cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure alters children's cognitive control circuitry: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Prenatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is associated with increased attention problems in children, however, the effects of such exposure on children's brain structure and function have not been studied. Herein, we probed effects of prenatal ETS on children's cognitive control circuitry and behavior. METHODS Forty-one children (7-9 years) recruited from a prospective longitudinal birth cohort of non-smoking mothers completed structural and task-functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate effects of maternal ETS exposure, measured by maternal prenatal urinary cotinine. Attention problems and externalizing behaviors were measured by parent report on the Child Behavior Checklist. RESULTS Compared to non-exposed children, exposed children had smaller left and right thalamic and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) volumes, with large effect sizes (p-FDR < .05, Cohen's D range from 0.79 to 1.07), and increased activation in IFG during the resolution of cognitive conflict measured with the Simon Spatial Incompatibility Task (38 voxels; peak t(25) = 5.25, p-FWE = .005). Reduced thalamic volume was associated with increased IFG activation and attention problems, reflecting poor cognitive control. Mediation analyses showed a trend toward left thalamic volume mediating the association between exposure and attention problems (p = .05). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that maternal ETS exposure during pregnancy has deleterious effects on the structure and function of cognitive control circuitry which in turn affects attentional capacity in school-age children. These findings are consistent with prior findings documenting the effects of active maternal smoking on chidlren's neurodevleoment, pointing to the neurotixicity of nicotine regardless of exposure pathway.
Incomplete risk attitudes and random choice behavior: an elicitation mechanism

In the presence of incomplete risk attitudes, choices between noncomparable risky prospects are random. A random choice model advanced by Karni (Incomplete preferences and random choice (unpublished manuscript), 2021) includes the hypothesis that choices among noncomparable risky prospects are prompted by signals drawn from personal distributions. This paper introduces a scheme designed to elicit subjects’ assessments of their personal likelihoods of choices among noncomparable risky prospects and describes experiments designed to test the aforementioned hypothesis.
Toward Selection of Trustworthy and Efficient E-Learning Platform

The e-learning sector continues to evolve, with a growing number of eLearning resources available to businesses, government agencies, and individual people. With the fastest growth in developing economies attempting to close the educational gap, the scope of eLearning is now stronger than ever. Because of its low cost, comfort, and availability, e-learning is quickly becoming the world’s dominant educational force of the twenty-first century. Students, experts, and professors are interacting with the educational setting in new ways due to e-learning platforms. Several academics struggle with deciding which of the numerous available platforms is the most suited for their scenario. Evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of every platform can help learners all over the world in designing personalized learning options that meet their budgets and context. This innovation is resilient and ever-changing in order to suit the needs of learners and educators all over the world. This article gives a brief overview of various popular online learning platforms. The main objective of this article is to shed some light on the effective advancement of e-learning platforms and evaluate them using a hybrid multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model-oriented analysis amid pandemics and natural calamities, as well as provide recommendations for users about how to interact with the complexities of e-learning platform selection.
Vulvar Crohn's Disease: Clinical Features and Outcomes.

Introduction Vulvar involvement is a rare complication of Crohn's disease (CD). The optimal treatment of vulvar CD is unknown. Methods We conducted a 25-year retrospective cohort study of vulvar CD from 3 referral centers. Clinical features and outcomes were studied. Results Fifty patients were identified. The most common vulvar symptoms were pain (74%), edema (60%), ulcerations (46%), nodules (36%), and abscess (34%). Medical management leading to symptomatic improvement varied, and 5 patients ultimately required surgery. Discussion Vulvar CD manifests with a broad spectrum of symptoms. Aggressive medical management was frequently effective, although surgery was required in 10% of cases.
Patient and physician factors contributing to polypharmacy among older patients

Polypharmacy, or use of multiple medications, is associated with patient factors. Less is known regarding variation in polypharmacy by individual physicians. The objective of this study was to asse...
M, R and Some Scale Estimators

In the last four decades statistics has seen the emergence and consolidation of many competitors of the Least Square estimator of β of (1.1.1). The most prominent are the so-called M- and R- estimators. The class of M-estimators was introduced by Huber (1973) and its computational aspects and some robustness properties are available in Huber (1981). The class of R-estimators is based on the ideas of Hodges and Lehmann (1963) and has been developed by Adichie (1967), Jureckova (1971) and Jaeckel (1972).
Carotid MRI Detection of Intraplaque Hemorrhage at 3T and 1.5T

