and substrates with significant acetylation changes, we used label-free, quantitative proteomics to monitor changes in protein acetylation. During growth, both the number of identified sites and the extent of acetylation increased with considerable variation among lysines from the same protein. As glucose-regulated lysine acetylation was predominant in central metabolic pathways and overlapped with acetyl phosphate-regulated acetylation sites, we deleted the major carbon regulator CRP and observed a dramatic loss of acetylation that could be restored by deleting the enzyme that degrades acetyl phosphate. We propose that acetyl phosphate-dependent acetylation is a response to carbon flux that could regulate central metabolism.
Mercury and organomercurial resistances determined by plasmids in Pseudomonas.

Mercury and organomercurial resistance determined by genes on ten Pseudomonas aeruginosa plasmids and one Pseudomonas putida plasmid have been studied with regard to the range of substrates and the range of inducers. The plasmidless strains were sensitive to growth inhibition by Hg2+ and did not volatilize Hg0 from Hg2+. A strain with plasmid RP1 (which does not confer resistance to Hg2+) similarly did not volatilize mercury. All 10 plasmids determine mercury resistance by way of an inducible enzyme system. Hg2+ was reduced to Hg0, which is insoluble in water and rapidly volatilizes from the growth medium. Plasmids pMG1, pMG2, R26, R933, R93-1, and pVS1 in P. aeruginosa and MER in P. putida conferred resistance to and the ability to volatilize mercury from Hg2+, but strains with these plasmids were sensitive to and could not volatilize mercury from the organomercurials methylmercury, ethylmercury, phenylmercury, and thimerosal. These plasmids, in addition, conferred resistance to the organomercurials merbromin, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, and fluorescein mercuric acetate. The other plasmids, FP2, R38, R3108, and pVS2, determined resistance to and decomposition of a range of organomercurials, including methylmercury, ethylmercury, phenylmercury, and thimerosal. These plasmids also conferred resistance to the organomercurials merbromin, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, and fluorescein mercuric acetate by a mechanism not involving degradation. In all cases, organomercurial decomposition and mercury volatilization were induced by exposure to Hg2+ or organomercurials. The plasmids differed in the relative efficacy of inducers. Hg2+ resistance with strains that are organomercurial sensitive appeared to be induced preferentially by Hg2+ and only poorly by organomercurials to which the cells are sensitive. However, the organomercurials p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, merbromin, and fluorescein mercuric acetate were strong gratuitous inducers but not substrates for the Hg2+ volatilization system. With strains resistant to phenylmercury and thimerosal, these organomercurials were both inducers and substrates.
An analysis of seed development in Pisum sativum. VII. Embryo development and precocious germination in vitro

Three different culture media have been examined for their ability to support growth in culture of embryos of two pea lines near-isogenic except for the r-locus. Embryos showed a greater increase in fresh weight on a medium containing 10% sucrose and a high level of a mixture of amino acids than on either one containing an equivalent amount of glutamine as the sole nitrogen source or one containing both inorganic nitrogen and a low level of glutamine. Small embryos (up to 10 mg fresh weight) showed the greatest relative increase in fresh weight. Decreasing the osmotic pressure of an agar medium by lowering the sucrose content to 2% and reducing the concentration of amino acids induced precocious germination. Shoot growth was more sensitive than root growth to increasing sucrose concentrations and optimum development was obtained when embryos were cultured in liquid culture at a high osmotic pressure followed by growth on an agar medium at low osmotic pressure. Alternatively, precocious germination could be induced by removing the cotyledons. Embryos of all sizes and of both genotypes of pea responded in a similar manner.
Semipermeable ion-exchange membranes as a preconcentration matrix for trace analysis by electrochemical and neutron-activation techniques.

