cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Simple Algorithm for Clock Synchronization in Wireless Sensor Networks

Clock synchronization represents a crucial element in the operation of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). For any general time synchronization protocol involving a two way message exchange mechanism (e.g., Timing Synch Protocol for Sensor Networks (TPSN) [1]), the Maximum Likelihood Estimate (MLE) for clock offset under the exponential delay model was derived in [2] assuming no clock skew between the nodes. Since all practical clocks are running at different rates with respect to each other; the skew correction becomes important for achieving long term synchronization which in turn results in reduction of message exchanges and hence minimal power utilization. The MLE for clock offset as well as skew under the exponential delay model for TPSN were derived in [6]. In this paper; due to complexity reasons for finding the MLE, a simple and efficient algorithm is presented as an alternative to the ML estimation which particularly suits the low power demanding regime of wireless sensor networks.
Standardized template bleeding time in dogs.

Determination of bleeding time from standardized skin punctures is an important diagnostic aid in human patients, but a reproducible method for its use in the canine model has not been developed. In previous canine studies [3-5, 151 the significance of reported bleeding time results have been flawed by the lack of such a method. In an effort to better evaluate hematologic changes in dogs subjected to cardiac surgery and hypothermia [8] we have devised a standardized technique for determination of the bleeding time in this animal, modified from the clinically used template technique reported by Mielke and colleagues [ 111.
On Monotone Operator Functions and Interpolation

In a classical paper L6wner [-5] characterized those real functions f(2) which are monotonic for symmetric matrices. Let us call f(2), defined on the interval [a, b], n-monotonic if for arbitrary n by n symmetric matrices A, B satisfying a(x, x) < (Ax, x) < (Bx, x) < b(x, x) for all xe~" (with the usual scalar product), the inequality (f(A)x,x) < (f(B)x x) holds. L6wner showed that f is n-monotonic for all n if and only if f is analytic on (a, b) with limits at a and b (provided -oo < a and b < oo) and has an analytic extension to the upper half plane, with nonnegative imaginary part. We take this last characterization of f as a definition of"[-a, b]-monotonic" and prove that if a < A < B _< b (0 < a < b < ~) for operators in a Hilbert space .~ and f is [_a, hi-monotonic, then f(A)<f(B). The inequality A < B, as in ~", refers to the associated quadratic forms and in the case b = oo will be taken to mean A and B are (nonnegative) selfadjoint and ][A1/2x[[ ~ [[B1/Zx[[ for
Yubitsume: ritualistic self-amputation of proximal digits among the Yakuza

Yubitsume is the ritualistic self-amputation of the proximal digits at the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) among members of the Japanese Mafia, or Yakuza. This practice of self-mutilation is done as a sign of apology for making a mistake deemed punishable by higher-ranking members or violating the code of the Yakuza. Members of the Yakuza may present to emergency departments seeking medical assistance to stop hemorrhage or treat infection at the site of injury following self-amputation or to have the severed portion of the injured finger reattached.
Application of fluorescence polarization microscopy to measure fluorophore orientation in the outer hair cell plasma membrane.

The biophysical properties and organization of cell mem- branes regulate many membrane-based processes, including electro- motility in outer hair cells OHCs of the cochlea. Studies of the mem- brane environment can be carried out by measuring the orientation of membrane-bound fluorophores using fluorescence polarization mi- croscopy FPM. Due to the cylindrical shape of OHCs, existing FPM theory developed for spherical cells is not applicable. We develop a new method for analyzing FPM data suitable for the quasi-cylindrical OHC. We present the theory for this model, as well as a study of the orientation of the fluorescent probe pyridinium, 4-2-6- dioctylamino-2-naphthalenylethenyl-1-3-sulfopropyldi-8- ANEPPS in the OHC membrane. Our results indicate that the absorp- tion transition dipole moment of di-8-ANEPPS orients symmetrically about the membrane normal at 27 deg with respect to the plane of the membrane. The observed agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental measurements establishes the applicability of FPM to study OHC plasma membrane properties. © 2007 Society of Photo-Optical
Calmodulin-Like Protein Upregulates Myosin-10 in Human Keratinocytes and Is Regulated during Epidermal Wound Healing In Vivo