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Carotid intraplaque hemorrhage leads to plaque progression and ischemic events. Detection can be accomplished with 3T T1w sequences, but may be limited by false-positive lipid/necrosis. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to determine if magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition with gradient-echo (MPRAGE) detects intraplaque hemorrhage versus lipid/necrosis; (2) if 3T MPRAGE image quality is retained at 1.5T; and (3) to determine observer agreement. METHODS MPRAGE positive areas were compared to hemorrhage and lipid/necrosis areas from 100 carotid endarterectomy slides in 12 subjects using multivariable linear regression. Image quality was determined between 3T and 1.5T in 716 carotid arteries using t-tests and multivariable linear regression. Kappa analysis was used to determine agreement. RESULTS Intraplaque hemorrhage, not lipid/necrosis, was a significant predictor of MPRAGE positive area before and after adjusting for confounders (slope = .52 vs. .51, P < .001). Image quality at 3T was slightly lower than 1.5T (mean 3.87 vs. 4.34, P < .0001). 3T image quality remained slightly decreased before and after adjusting for confounders (slope = –.46 vs. –.41, P < .001). Kappa values for inter-/intraobserver agreement were .807/.919 at 3T and .803/.871 at 1.5T. CONCLUSIONS Carotid MPRAGE detects intraplaque hemorrhage, not lipid/necrosis. 3T image quality was retained at 1.5T with very good observer agreement.
Effect of Natural Antioxidants and Lipid Model System on Lipid Oxidation

Antioxidant effects of natural antioxidants were evaluated by direct analysis and three high-lipid model systems. The direct analysis assays compared three antioxidant extracts (pomegranate, grape seed and selenium), a synthetic antioxidant (butylated hydroxyanisole) and three natural antioxidant controls (d,l-α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and gallic acid). Evaluation compared reducing power determined by Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and ferricyanide method, free radical scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Results indicated that pomegranate and grape seed extracts had better antioxidant efficacy than the synthetic antioxidant. Model systems were constructed in triplicate of three commercial lipid (canola oil, lard and ground beef); samples were subject to an antioxidant treatment (pomegranate extract, grape seed extract, dietary selenium from yeast, butylated hydroxyanisole or no treatment) and chemically evaluated (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and diene conjugation) over 9 days. Butylated hydroxyanisole was the most potent antioxidant. The canola oil matrix found no difference in antioxidant treatment under descriptive analysis by a trained panel. Practical Applications Antioxidant food additives are of great importance to the food industry, with many consumers showing a preference for “natural” food additives in the ingredient line. Phenolic compounds, such as those found in pomegranates and grapes, may be particularly useful in the food industry through retarding lipid oxidation. The use of ground beef, lard and oil model systems to study lipid oxidation (or antioxidant capacity by retarding lipid oxidation) is common, but time consuming. Direct analysis and chemical assays that measure oxidative end products can be fast, reliable and less costly that descriptive analysis panels. However, Qualitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) is commonly used to denote the complete experience that consumer may undergo. Furthermore, evaluating antioxidant efficacy on sight and smell is integral when dealing with products that contain a large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, as consumers interact with both aspects during point of purchase.
3-D WiRED: A Novel WIDE I/O DRAM With Energy-Efficient 3-D Bank Organization

Editor’s notes: WIDE I/O DRAM is a promising 3-D memoryarchitecture for low-power/highperformance computing. This paper proposes a new WIDE I/O DRAM architecture to reduce access latency and energy consumption at the same time, which shows the possibility of further optimization of the WIDE I/O DRAM architecture and the impact of TSV usage in the memory architecture on the performance and energy consumption.
Nonparametric solutions to the variational principle of ideal magnetohydrodynamics

In an effort to gain a better understanding of MHD equilibria in three dimensions, the lower dimensional cases are studied. The solution of the three-dimensional problem is based on the classical variational principle of ideal magnetohydrodynamics. The crucial assumption for the numerical method is the existence of a nested set of toroidal flux surfaces, which is then used as a coordinate. This paper studies the nonparametric solutions to this variational problem in those cases when the direct solution is known to have islands. A form of the variational principle for the slab geometry is described; the one-dimensional problem is analyzed; and asymptotic expansions and numerical solutions to the two-dimensional problem are discussed. An example is presented which shows that the assumption of nested flux surfaces need not rule out the occurrence of islands.
ID: 260: Ubiquitination of pathogen-containing vacuoles triggers host defense by IFN-inducible GBPs

Many microbes create and maintain pathogen-containing vacuoles (PVs) as an intracellular niche permissive for microbial growth and survival. The destruction of PVs by IFNγ-inducible GBP and IRG host proteins is central to a successful immune response directed against numerous PV-resident pathogens. However, the mechanism by which IRGs and GBPs cooperatively detect and destroy PVs is unclear. We find that host cell priming with IFNγ results in IRG-dependent ubiquitination of Toxoplasma- and Chlamydia-containing vacuoles through regulated translocation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF6. This initial ubiquitin labeling elicits p62-mediated escort and deposition of GBPs to PVs thereby conferring cell-autonomous immunity. Hypervirulent strains of Toxoplasma gondii evade this process via specific rhoptry protein kinases that inhibit IRG function resulting in blockage of downstream PV ubiquitination and GBP delivery. Our results define an ubiquitin-centered mechanism by which host cells deliver GBPs to PVs and explain how hypervirulent parasites evade GBP-mediated immunity.
Biochemical Homology Between Crystal and Spore Protein of Bacillus thuringiensis