Summary-Ion-exchange membranes were used in conjunction with neutron-activation analysis and anodic stripping voltammetry for the determination of certain trace metal ions. The various parameters which govern the applicability, limitations and sensitivity of the methods were investigated. A new membrane “barrier” electrode assembly was introduced and found to be useful for the anodic stripping determination of trace metal ions in the presence of surface active materials. THE application of the mercury-membrane electrode for voltammetry was introduced by Bowers and Wilson1 and was discussed in detail by Bowers and Murray.2 The membrane in this case was cellophane and acted as a fixed diffusion layer for the electroactive species to the electrode. These studies discussed in detail the diffusion model of the electrode process and its possible application to direct voltammetric analysis. In a preliminary communication,3 a new electrode assembly for the anodic stripping technique was introduced in which the electrode material was pyrolytic graphite and a cellophane membrane acted as a diffusion layer. The use of membranes was also extended to ion-exchange membranes. These membranes, recently introduced commercially, are produced as sheets which are homogeneous in composition with respect to the ion-exchange sites and their polymeric skeleton is polyethylene which is stable towards most acids, bases, and oxidants. The ion-exchange capacity of a particular membrane (Type C-103 manufactured by the American Machine and Foundry Co., Springdale, Conn.) was similar to that of regular ion-exchange resins and was 1.3 meq/g. (The usual application of these ion-exchange membranes is in electrodialysis, and a summary of the theoretical and experimental application of these membranes is given by Helfferich.4) Ion-exchange membrane electrodes have also been used in potentiometric precipitations and acid-base6 titrations. A recent paper described the application of ionexchange membranes for enrichment of trace amounts of cations from large volumes of dilute electrolyte solution into a small volume of highly concentrated electrolyte solution.’ The membrane separated the two electrolyte solutions.
The Changing Relationship Between Housing and Inequality, 1980–2010

Inequality in both income and wealth has grown rapidly in the United States since the 1970s. Over the same period, homeownership rates increased in step with expansionist government policies and the development of subprime and other exotic loan products, and housing affordability challenges emerged as the most prevalent housing problem for owners and renters alike. The subprime lending and foreclosure crises of the 2000s stretched households financially, threatening the traditional economic benefits of homeownership, bringing into stark relief the ways in which housing and inequality mutually influence one another, and implicating homeownership, housing affordability, and subprime lending in the widening gap between the rich and the poor. This article examines the changing roles of homeownership, housing affordability, and subprime lending in contemporary U.S. inequality by, first, describing trends in county inequality and housing characteristics and, second, modeling inequality as a function of the prev...
Characterization of the theorectical radiation dose enhancement from nanoparticles.

Recently, nanoparticles have been considered as a method of providing radiation dose enhancement in tumors. In order to quantify this affect, a dose enhancement factor (DEF) is defined that represents the ratio of the dose deposited in tumor with nanoparticles, divided by the dose deposited in the tumor without nanoparticles. Materials with atomic numbers (Z) ranging from 25 to 90 are considered in this analysis. In addition, the energy spectrum for a number of external beam x-ray sources and common radionuclides are evaluated. For a nanoparticle concentration of 5 mg/ml, the DEF is 70), the DEF increases and is a maximum for the highest Z materials. High atomic number nanoparticles coupled with low energy external beam x-rays or brachytherapy sources offer the potential of significantly enhancing the delivered dose.
A Reaction Model-Free Approach for In Situ Combustion Calculations: 1-Kinetics Prediction

In this study, we propose a new high-fidelity method to simulate in situ combustion. A reaction model-free approach is suggested to replace the common multi-step reaction model approach employing Arrhenius-type kinetics. The proposed numerical approach uses the results obtained with a new rapid throughout induction reactor designed by Bazargan et al. (Rev Sci Instrum 84(7):075115, 2013. doi: 10.1063/1.4815827 ). In the new technique, we use a set of ramped temperature oxidation experiments to predict the oxidation for any other temperature profile. The actual oxidation profile of the crude oil sample is inserted into the simulation. Thus, the trouble of finding a proper pseudo-reaction model is avoided. Here, implementation of the technique in a batch-type reactor (analogous to a reservoir simulation grid block) is presented. The predictability of the new technique is shown for three different cases: Sestak and Berggren (Thermochim Acta 3:1–12, 1971. doi: 10.1016/0040-6031(71)85051-7 ) model, Dechelette et al. (J Can Pet Technol 2006. doi: 10.2118/97-04-03 ) reaction model, and the oxidation measurements of a 15 $$^\circ $$ API oil sample. In all cases, good predictions were achieved.
Optimization problems and the polynomial hierarchy

Abstract It is demonstrated that such problems as the symmetric Travelling Salesman Problem, Chromatic Number Problem, Maximal Clique Problem and a Knapsack Packing Problem are in the ΔP2 level of PH and no lower if ∑P1 ≠ ΠP1, or NP≠co-NP. This shows that these problems cannot be solved by polynomial reductions that use only positive information from an NP oracle, if NP≠co-NP. It is then shown how to extend these results to prove that interesting problems are properly in ΔP,Xi+1 for all X,k where ∑P,Xk≠ΠP,Xk in PHX.
Anatomic variability of rejection in intestinal allografts after pediatric intestinal transplantation.