Epidermal wound healing is required for normal skin barrier function. Cell motility is a key factor in the ability of keratinocytes to heal epithelial damage. Calmodulin-like protein (CLP) is an epithelial-specific Ca2+-binding protein that is regulated during terminal keratinocyte differentiation. CLP is a specific light chain of unconventional myosin-10 (Myo10) and its expression increases filopodial length, filopodial number, and Myo10-dependent cell motility in vitro. However, the effects of CLP expression on keratinocyte motility are unknown. Here we used cultured human keratinocytes to study the role of CLP in regulating Myo10 and the effects of Myo10 and CLP on cell migration. CLP and Myo10 expression were correlated in vitro and required for keratinocyte motility in wound-healing assays. We examined the localization of CLP in wounded skin by immunohistochemistry and found an upregulation and peripheral localization of CLP in the basal and suprabasal cells adjacent to and immediately over the wound bed in vivo. The results suggest that increased CLP expression and CLP-mediated Myo10 function are important for skin differentiation and wound reepithelialization.
Robot-assisted modifications of gait in healthy individuals

This study investigated whether short-term modifications of gait could be induced in healthy adults and whether a combination of kinetic (a compliant force resisting deviation of the foot from the prescribed footpath) and visual guidance was superior to either kinetic guidance or visual guidance alone in producing this modification. Thirty-nine healthy adults, 20-33 years old, were randomly assigned to the three groups receiving six 10-min blocks of treadmill training requiring them to modify their footpath to match a scaled-down path. Changes of the footpath, specific joint events and joint moments were analyzed. Persons receiving combined kinetic and visual guidance showed larger modifications of their gait patterns that were maintained longer, persisting up to 2 h after intervening over-ground activities, than did persons receiving training with primarily kinetic guidance or with visual guidance alone. The results emphasize the short-term plasticity of locomotor circuits and provide a possible basis for persons learning to achieve more functional gait patterns following a stroke or other neurological disorders.
Differences in women's and men's responses to domestic space

Men and women were surveyed about feelings toward and activities occurring in their own living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. In general, women recalled more activities than men did over all the rooms. For the living room, women were more concerned with room size and feeling cramped. For the kitchen, women described baking, ironing, and clothes washing more frequently and showed more concern with cooking and tidying up. However, men made more references to eating when describing the kitchen, showed greater concern with design, decorating, and building for the kitchen and bedroom, and made more explicit references to use of the bathroom toilet. Other results did indicate that women and men were both highly sensitive to and aware of their living space.
Fatigue failure in graphite fibre and glass fibre-polymer composites

Our studies have established that unidirectional graphite fibre composites show excellent fatigue resistance with only a 20 to 30% decrease in strength with cycling. Fatigue failures invariably occurred on the surfaces undergoing compression and were identified by scanning electron microscope studies as resulting from matrix failure adjacent to local fibre buckling failure zones. In contrast, glass fibre composites showed a much larger (70%) loss in strength under cyclic loading. At intermediate lives, failure occurred by the growth of matrix microcracks followed by delamination, while at long lives, the applied stress levels were below the microcrack initiation stress and behaviour was characterized by crack nucleation processes. These results have suggested a criterion for predicting high cycle fatigue strength which is based on the hypothesis that for failure to occur, the maximum applied effective cyclic strain in the composite must exceed a critical value which depends upon the fatigue response of the matrix material. The main assumption is that localized fatigue failures in the matrix are the predominant contributions to the ultimate fatigue failure of the composite.
Levetiracetam versus carbamazepine monotherapy for partial epilepsy in children less than 16 years of age.

Newer antiepileptic drugs are reported to have better side-effect profiles than traditional antiepileptics, although the evidence to this effect and their efficacy is limited. We compare the efficacy and tolerability of levetiracetam and carbamazepine monotherapy in children with partial epilepsy or = 6 months. Efficacy was based on the number of patients achieving seizure freedom of > or = 6 months. Tolerability was based on parent-and patient-reported side effects. Forty-eight (73%) subjects on levetiracetam and 13 (65%) subjects on carbamazepine achieved 6 months of seizure freedom. A total of 70% of patients on carbamazepine and 45% of those on levetiracetam had at least 1 adverse event while on monotherapy (P = .07). Levetiracetam and carbamazepine monotherapy demonstrate similar efficacy for treatment of partial epilepsy and are well tolerated in children.
Diffusion, Development, and Democracy, 1800-1999