The crystalline inclusion of Bacillus thuringiensis, dissolved in 8 m urea containing 10% 2-mercaptoethanol and dialyzed to pH 8.3 to 8.5, was compared with a fraction obtained by the same extraction procedure from spores broken by dry rupture. The two fractions behaved similarly on chromatography with Sephadex G-100 and diethylaminoethyl cellulose. The preparations behaved identically on acrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 12 and pH 9.5. Further, peptide maps of the two fractions obtained after digestion with trypsin were almost superimposable. Amino acid analyses of the crystal and spore fraction were closely similar; discrepancies are attributed to contamination of the spore extract with small amounts of other proteins. It is concluded that a significant portion of the spore protein is identical with the crystal protein.
Role of NADPH:Cytochrome c Reductase and DT-Diaphorase in the Biotransformation of Mitomycin C

Hypoxic cells of solid tumors are difficult to eradicate by X-irradiation or chemotherapy; as an approach to this problem, our laboratories are investigating the effects of the bioreductive alkylating agent mitomycin C (MC) on hypoxic cells. This antibiotic was preferentially toxic to EMT6 mouse mammary tumor cells and V79 Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts under hypoxic conditions, but it was equitoxic to Chinese hamster ovary cells in the presence and absence of oxygen. All cell lines catalyzed the formation of reactive metabolites under hypoxic conditions and contained NADPH:cytochrome c reductase and DT-diaphorase, two enzymes which may be responsible for the cellular activation of MC. Although a correlation existed between enzymatic activities and the formation of reactive metabolites from MC, there was no correspondence between these parameters and the degree of cytotoxicity expressed by MC under hypoxic conditions. Purified NADPH:cytochrome c reductase reduced MC in the absence of oxygen, with addition of cytochrome P-450 enhancing, but not participating directly in, the reduction reaction. Addition of NADP+ to cell sonicates substantially reduced NADPH:cytochrome c reductase activity, while the formation of reactive metabolites was affected only slightly; converse results were observed using mersalyl. Exposure of cell sonicates to dicumarol inhibited DT-diaphorase activity, while the rate of formation of reactive metabolites of MC was enhanced. The findings suggest that NADPH:cytochrome c reductase and some as yet to be identified enzyme(s) are important for the reductive activation of MC. DT-diaphorase and cytochrome P-450 are not directly involved in the activation of MC, but they appear to modulate the degree of activation to reactive species, which are presumably responsible for the observed cytotoxicity.
Association of hemochromatosis with infectious diseases: expanding spectrum

Withholding iron from potential pathogens is a host defense strategy. There is evidence that iron overload per se compromises the ability of phagocytes to kill microorganisms. Several hypotheses exist to explain the association of hemochromatosis with infection. A combination of mechanisms likely contributes to the increase in susceptibility to infection in these patients. A review of the current literature delineating various pathogens to which patients with hemochromatosis are potentially susceptible, and recent advances in the understanding of the association of hemochromatosis with infection, are discussed.
Velocity Distributions of Oxygen Atoms Incident on Spacecraft Surfaces

The angular distributions of oxygen atoms incident on surfaces in low earth orbit have been calculated for a number of ambient gas temperatures. Atom fluxes to surfaces were modeled by integrals over all permitted angles of incidence. Angles of incidence are limited by masking structures, and a number of types of mask were considered. Combustible surfaces exposed to the orbital atmosphere are heavily etched, creating profiles in mask shadows that are sensitive to ambient temperatures. The influence of the angular distributions on the characteristics of etched surfaces is discussed. Profiles measured for a September, 1983 flight were fitted to this model profile with a temperature of 750 + or - 50 K, which agrees with estimates based on solar activity at that time. Applications to sensing ambient temperatures and oxygen atom densities are discussed.
Education Is Life Itself: Biological Evolution as a Model for Human Learning

Schooling often rests uneasily on presumed dichotomies between coverage and inquiry, skill development, and creativity. By drawing on the often under-recognized parallels between biological evolution and human learning, this essay argues that formal education needs and ought not to forego the unconscious exploratory processes of informal learning. Rather than posit as natural the cultural story that formal schooling must prepare students to integrate with given cultures and foreknowable futures, the evolutionary perspective shows that education is better thought of as preparing students to create cultures and to change, and foster change, in relation to unknown futures. The properties that distinguish formal from informal learning—conscious reflection and a degree of collective consensus about what constitutes knowledge at any given time—are, we argue, useful not as ends in themselves, but as tools for maximizing, sharing, and extending unconscious, evolutionary learning. Working with them as such offers a way out of some of education’s persistent problems. Two autobiographical case studies provide examples of these evolutionary changes and indicate pathways of inquiry by which to pursue them.
Effect of boron nitride on the coarsening of silicon nitride powder

Abstract The influence of boron nitride on the coarsening of amorphous silicon nitride was studied by heating mixtures of silicon nitride powder with added boron nitride up to 1600°C. The resulting powders were analyzed with BET surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. Boron nitride promoted a surface area reduction from over 200 m 2 /g to about 2 m 2 /g and suppressed crystallinity. Addition of elemental boron had a similar effect.
Egocentric biases and the golden section