ABSTRACTBackground:Rejection of the allograft is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in children who undergo a small intestinal transplant. Operational definitions for histologic rejection have been established, but little is known about the anatomic variability of the histologic abnormal
The Two Stage Model of Preeclampsia: Variations on the Theme

The Two Stage Model of preeclampsia proposes that a poorly perfused placenta (Stage 1) produces factor(s) leading to the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia (Stage 2). Stage 1 is not sufficient to cause the maternal syndrome but interacts with maternal constitutional factors (genetic, behavioral or environmental) to result in Stage 2. Recent information indicates the necessity for modifications of this model. It is apparent that changes relevant to preeclampsia and other implantation disorders can be detected in the first trimester, long before the failed vascular remodeling necessary to reduce placental perfusion is completed. In addition, although the factor(s) released from the placenta has usually been considered a toxin, we suggest that what is released may also be an appropriate signal from the fetal/placental unit to overcome reduced nutrient availability that cannot be tolerated by some women who develop preeclampsia. Further, it is evident that linkage is not likely to be one factor but several, different for different women. Also although the initial model limited the role of maternal constitutional factors to the genesis of Stage 2, this does not appear to be the case. It is evident that the factors increasing risk for preeclampsia are also associated with abnormal implantation. These several modifications have important implications. An earlier origin for Stage 1, which appears to be recognizable by altered concentrations of placental products, could allow earlier intervention. The possibility of a fetal placental factor increasing nutrient availability could provide novel therapeutic options. Different linkages and preeclampsia subtypes could direct specific preventive treatments for different women while the role of maternal constitutional factors to affect placentation provides targets for prepregnancy therapy. The modified Two Stage Model provides a useful guide towards investigating pathophysiology and guiding therapy.
Monocular diplopia induced by posterior chamber intraocular lens in a patient with peripheral laser iridotomy: a case report.

Monocular diplopia induced by posterior chamber intraocular lens in a patient with peripheral laser iridotomy: a case report
Experimental Verification of Random-Field Critical and Multicritical Behavior

The existence of novel random-field critical and multicritical behavior in antiferromagnetic GdAl${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$:2.75% La was verified. In the neighborhood of the bictritical point, the two second-order transition lines are described each by a different shift exponent, and a random-field crossover exponent ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\mathrm{RF}}=1.79\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04$ is deduced. At the random-field critical points, the specific-heat exponent crosses over to a value $\ensuremath{\alpha}l\ensuremath{-}1$, whereas at random-exchange critical points $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ remains close to 0.
Two-photon laser scanning microscopy with ultrabroad bandwidth 110 nm FWHM femtosecond pulses

Shorter pulses, in theory, should be favorable in nonlinear microscopy and yield stronger signals. However, shorter pulses are much more prone to chromatic dispersion when passing through the microscope objective, which significantly broadens its pulse duration and cancels the expected signal gain. In this paper, multiphoton intrapulse interference phase scan (MIIPS) was used to compensate chromatic dispersion introduced by the 1.45 NA objective. The results show that with MIIPS compensation, the increased signal is realized. We also find that third and higher order dispersion compensation, which cannot be corrected by prism pairs, is responsible for an additional factor of 4.7 signal gain.
A conserved proline-rich sequence between the N-terminal signal-anchor and catalytic domains is required for assembly of functional cytochrome P450 2C2.