While a trend of growth in democratization over the past two centuries has been generally observed, it is the remarkable growth in the democratization of the world over the past 30 years that has truly captured the imagination of social scientists, policymakers, and the general public alike. Two major sets of factors have dominated studies attempting to predict democratization. One set characterizes endogenous or internal features of countries, and may be referred to as socioeconomic development. The other set, less often tested, characterizes exogenous variables that influence democratization via forces at work globally and within the region in which a country resides; this set may be referred to as diffusion processes. This study provides the first systematic comparison of these two sets of variables. When assessed alone, development indicators are robust predictors of democracy, but their predictive power fades with the inclusion of diffusion variables. In particular, diffusion predictors of spatial pr...
Anthropomorphic radiation therapy phantoms: A quantitative assessment of tissue substitutes

Compositional analyses of samples of soft tissue and lung substitutes used in the construction of anthropomorphic radiotherapy phantoms were performed for products from Alderson Research Laboratories Inc., Kyoto Scientific Specimens Company/Capintec Inc., Humanoid Systems Inc., Radiology Support Devices Inc., and The Phantom Laboratory Inc. To assess quality control in the manufacture process, the results of these compositional analyses were compared with individual manufacturer's design specifications and electron densities measured by computed tomography analysis of actual phantom slices. A comparison of the manufacturers design specifications against reference tissue parameters from Tissue Substitutes in Radiation Dosimetry and Measurement (International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements) indicates marked differences in the basic design of commercially available anthropomorphic phantoms.
Sensing, modeling and control for laser-based additive manufacturing

Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing (LBAM) is a promising manufacturing technology that can be widely applied to part preparation, surface modification, and Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF). A large number of parameters govern the LBAM process. These parameters are sensitive to the environmental variations, and they also influence each other. This paper introduces the research work in RCAM on improving the performance of the LBAM process. Metal powder delivery real-time sensing and control is studied to achieve a controllable powder delivery for fabrication of functionally graded material. A closed-loop control system based on infrared image sensing is built for control of the heat input and size of the molten pool in the LBAM process. The closed-loop control results show a great improvement in the geometrical accuracy of the built features. A three-dimensional finite element model is also established to explore the thermal behavior of the molten pool in the closed-loop controlled LBAM process.
Transcatheter arterial embolization—Major complications and their prevention

A thorough account is given of the complications of embolization techniques in nonneurovascular areas, including hepatic infarction, renal and splenic abscess formation. Infarction of the urinary bladder, gallbladder, stomach, and bowel are discussed. Suggestions are offered to prevent complications from embolization where possible. Specific agents for embolization are detailed and their relative merits are compared; ethyl alcohol has recently gained popularity for treating esophageal varices and infarcting renal tumors. Care is advocated when using alcohol in the renal arteries; employing this agent is currently contraindicated in the celiac and mesenteric arteries. Coils and balloon systems are also described along with their potential complications.
Potential use of animal models to examine antipsychotic prophylaxis for schizophrenia

Abstract There is increasing concern that a prolonged period of untreated psychosis may be associated with increased severity of symptoms and decreased overall quality of life in persons with schizophrenia. Taken together with the extremely debilitating nature of schizophrenia, there is a renewed interest in the early identification and treatment of psychotic disorders, including prodromal symptoms. Because the efficacy, safety, and ethics of early intervention are being examined in the clinical arena, preclinical studies on the therapeutic potential and long-term consequences of prophylactic treatments in animals are warranted in order to inform this debate. Because some forms of schizophrenia appear to be attributable to early developmental perturbations along with genetic risk factors, many animal studies have examined the influences of specific developmental or genetic manipulations on behaviors and neural circuitry relevant to schizophrenia. Based on the timing of insult and manifestation of deficits, these animal models will be particularly useful in assessing the efficacy and safety of potential prophylactic antipsychotic treatments. The following review will: (1) highlight the clinical literature on the need for and the ongoing studies of prophylactic antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia; (2) illustrate several examples of neurodevelopmental and genetic animal models of schizophrenia; and (3) demonstrate the potential for these preclinical models to be used in the evaluation of prophylactic treatment during ontogeny.
ESN: One-dimensional Sn transport module for electrons

Abstract ESN is a time-dependent, one-dimensional Lagrangian transport code that solves the electron multigroup, discrete ordinates transport equations with electromagnetic fields. An exponential spatial differencing scheme based upon inversion of the homogeneous transport equation is employed with the diamond approximation in angle. Energy transfers are allowed between adjacent groups (continuous approximation). Sources of any functional form are permissible. Scattering and slowing down are treated in the Fokker-Planck representation. Electromagnetic fields enter the equations through E , v × B Lorentz terms and are treated as effective collisional sources. Transport cross sections are also generated by the module. We describe the methods and modifications used to track electrons in the S n representation and present results and comparisons using ESN.
Dipole-quadrupole polarization correlation in photo-selection☆