Abstract Several experiments are described in which college students wrote lists of behaviors that were fair, good, or intelligent and lists that were unfair, bad, or unintelligent. The use of the first person pronoun ‘I’ occurred with positive acts with relative frequencies close to the golden section, as did the use of ‘they’ with the negative behaviors. Several theoretical ideas are discussed to account for these results.
Social Construction of the Market(s) for Genetically Modified and Nonmodified Crops

Social processes drive the current market turbulence and the eventual future for biotechnology products in agriculture. We examine those processes using central ideas from the sociology of markets: Markets are socially constructed by buyers and sellers, and markets are embedded in the broader sociopolitical environment in which they exist. Those seeking to construct a market for genetically modified soybeans using the existing commodity market as a platform conflict with the sociopolitical environment that withholds normative and regulatory legitimacy from this outcome. We conduct a content analysis on recent public dialogue about the problems and solutions in constructing the market(s) for genetically modified soybeans, and we apply a model traditionally used in the social construction literature for expost analyses of technology adoption. The model proves valuable for identifying pathways for resolving the conflict.
Ultra-Precision Machining of Stainless Steel and Nickel with Single Crystal 4H and 6H Boule SiC

Ultra-precision machining is dominated by single-crystal diamond cutting tools, and is typically applied to a narrow range of materials, particularly aluminum and copper. Single-crystal SiC can be comparable to some diamonds in hardness and thermal conductivity, while potentially having superior chemical and thermal stability, yet it has not been explored as a cutting tool for ultra-precision machining. We made two cutting tools with single-crystal SiC, one with sharp corners and one with a large circular radius, and used them to cut flat surfaces on two materials, 316 stainless steel and nickel. These materials generally cause unacceptably rapid diamond tool wear. We report the average roughness of the resulting surfaces cut with single-crystal 4H and 6H SiC tools.
Establishing the safety of influenza vaccine in egg-allergic individuals

CME EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES 1. Understand that trivalent influenza vaccine is safe for patients with egg allergy, including patients with severe egg allergy. 2. Understand that egg-allergic patients no longer require any special precautions to safely receive trivalent influenza vaccine. 3. Recognize that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices advises that most egg-allergic patients can now receive trivalent influenza vaccine from their primary care physician. Trivalent influenza vaccine is grown in chick embryos and contains residual egg protein (ovalbumin). Historically, trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) has been contraindicated in egg-allergic individuals (EAI) and the vaccine was withheld in many of these individuals due to the ovalbumin. However, protocols were developed that allowed EAIs to safely receive TIV, including stepwise desensitization, vaccine skin testing, and use of low ovalbumin containing vaccine. In the past 3 years, several groups have systematically disproven that EAI are at any increased risk for an allergic reaction than the general population and withholding TIV is not necessary. To date, approximately 4,315 patients have safely received 4,872 total doses of TIV, including 656 EAI with severe egg allergy (including anaphylaxis to egg) who safely received 740 doses of TIV. Thus, it is as safe to provide TIV to EAI as providing it to a non-EAI. This article will trace the evolution of this practice.
Preparation of stable carbon nanotube aerogels with high electrical conductivity and porosity

Abstract Stable carbon nanotube (CNT) aerogels were produced by forming a three-dimensional assembly of CNTs in solution to create a stable gel using a chemical cross-linker, followed by a CO 2 supercritical drying. Thermal annealing of these aerogels in air can significantly improve their electrical and mechanical properties, and increase their surface area and porosity by re-opening the originally blocked micropores and small mesopores in the as-prepared CNT aerogels. Thermally annealed CNT aerogels are mechanically stable and stiff, highly porous (∼99%), and exhibit excellent electrical conductivity (∼1–2 S/cm) and large specific surface area (∼590–680 m 2 /g).
Summer Interns: Factors Contributing to Positive Developmental Experiences.

Abstract This paper examines the individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors which lead to successful summer internships. The research identifies several factors which contribute to successful internship experiences for students: their expectations about the internship, the socialization procedures used, the design of the work itself, the extent to which summer internships fit into tentative career plans, and the attitudes and expectations of internship supervisors.
Aldehyde oxidase: Catalysis of the oxidation of N1-methylnicotinamide and pyridoxal

Abstract The oxidation of both N1-methylnicotinamide and pyridoxal appears to be catalyzed by a single liver enzyme, aldehyde oxidase (aldehyde:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.2.3.1). This notion is based on the following evidence: (1) Inbred strains of mice having characteristic and different levels of N1-methylnicotinamide oxidase activity also differ in their abilities to oxidize pyridoxal; the levels of the two activities have been found to vary among the strains in a parallel fashion. (2) The Km values of the N1-methylnicotinamide oxidizing activity for N1-methylnicotinamide and pyridoxal oxidizing activity for pyridoxal also vary among the inbred strains of mice in a parallel fashion. (3) The genetic determinants of pyridoxal and N1-methylnicotinamide oxidizing activity in the mouse do not segregate in the F2 generation or in backcrosses to the parental strains. (4) The levels of N1-methylnicotinamide and pyridoxal oxidizing activities in male mice increase in a parallel fashion upon the attainment of sexual maturity. (5) Competition of N1-methylnicotinamide and pyridoxal for oxidation in vivo has been demonstrated in the rat. (6) The inactivation of N1-methylnicotinamide oxidase activity which is connected with catalytic performance results in an equal loss of pyridoxal oxidase activity. A parallel loss in activity for both substrates also results from the catalysis of pyridoxal oxidation. In the course of these studies, a genetic analysis of aldehyde oxidase in the C58/J and C57B1/6J strains of mice was conducted. The earlier conclusion that aldehyde oxidase is controlled by a single autosomal locus with alleles acting in a codominant manner has been confirmed.
Computation of the endogenous mortgage rates with randomized quasi-Monte Carlo simulations