Abstract In cytochrome P450 2C2, the region which links the N-terminal signal anchor with the catalytic domain contains a highly conserved proline-rich region with the sequence, 30-PPGPTPFP-37. Mutation of proline-30 or proline-33 diminished activities of the mutants expressed in COS-1 cells (Chen, C., and Kemper, B. (1996)J. Biol. Chem.271, 28697–28611). Substitution of alanine, proline, or arginine for glycine-32 abolished laurate hydroxylase activity of the proteins expressed in COS-1 cells, which suggests that this residue is also functionally important. To determine the basis for the decreased activity in COS-1 cells, the activities and spectral properties of mutant proteins expressed in insect cells and bacteria were determined. Substitution of alanine for either proline-30 or -33 resulted in reduced expression in insect cells of functional cytochrome P450 hemoprotein and an increase in the expression of inactive cytochrome P420. In contrast, substitution of alanine for proline-31, -35, or -37 resulted in hemoproteins with spectra similar to cytochrome P450 2C2 so that the amount of cytochrome P450 expressed in insect cells correlated with the activities of the mutants in COS-1 cells. The laurate hydroxylase activities per nanomole of cytochrome P450 in insect microsomes were similar for wild type and all mutants, indicating that, once folded, the catalytic activity of membrane-bound cytochrome P450 was not affected by the mutations. Expression in bacteria resulted in diminished expression of cytochrome P450 for all mutants, with the greatest decrease for the proline-30 and -33 mutants, and increased cytochrome P420. In contrast to the insect cell studies, the proline-30 and -33 mutants were inactive, while the other mutants had specific activities 30–70% of cytochrome P450 2C2. These data are consistent with a role for the proline-rich region in efficient assembly of cytochrome P450 2C2 in eukaryotic cells. Mutations of this region also may affect the conformational integrity of the proteins, which was revealed by assays of solubilized bacterially expressed proteins.
Deos the Bairn Not Raed Ervey Lteter by Istlef, but the Wrod as a Wlohe?

In this issue of Neuron , Glezer et al. find higher sensitivity to changes in real words than pseudowords in the left visual word form area (VWFA). Here we discuss the implications of their findings and the constraints they impose on neural coding in the lVWFA.
A numerical study of uniaxial compression in circular elastic-plastic columns

Abstract The boundary value problem for a circular elastic-plastic column in uniaxial compression is posed in two ways. In one, the ends of the column are assumed to be cemented to rigid platens; while in the other they remain shear free. For the latter end condition, one solution corresponding to a state of uniform uniaxial stress is available for all values of applied compression. A class of bifurcation modes from this solution, that includes Euler strut buckling and axisymmetric bulging as special cases, is investigated by means of the finite element method. Here, it is found that the only bifurcation mode likely to be realized in elastic-plastic materials of the class considered here (for realistic values of material parameters) is Euler strut buckling. The entire deformation history of a stubby column cemented to rigid platens is also calculated. In this case, attention is confined to axisymmetric deformations. The results obtained include the overall load-strain curve for the column cemented to rigid platens and the stress and strain distributions at the mid section.
Learning that Lasts a Lifetime: Teaching for Long-Term Retention and Transfer.

College faculty entrusted with the task of educating the next generation need to think far beyond the end of the semester and teach for a time in the distant future and for a test that they will not be giving.
A conjoing measurement analysis of clinical predictions

A lack of impressive theories in clinical psychology has been attributed to an excessive reliance on significance testing. Conjoint measurement is a worthwhile alternative to significance testing. Conjoint measurement determines whether data obey the ordinal properties of a model that contains main effect terms, interaction terms, or a combination of the two. Unlike hypothesis testing, with conjoint measurement an increase in statistical power leads to a greater risk of refuting a theory. In this study, conjoint measurement was used to describe how systems-oriented therapists predict the occurrence of suicide. Although the systems approach emphasizes the interaction between an individual and a system, all 10 clinicians were described by an additive model.
Effects of verapamil on metabolism and function of hearts from normaland hyperthyroid rats

That thyroid hormones sensitize the heart and other organs to the metabolic effects of catecholamines is generally accepted. A possible important factor in mediating this hypersensitivety is the intracellular concentration of calcium ions. Hartley and McNeill (1) studied the effect of calcium on cardiac metabolism and myocardial contraction in isolated, perfused hearts from hyperthyroid rats a decade ago. They reported that pretreatment of rats with triiodothyronine did not enhance the elevation in cardiac phosphorylase a activity produced by progressively increasing doses of calcium ions in the fluid perfusing the isolated rat hearts.