Abstract The intensity and polarization correlation formulas for an electric dipole-electric quadrupole tandem two-photon process are explicitly developed using a general spherical-tensor formulation for multipole-radiation of any order. This is applicable to relative polarization studies in photoselection or photoluminescence studies. The molecules are oriented randomly with respect to the laboratory coordinates defined by the radiation field, and the intensity is written in terms of transition matrix elements taken over coordinates of the parent molecule (assumed to interact with one of the photons through the quadrupole mode) and the daughter molecule (assumed to interact with the other photon through the dipole mode). Some bipolar harmonics through the third order needed in the correlation are computed. As an alternative to the above spherical tensor formulation, we expressed the individual one-photon intensities for electric dipole and electric quadrupole transitions in terms of direction cosines between laboratory and molecular coordinates. Then, the two-photon intensities in terms of sixth power products of direction cosines are averaged over all molecular orientations in space. The two formulations yield identical results in terms of matrix elements over cartesian coordinates. This dipole-quadrupole correlation is evaluated for molecules of a few common point group symmetries.
Matroids arisen from matrogenic graphs

Abstract Let G be a finite simple graph and let I ( G ) be the set of subsets X of V ( G ) such that the subgraph of G induced by X is threshold. If I ( G ) is the independence system of a matroid, then G is called matrogenic [3]. In this paper, we characterize matroids arising from matrogenic graphs.
Microbial Hydroxylation and Methylation of Genistein by Streptomycetes

Streptomyces griseus (ATCC 10137) and Streptomyces catenulae (ATCC 23893) were used to convert genistein5,7,4‘-trihydroxyisoflavone (1)a major isoflavone found in soybeans, into five metabolites, f...
Phosphorylation of Cardiac Troponin I at Tyrosine 26 Decreases Thin Filament Calcium Sensitivity

The troponin complex is a critical molecular switch involved in transducing the calcium activating signal into contraction. Troponin I (TnI), the inhibitory subunit of the complex, is phosphorylated as a key regulatory mechanism to alter the calcium regulation of contraction. Altered cardiac contraction is a hallmark of heart failure with several studies demonstrating increased myofibrillar calcium sensitivity. Recent work has identified a novel phosphorylation of TnI at Tyr-26 that is decreased in heart failure with unknown functional effects. Similar to the location of the desensitizing TnI Ser-23/24 phosphorylation, TnI Tyr-26 is located in the unique cardiac TnI N-terminal extension. These data lead us to hypothesize that the N-terminal Tyr-26 phosphorylation of TnI decreases calcium sensitivity of the thin filament, the loss of which may contribute to the altered calcium sensitivity observed in heart failure. To assess the regulatory effects of Tyr-26 phosphorylation, we employed recombinant human cardiac TnI containing phosphate at Tyr-26 induced by treatment with a tyrosine kinase and TnI Tyr-26 phosphomimetic substitutions (Glu or Asp). The effect of TnI Tyr-26 phosphorylation on myofilament calcium sensitivity was assessed by measuring calcium binding to troponin C (TnC) in reconstituted thin filaments. Results demonstrate both Tyr-26 phosphorylation and phosphomimetics decrease calcium binding to TnC compared to filaments reconstituted with non-phosphorylated TnI. To further investigate the effects of TnI Tyr-26 phosphorylation on myofilament deactivation we measured the rate of calcium disassociation from TnC. Results demonstrate filaments containing either Tyr-26 phosphorylated TnI or phosphomimetics increase the rate of calcium dissociation from TnC. Our findings suggest that TnI Tyr-26 phosphorylation functions similarly to Ser-23/24 N-terminal phosphorylation to decrease myofilament calcium sensitivity and increase myofilament relaxation. The loss of TnI Tyr-26 phosphorylation may therefore contribute to altered cardiac contraction in heart failure.
The identification of a ‘John Doe’

Cooperation among jurisdictions and the use of dental evidence in a computerized form can help identify missing persons.
An Interpretative Review of Smokeless Tobacco Research in the United States: Part II