The problem of computing the mortgage rate implied by a prepayment and interest rate model is considered. A Monte Carlo algorithm that uses a correlated sampling approach is introduced to simulate the model. Numerical results are used to compare Monte Carlo and randomized quasi-Monte Carlo methods with a numerical PDE solution. A particular randomized quasi-Monte Carlo method, random-start scrambled Halton sequence, gives superior performance, especially in high dimensions.
Measurement and characterization of milled surface profiles using ultrasonic waves

A mathematical procedure suitable for the construction of a statistically equivalent milled surface profile has been investigated in order to obtain the profile information of a machined surface using an ultrasonic surface measurement system. As most machined surfaces contain both deterministic and stochastic components, a Fourier series modeling technique was applied to the deterministic component while the statistical residual was used to model the residual stochastic component. Utilizing the result of regression analysis, a statistically equivalent surface profile was constructed by summing the deterministic and the stochastic models. Finally, the procedure has been validated by comparing the surface characteristic parameters of the calculated profiles and the measured profiles. Good matches between the shapes of the calculated and the measured profiles as well as the linear relationship found between the roughness parameters of the two group of profiles demonstrate the successful operation of the profile reconstruction process using the ultrasonic measurement.
Cellular context-dependent effects of H2ax and p53 deletion on the development of thymic lymphoma

H2AX and Artemis each cooperate with p53 to suppress lymphoma. Germline H2ax(-/-)p53(-/-) mice die of T-cell receptor-β(-) (TCR-β(-)) thymic lymphomas with translocations and other lesions characteristic of human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Here, we demonstrate that mice with inactivation of H2ax and p53 in thymocytes die at later ages to TCR-β(-) or TCR-β(+) thymic lymphomas containing a similar pattern of translocations as H2ax(-/-)p53(-/-) tumors. Germline Artemis(-/-) p53(-/-) mice die of lymphomas with antigen receptor locus translocations, whereas Artemis(-/-)H2ax(-/-)p53(-/-) mice die at earlier ages from multiple malignancies. We show here that Artemis(-/-) mice with p53 deletion in thymocytes die of TCR-β(-) tumors containing Tcrα/δ translocations, other clonal translocations, or aneuploidy, as well as Notch1 mutations. Strikingly, Artemis(-/-) mice with H2ax and p53 deletion in thymocytes exhibited a lower rate of mortality from TCR-β(-) tumors, which harbored significantly elevated levels of genomic instability. Our data reveal that the cellular origin of H2ax and p53 loss impacts the rate of mortality from and developmental stage of thymic lymphomas, and suggest that conditional deletion of tumor suppressor genes may provide more physiologic models for human lymphoid malignancies than germline inactivation.
Perceptually oriented hypnosis.

This theoretical article explores postulates representative of a perceptual frame of reference for a better understanding of hypnotic experiencing. This author contends that Perceptual Psychology, a theory first conceptualized by Snygg and Combs, as revised by Combs, Richards, and Richards in 1988, and Perceptually Oriented Hypnosis provide an effective way of understanding hypnosis, the therapist-client relationship, and has some implications as well for better comprehending psychopathology. Perceptually oriented hypnotic principles are shown to enhance the characteristics of the adequate personality, expand the phenomenal field, change personal meanings, and change aspects of the phenomenal self in the context of hypnosis. Implications for understanding differing views and conflicting perceptions of reality held by scientists and researchers are discussed. Implications for Dissociative Identity Disorder are also addressed. Research utilizing Giorgi's research methodology and Wasicsko's qualitative proce...
FISCHER-TROPSCH SYNTHESIS: MOSSBAUER STUDIES OF PRETREATED ULTRAFINE IRON OXIDE CATALYSTS

Abstract Mossbauer spectroscopy indicates that a 24 hour pretreatment in CO at 260°C and 8 atm. in a tetralin solvent almost completely converts ultrafrne iron oxide (about 3 nm) to iron carbide. However, pretreatment in hydrogen under the same conditions resulted in reduction of about 33% of the iron to metallic Fe; the remainder was Fe3O4Exposure of the CO pretreated catalyst to a 1:1 H2/CO synthesis gas resulted in the gradual reoxidation of the carbides to Fe304During the first 2 hours of exposure of the H2 pretreated sample to synthesis gas, the metallic Fe was converted to iron carbides. Further exposure of the H2 pretreatment sample to synthesis gas did not result in a composition change of the catalyst. Therefore, it is concluded that iron carbides with different oxidation characteristics were formed in these two cases.
DNA repair in a protein-DNA complex: searching for the key to get in.

Abstract An obstacle encountered by nucleotide excision repair (NER) proteins during repair of the genome is the masking of bulky lesions by DNA binding proteins. For example, certain transcription factors are known to be impediments, and suppress damage removal at their recognition sequences. We have used well-defined protein–DNA complexes to study the molecular mechanism(s) used by repair proteins in gaining access to DNA lesions in chromatin. Using transcription factor IIIA (TFIIIA) and the 5S ribosomal RNA gene (5S rDNA), we previously measured position-dependent effects of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) at five different sites within the internal control region (ICR) on complex formation [Y. Kwon, M.J. Smerdon, Binding of zinc finger protein transcription factor IIIA to its cognate DNA sequence with single UV photoproducts at specific sites and its effect on DNA repair, J. Biol. Chem. 278 (2003) 45451–45459]. We found that CPDs at two of these sites enhance the TFIIIA–rDNA dissociation rate, which correlates with enhanced repair at these two sites. Here, we used a novel approach to directly compare dissociation of randomly damaged rDNA with NER. We refined the relationship between dissociation and repair of the complex by examining all CPD sites in the transcribed strand. A 214 bp 5S rDNA fragment was irradiated with UV light to produce CPDs at dipyrimidine sites and ∼1 CPD per fragment. Positions of CPDs that alter binding of TFIIIA were determined by T4 endonuclease V mapping of TFIIIA-bound and unbound fractions of UV-irradiated DNA. As expected, the results reveal that dissociation of TFIIIA from the complex is significantly enhanced by CPDs within the ICR. Moreover, the levels of dissociation induced by CPDs were quantitatively compared with their repair efficiency, and indicate that repair rates of most CPDs in the complex closely correlate with the dissociation rates. In addition, changes in dissociation rate are similar to changes in CPD frequency induced by TFIIIA binding. These findings indicate that structural compatibility of a DNA lesion within a protein–DNA complex can determine both lesion frequency and repair efficiency.
Legal Implications of Third Molar Removal

This article focuses on legal ramifications inherent in the management of impacted teeth. The initial section explores the potential problems associated with the care of impacted teeth that makes such treatment clinically challenging and legally risky. The next section discusses means of preventing or mitigating the injuries that can occur during or after impaction surgery. The final sections cover various strategies to consider should a problem occur or legal action seem imminent.
Complexation of DMF and DMSO by a Monodentate Organomercurial Lewis Acid

When crystallized from DMSO or DMF, pentafluorophenylmercury chloride (1) forms the Lewis acid−Lewis base adducts 1·DMSO (2) and (1)2·DMF (3), respectively. These adducts have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, 13C CP/MAS NMR (3) and X-ray single-crystal structure analysis. Compound 2 is a T-shaped complex. In the crystal, the individual molecules of 2 aggregate through formation of Hg2Cl2 bridges to form a ladder polymer. Compound 3 crystallizes with four independent molecules of 1 and two independent molecules of DMF in the asymmetric unit. While all molecules are part of a complex framework formed by Hg2Cl2 bridges, three molecules of 1 are involved in the binding of two formamide molecules, which form bridges between adjacent mercury centers.
Multi-scale correlation analyses of two lateral profiles of full-scale downburst wind speeds

Abstract Lateral correlation analyses are carried out in different scales for two sets of full-scale thunderstorm downburst full wind speed time series. These two sets of data were recorded at the TTU field site, Texas, USA, on June 4 and 15, 2002, respectively. The same data sets were also used in the authors’ previous paper [L. Chen, C.W. Letchford, Proper orthogonal decomposition of two vertical profiles of full-scale nonstationary correlated downburst wind speeds, J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn., 93(3)(2005) 187–266.], which presents a methodology to model downburst vertical profiles. The statistical procedures utilized in [7], such as the POD technique, the wavelet shrinkage for time-varying mean inference, the two-stage weighted moving-average method for time-varying variance inference and the Priestley's EPSD estimator, are also employed in this paper and their details are thus omitted. While in [7] the authors employed the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to reduce the dimensions, POD in this article is employed to measure the degree of the correlation between two deterministic time series. Conventionally, wind speeds are decomposed to a time-varying mean speed and a nonstationary fluctuating speed by virtue of wavelet shrinkage [7]. Time-varying mean speeds are in the largest scale, which are essentially due to translations of storms and radial velocities of spreading flow. It was observed that the time-varying standard deviations [7] of fluctuating speeds are basically driven by time-varying mean speeds other than small-scale turbulence. Therefore, time-varying standard deviations are considered in the medium scale. Finally, the modulated fluctuating speeds are viewed in the smallest scale and due to small-scale turbulence. It is found that (1) the two lateral profiles are fully correlated and almost evenly spatially distributed in the largest and medium scales with more than 96% of the total energy; (2) they are uncorrelated in the smallest scale since the measurement locations are at least 263 m apart.
Inference for the Complier-Average Causal Effect From Longitudinal Data Subject to Noncompliance and Missing Data, With Application to a Job Training Assessment for the Unemployed