This is the second part of a two-part series reviewing the published literature of smokeless tobacco in the United States. The article explores smokeless tobacco as a pharmacologically addicting substance, educational interventions designed to prevent use or help users quit, and outlines areas of future research.
First-Order Risk Aversion, Heterogeneity, and Asset Market Outcomes ∗

We examine a wide range of two-date economies populated by heterogeneous agents with the most common forms of nonexpected utility preferences used in finance and macroeconomics We demonstrate that the risk premium and the risk-free rate in these models are sensitive to ignoring heterogeneity This follows because of endogenous withdrawal by nonexpected utility agents from the market for the risky asset This finding is important precisely because these alternative preferences have frequently been proposed as possible resolutions to various asset pricing puzzles, and they have all been examined exclusively in a representative agent framework THE WELL-DOCUMENTED shortcomings of asset pricing models based, in part, on the expected utility (EU) hypothesis has motivated a large and rapidly grow ing set of pricing models that incorporate nonexpected utility preferences. The pricing implications of these models in the existing literature have been based exclusively on the assumption of a single representative agent (RA) who prices assets using the aggregate endowment as the consumption process. While ag gregation is well understood in the standard EU setting (see Constantinides (1982)), it can be more complicated when some (or all) agents do not have EU. We provide a simple and intuitive examination of the asset pricing implications of heterogeneity for the most commonly used alternatives to EU Our primary finding is that the risk premium and the risk-free rate are sensitive to ignoring heterogeneity in all of the simple two-date, non-EU models that we examine. We compare the prices in a model with two-agent types to the prices in a model with a single representative agent who has a wealth-weighted average of the utility parameters in the two-agent economy. The economies are otherwise identical; for example, they have the same endowment process, market structure, etc. It is common for the single-agent model to overstate the equity premium, often by as much as 100% or more of the value in the two-agent model, and to understate the level of the risk-free rate, often by as much as 20% of the value in the two-agent model.
Dynamics of water transport in swelling membranes

Abstract The time course of swelling of a membrane during water imbibition is explained using time-independent properties of the membrane and an equation developed from physicochemical considerations. The corneal stroma is an example of a membrane for which sufficient experimental data are available to compare theory and experiment. When account is taken of the uncertainties in both theory and experimental data, there is good agreement between the predicted and observed time course of membrane swelling.
Semai Senoi mortality: Two-census method.

The mortality pattern of a subpopulation of Semai Senoi of Malaysia is studied by using a two-census method. The method yields abridged life tables for both sexes as well as an estimate of the birth rate. The life tables show that Semai mortality is reduced compared to estimates based on stable population methods for the population prior to 1969. Increased health care availability seems to account for this lower mortality.
Rural Affordable Care Act Outreach and Enrollment: What We Learned During the First Marketplace Open Enrollment Period

As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act) of 2010, 2 new opportunities for health care coverage were established for many uninsured individuals beginning on January 1, 2014. The first opportunity was through Medicaid expansion where states had the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage to individuals with household incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level. The second opportunity was through the establishment of Health Insurance Marketplaces where individuals could purchase private health plans and potentially qualify for financial assistance in paying for their plans. The Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) provided supplemental grant awards to help stimulate Affordable Care Act outreach and education efforts in rural communities that were being served by the Rural Health Care Services Outreach (Outreach) Grant Program. As a result, Outreach grantees enrolled 9,300 rural Americans during the initial Open Enrollment period. Valuable outreach and enrollment lessons were learned from rural communities based on discussions with the Outreach grantees who received the supplemental funding. These lessons will help rural communities prepare for the next Open Enrollment period.
Anhydrobiosis in nematodes: Metabolism during resumption of activity

Changes in chemical composition, water content, respiration, and ability to survive rapid dehydration in dry air were studied in nematodes, Aphelenchus avenae, recovering from anhydrobiosis, in water. Water content rises rapidly, from about 0.02 mg H2O/mg dry weight to 2.0 mg/mg after five minutes and 2.9 mg/mg after four hours. Glycogen increases from 5 μg/mg to about 25 μg/mg after one hour. Glycerol and trehalose fall from 45 μg/mg and 125 μg/mg respectively to undetectable levels and 70 μg/mg after four hours. Oxygen uptake rises from about 25 nl/mg/min after ten minutes to 450 nl/mg/min after 1.5 hours and then falls to about 150 nl/mg min after four hours. Lipid content declines from 124 μg/mg to 51 μg/mg after 24 hours. Correlations were observed between survival in dry air and glycerol, trehalose, and water contents.
Tracer Studies in Laboratory Beach Simulating Tidal Influences

Bioremediation of oil spills on tidally influenced beaches commonly involves the addition of a nutrient solution to the contaminated region of the beach at low tide to stimulate the growth of indigenous oil-degrading bacteria. Maximizing the residence time of nutrients in the beach and subsequently their contact time with microorganisms is a main goal for successful bioremediation. Therefore, understanding the effects of the tide on water flow and solute transport in a beach is an essential task for designing a nutrient application strategy. We investigated these effects by conducting a tracer study in a laboratory beach simulating nutrient application on natural beaches. The study consisted of applying, at low tide, a conservative tracer solution onto the beach surface near the high-tide line and monitoring its movement in the beach subsurface. The tidal motion caused the applied plume to move downward and seaward. The downward movement occurred during rising tides, while the seaward movement occurred mainly during falling tides. The results indicate that nutrients should be applied at the high-tide line during low tides. Guidelines for scaling up the results to natural beaches are provided along with an example.
Endoscopic-assisted Fascial Decompression for Forearm Exertional Compartment Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

A case of chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the forearm treated with endoscopic-assisted fascial decompression is presented. The diagnosis of exertional compartment syndrome of the forearm was confirmed by direct measurement of intracompartmental pressures. Following endoscopic-assisted fascial decompression, the patient was able to begin rehabilitation therapy within 2 weeks. There were no wound-related complications. The patient reported no recurrence of symptoms after returning to work requiring heavy lifting, and morbidity associated with open decompression was avoided. Endoscopic release is not an option in traumatic compartment syndrome, but a minimally invasive approach may be considered in cases of exertional compartment syndrome. Reports of endoscopic-assisted fascial decompression in exertional compartment syndrome of the forearm are relatively scarce. Confirmation of the safety and efficacy of these evolving techniques in the hand surgery literature remains important.
Information Processing in Social Insect Networks

Investigating local-scale interactions within a network makes it possible to test hypotheses about the mechanisms of global network connectivity and to ask whether there are general rules underlying network function across systems. Here we use motif analysis to determine whether the interactions within social insect colonies resemble the patterns exhibited by other animal associations or if they exhibit characteristics of biological regulatory systems. Colonies exhibit a predominance of feed-forward interaction motifs, in contrast to the densely interconnected clique patterns that characterize human interaction and animal social networks. The regulatory motif signature supports the hypothesis that social insect colonies are shaped by selection for network patterns that integrate colony functionality at the group rather than individual level, and demonstrates the utility of this approach for analysis of selection effects on complex systems across biological levels of organization.
A method for the two-dimensional electrophoresis of leaf proteins

Abstract Proteins extracted from green leaves of tobacco were subjected to analysis by two-dimensional electrophoresis. It was found that electrophoretic separations were unsatisfactory when leaf extracts were analyzed directly without prior extraction of pigments, phenols, and lipids by acetone treatment. The plant pigments and several phenolic compounds present in leaves presumably interacted with the proteins and created charge heterogeneity, streaking, and other artifacts. It was found that these problems could be overcome by treatment of leaf extracts with acetone followed by solubilization and electrophoresis of the acetone-treated proteins. Leaf extracts were prepared by grinding deribbed leaf disks in a buffer containing 5 m m potassium carbonate, 9.5 m urea, 0.5 dithiothreitol, 2% Nonidet P-40 detergent, 500 μg/ml l -lysine, and 2% Ampholines. The extracts, after centrifugation to remove cell debris and insoluble material, were treated several times with ice-cold acetone. The acetone-precipitated proteins were treated with nucleases, reprecipitated with cold acetone, and then resuspended in the above grinding buffer. The presence of l -lysine and Ampholines were required for good electrophoretic separations. The resuspended proteins were subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis and proteins detected by staining and or fluorography. At least 300 distinct proteins could be recognized in radioactive samples. The method gives reproducible patterns even after repeated freezing and thawing of the samples.
Participation and the success of economic and political reforms: A lesson from the 1993 Russian parliamentary elections

In December 1993, observers of Russian politics were surprised that Vladimir Zhirinovskii and his party performed so well in the parliamentary elections and that the reformers did not attract more voters. Two explanations for this outcome have become widely accepted. The first maintains that Russians were expressing their discontent with economic hardships, while the second contends that the balance of political forces accounts for the reformists’ defeat. To the contrary, it appears that it was not the unwillingness of Russians to participate in market reforms and to accept key aspects of the government's programmes, nor was it the combination of the division of the democrats, the invisibility of Yeltsin and the unity of the right wing that produced the unexpected results. Rather, the arrogance of the reformers and the alienation of the Russian public explain the election outcome. These two factors explain why the democrats split as they did and why the type of campaigns waged had such an impact on the fo...
Coordinate loss of fragile gene expression in pancreatobiliary cancers: correlations among markers and clinical features.