Longitudinal studies involving human participants are often complicated by subjects who do not comply with their treatment assignment or do not provide complete data. A treatment effect of interest in the presence of noncompliance is the complier-average causal effect (CACE; Imbens and Rubin 1997a), which is the treatment effect for subjects who would comply regardless of the assigned treatment. Imbens and Rubin (1997a,b) proposed maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferential methods for CACE, which make explicit assumptions for causal inference in the presence of noncompliance and are more efficient than standard instrumental variable methods. A model for inference about the CACE based on this approach is developed which allows for the inclusion of baseline covariates and handles missing data in the repeated outcome measures. Our methods are applied to a randomized trial of a job training intervention for unemployed workers. Results suggest that the intervention trial significantly reduced depression for h...
Highly efficient quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cell with ion conducting polymer electrolyte

Abstract Quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated using an oligomer having three polymerizable reactive groups. Only 7% polymer concentration in the polymer electrolyte is found enough to form a stable quasi-solid structure and a three-dimensional polymer network structure is proposed. Conductivity measurement of the polymer electrolyte in different organic solvents shows that the ionic conductivity increases with decreasing the viscosity of the solvent and a high ionic conductivity of 9 mS/cm is observed for the polymer electrolyte composition of 0.2 M DMPII, 0.5 M LiI, 0.05 M I2 in the mixed solvent of ethylene carbonate and γ-butyrolactone (30:70 v/v). A short circuit photocurrent density of 14.8 mA/cm2, an open circuit voltage of 0.78 V, a fill factor of 0.70 and an overall conversion efficiency of 8.1% under AM1.5 irradiation (100 mW/cm2) was observed when fabricated a quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cells using these high conducting polymer electrolyte. The quasi-solid cells with the polymer electrolyte show higher open circuit voltage than that of the liquid cells that may be due to the suppression of the back electron transfer between the conduction band of the TiO2 electrode and the triiodide ion in the electrolyte.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE DECISION TO OPT OUT OF PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL 1310

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1310 protects firms from unsolicited takeover bids. It was signed into law on April 27, 1990, and gave firms ninety days to opt out of all or some of its provisions. During the twenty months before the Bill's introduction, firms choosing protection outperformed firms opting out of at least one provision. Institutions owned a greater percentage of shares of firms opting out of select provisions of the Bill, indicating that shareholder pressure influenced the opt-out decision. No significant differences are found in share price performance, CEO turnover, or restructurings during the twenty months following the last opt-out date. But firms opting out exhibit superior accounting performance two years after the Bill's enactment.
Transient Axonal Branching in the Developing Corpus Callosum

During development, there is a transient overproduction of axons in the corpus callosum; this overproduction of axons is due, in part, to a transient excess of neurons that send an axon through the corpus callosum. However, transient axonal branching could also contribute to the developmental overproduction of callosal axons. To investigate this possibility, we filled developing callosal axons in the Syrian hamster with the carbocyanine dye 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (Dil). Light microscopic analysis showed that, indeed, developing callosal axons branch transiently in the hamster: branching was robust on postnatal day 0 (P0) and P3 (P0 = the first 24 hr after birth), less prominent on P6 and P8, and absent by P11. Immature callosal axons branched before or after crossing the midline and at all rostral-caudal and medial-lateral levels within the corpus callosum. The majority of callosal axon collaterals that were contained within individual 100-micron-thick sections were relatively short (mean = 15.1 microns) but some collaterals extended up to approximately 135 microns from the main axon trunk before passing out of the section in which they were observed. Nearly all of the collaterals emanated from the main axon trunk; higher-order collaterals were rare. Some callosal axon trunks had multiple collaterals. Branching callosal axons originated from multiple cortical areas, including area 17. Electron microscopic observations indicated that the processes designated as axon collaterals by light microscopic criteria would have been included in electron microscopic counts of developing callosal axons. Some callosal axon trunks and branches had ultrastructural features that suggested they were degenerating. In cats, developing callosal axons branch on embryonic day 57 (E57; the first 24 hr after conception = E0) and P0. Thus, it is likely that transient branching of immature callosal axons is a generalized feature of mammalian cortical development and that it contributes to the overproduction of callosal axons, albeit perhaps to varying degrees, in multiple species.
Reenvisioning Clinical Science: Unifying the Discipline to Improve the Public Health

We present a vision of clinical science, based on a conceptual framework of intervention development endorsed by the Delaware Project. This framework is grounded in an updated stage model that incorporates basic science questions of mechanisms into every stage of clinical science research. The vision presented is intended to unify various aspects of clinical science toward the common goal of developing maximally potent and implementable interventions, while unveiling new avenues of science in which basic and applied goals are of equally high importance. Training in this integrated, translational model may help students learn how to conduct research in every domain of clinical science and at each stage of intervention development. This vision aims to propel the field to fulfill the public health goal of producing implementable and effective treatment and prevention interventions.
How many bits are needed to transmit a qubit reliably

Abstract Ways of encoding the state of a qubit in a classical message of x bits are investigated, based on regular and semi-regular divisions of the sphere. The fidelities of the various schemes are computed and compared against each other. Transmission of the global phase of a qubit is also considered.
The effect of ephedrine isomers and their oxazolidines on locomotor activity in rats.