Background Loss of expression of fragile gene products, Fhit and Wwox, occurs in many cancer types, with loss exhibited early in the neoplastic process in some. Wwox has been understudied in pancreatobiliary cancers, especially in relation to other involved tumor suppressors. We have assessed the status of the Fhit and Wwox proteins encoded by DNA damage susceptible chromosome fragile sites encompassed by FHIT and WWOX tumor suppressor genes.
25 years of lasers and analytical chemistry: A reluctant pairing with a promising future

The invention of the laser gave promise of a universal, high-resolution, coherent, extremely bright light source for applications in analytical chemistry. Even though there has from time to time been remarkable success in chemical detection, the use of lasers in commercial analytical instrumentation has not been widespread. It is often simply the case that the benefits do not outweigh the disadvantages. However, during the past 25 years, lasers have found their place in several specific analytical realms, most notably in laser sampling and in a wide range of new spectroscopic microscopies.
Product Node Architecture: A Systematic Approach to Provide Structured Flexibility in Distributed Product Development

Representation of the product/project information throughout the design life cycle is a critical aspect in engineering activities. The article begins with a discussion of the background research wherein the existing methodologies, which deal with product information representation, are reviewed. The article then proceeds to propose a new methodology for product management by presenting all the details of the system architecture. Product node (PN), which is introduced in this article, has a database-centric system at its core and an application built around it to support the various functions necessary to efficiently manage a distributed project environment. To aid the design life cycle, the system also enables distributed collaboration among people from different teams to support concurrent design activities. Effective management of product data using user-based control is also discussed. The detailed logic behind the system architecture and the practical implementation of the system are shown.
Renin status does not predict the anti-hypertensive response to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in African–Americans

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor trandolapril, a non-sulfhydryl prodrug which is hydrolysed into trandolaprilat, was studied in 322 hypertensives of African-American descent using a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel study design. Following 6 weeks of double-blind treatment with placebo or 0.25 to 16 mg/day trandolapril, an analysis of drug effect on trough blood pressure (BP) stratified by age, gender, weight, pre-treatment plasma renin activity, and trandolaprilat concentration was performed. Two mg was the lowest effective trandolapril dose, whereas doses above 4 mg did not significantly reduce trough BP. Reduction in BP did not correlate with trough plasma trandolaprilat concentration. Pre-treatment plasma renin activity was not a reliable indicator of anti-hypertensive response, as similar reductions in BP occurred even in patients with the lowest renin levels. There were no observable differences based on age, gender or measurements of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis. In conclusion, neither age, gender or plasma renin activity influenced anti-hypertensive response to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in African-Americans.
Perturbative analysis of the Gauss-law anomaly in chiral gauge theories

We discuss the Gauss-law constraint in chiral gauge theories. A unitarity condition for the Gauss constraint is introduced and shown to be equivalent to the diagrammatic form of the Ward identities. We give a simple derivation of the chiral anomaly and relate it to the breakdown of the unitarity condition.
Perception of temporal order in adjacent visual stimuli

Abstract For single short exposures, the temporal order of appearance of two adjacent stimuli in the human fovea can be correctly identified when one is delayed by as little as 3 msec. The threshold delay is almost unaffected by the length of the stimuli or their relative orientation, but depends critically on their separation, being minimal in the range 2–6′. Illusion of movement is strong but not a necessary condition for detection of temporal order. In the conditions showing lowest thresholds, sensitivity is less with dichoptic viewing. Uniocular stimuli in opposite directions can be combined to yield a stereoscopic appearance. If the neural processing for such fine temporo-spatial comparisons does not occur in the retina, our results imply that retino-cortical transmission of the involved signals is exceedingly crisp and that cortical processing is more delicate if stimuli arise wholly in one eye.
Determination of polar stratospheric cloud properties utilizing observations from SAGE III and ILAS