Abstract 1. 1. The four stereoisomeric ephedrines and four oxazolidines formed by reaction of each ephedrine isomer with salicylaldehyde were tested for their ability to increase locomotor activity in rats. 2. 2. All ephedrine isomers except (−)pseudoephedrine increased locomotor activity; the order of potency was (−)ephedrine > (+) pseudoephedrine > (+) ephedrine. 3. 3. All oxazolidine derivatives increased locomotor activity except (−)pseudoephedrine oxazolidine. 4. 4. The oxazolidines derived from (−) and (+) ephedrine were slightly more active than their parent drugs. (+) Pseudoephedrine oxazolidine was less active than its parent. 5. 5. Half-lives of hydrolysis were measured for the oxazolidines in aqueous buffer; ephedrine oxazolidines hydrolyze faster than pseudoephedrine oxazolidines.
Laparoscopic sterilization in a free-standing clinic: A report of 1,092 cases

The five-year experience of 1,092 laparoscopic tubal sterilizations performed in a free-standing clinic in the U.S. with no anesthesiologist under local anesthesia is reviewed. The current technique of the Hasson "open" method and bipolar cauterization is felt to minimize major mishaps and is acceptably comfortable to the patient.
LONG WAVES IN A TWO-FLUID SYSTEM

Abstract The differential equations governing the unsteady motion of a system of two superimposed liquids are integrated by use of the method of characteristics. The solution differs significantly from that obtained by assuming a very thin lower layer. If the basic shear across the interface is small, a wave breaks forward (as an ordinary water wave) only if the amplitude is fairly small and if the lower layer is thinner than the upper layer. If the upper fluid is thinner, the wave breaks backward. The speed of the various points of the wave does not vary monotonically with amplitude. If a shear exists, higher velocities in the upper layer in the direction of wave propagation favor the forward breaking of a wave. The opposite shear may cause a wave to break backward.
Use of an enzyme immunoassay does not eliminate the need to analyze multiple stool specimens for sensitive detection of Giardia lamblia.

The relative sensitivities of a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (ProSpecT Giardia; Alexon-Trend Inc., Ramsey, Minn.) and conventional ovum-and-parasite (OP for 26.7% (8 of 30) a single specimen was positive by O&P examination, and for 6.7% (2 of 30) of those determined to be infected with G. lamblia, both samples were negative by microscopy. The sensitivity of conventional O&P examination was somewhat higher in symptomatically infected individuals, with 75% (9 of 12) of patients in this category having G. lamblia detected in both samples, compared with 61% (11 of 18) of asymptomatic patients. A total of 24 positive patients (80%) had G. lamblia antigen detected by EIA in both submitted samples, 4 positive patients (13.3%) had one specimen positive by EIA, and the EIA was negative in both specimens from 2 infected individuals (6.5%), the sensitivity of EIA was substantially equivalent in asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals (77 versus 83% of patients with positive results on both specimens). Although the sensitivity of EIA for the detection of G. lamblia on a single stool specimen was somewhat higher than that of conventional O&P examination in symptomatic patients (83 versus 75%), in asymptomatic patients (77 versus 61%), and overall (80 versus 67%), examination of two specimens by either EIA or microscopy was necessary to achieve a diagnostic sensitivity of greater than 90%.
Dopamine D1 receptor blockade impairs alcohol seeking without reducing dorsal striatal activation to cues of alcohol availability

Introduction Alcohol-associated cues activate both ventral and dorsal striatum in functional brain imaging studies of heavy drinkers. In rodents, alcohol-associated cues induce changes in neuronal firing frequencies and increase dopamine release in ventral striatum, but the impact of alcohol-associated cues on neuronal activity in dorsal striatum is unclear. We previously reported phasic changes in action potential frequency in the dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum after cues that signaled alcohol availability, prompting approach behavior. Methods We investigated the hypothesis that dopamine transmission modulates these phasic firing changes. Rats were trained to self-administer alcohol, and neuronal activity was monitored with extracellular electrophysiology during “anticipatory” cues that signaled the start of the operant session. Sessions were preceded by systemic administration of the D1-type dopamine receptor antagonist SCH23390 (0, 10, and 20 μg/kg). Results SCH23390 significantly decreased firing rates during the 60 s prior to cue onset without reducing phasic excitations immediately following the cues. While neuronal activation to cues might be expected to initiate behavioral responses, in this study alcohol seeking was reduced despite the presence of dorsal striatal excitations to alcohol cues. Conclusions These data suggest that D1 receptor antagonism reduces basal firing rates in the dorsal striatum and modulates the ability of neuronal activation to “anticipatory” cues to initiate alcohol seeking in rats with an extensive history of alcohol self-administration.