The SAGE Ill and ILAS instruments are scheduled to be launched in 1998 and 1996, respectively. These instruments will provide unique information regarding the composition and size distribution of poiar stratosphere clouds. SAGE ffi, scheduled for a METEOR 3M launch, will provide aerosol extinction measurements at 7 wavelengths in the visible and near-infrared (385, 450, 525, 750, 940, 1020, and 1550 nm) from which the aerosol size distribution may be inferred. ILAS, which will be launched aboard ADEOS, will provide continuous spectral coverage between 6 and 12 tim. Extinction by aerosol at these wavelengths is strongly dependent on the composition of the aerosol. The combination of measurements from these instruments should provide substantially improved understanding of the microphysical character of PSCs and, ultimately, into ozone depletion.
Photo-oxidative damage to lenticular GAPDH and its relationship to aldehyde metabolism

These studies show that GAPDH from the calf lens and human lens epithelium undergoes size and charge modifications in the presence of active oxygen species generated from methylene blue and light. The histidine content of the enzyme was reduced by one third. No evidence of increased proteolysis was observed suggesting a nonenzymatic cleavage of enzyme by the photo-oxidants.
Preplant and post-plant tillage for full-season soybean on clayey and silt loam soils

Definitive responses to pre- and post-plant tillage are hard to locate in the literature. These tillage responses are usually confounded with other factors. A 2×2 factorial treatment design for pre- and post-plant tillage was implemented in a modified split plot experimental design. Main plots were preplant tillage and sub-plots were post-plant tillage. The experiment was conducted from 1992 through 1994 on a clayey soil at Keiser, AR; 1992 through 1993 on a silt loam at Marianna, AR; and in 1994 on a silt loam at Pine Tree, AR. Grain yield was determined. Soil samples were taken for soil moisture determinations at depths of 0–5 cm, 5–15 cm, 15–30 cm, and 30–45 cm. Crop budgets were generated using production practices and equipment commensurate with commercial farming operations in the area. Results showed that preplant tillage and no-till resulted in equivalent grain yields on clay soil. However, net returns on no-till were equal to or superior to preplant tillage on clay soils across all years. On silt...
Tie2 activation contributes to hemangiogenic regeneration after myelosuppression.

Chemotherapy- or radiation-induced myelosuppression results in apoptosis of cycling hematopoietic cells and induces regression of bone marrow (BM) sinusoidal vessels. Moreover, timely regeneration of BM neovessels is essential for reconstitution of hematopoiesis. However, the identity of angiogenic factors that support reconstitution of BM's vasculature is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that angiopoietin/tyrosine kinase with immunoglobulin and epidermal growth factor homology domains-2 (Tie2) signaling contributes to the assembly and remodeling of BM neovessels after myelosuppression. Using transgenic mice where the Tie2 promoter drives the reporter LacZ gene (Tie2-LacZ), we demonstrate that at steady state, there was minimal expression of Tie2 in the BM vasculature. However, after 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment, there was a rapid increase in plasma vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) levels and expansion of Tie2-positive neovessels. Inhibition of Tie2 resulted in impaired neoangiogenesis, leading to a delay in hematopoietic recovery. Conversely, angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) stimulated hematopoiesis both in wild-type and thrombopoietin-deficient mice. In addition, Ang-1 shortened the duration of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in wild-type mice. Exogenous VEGF-A and Ang-1 stimulated Tie2 expression in the BM vasculature. These data suggest that VEGF-A–induced up-regulation of Tie2 expression on the regenerating vasculature after BM suppression supports the assembly of sinusoidal endothelial cells, thereby promoting reconstitution of hematopoiesis. Angiopoietins may be clinically useful to accelerate hemangiogenic recovery after myelosuppression.
Education via advanced technologies

Advanced technologies like the World Wide Web offer interesting opportunities for improving higher education. A study done at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) focused on these matters and made several specific recommendations. Since this study was completed, a new center was established at MIT to coordinate and promote the use of advanced technologies in education, and a high-level council on educational technology was formed. After briefly peering into the future, this paper describes the study and the new center.
Implementing Murf: Accelerating Large State Space Exploration on FPGAs

PHAST, a Pipelined Hardware Accelerated State Checker, achieves a 30x end-to-end speedup of a large state space exploration application in the form of an explicit state model checker. PHAST is a re-implementation, to accommodate FPGA hardware, of the Murphi verifier developed at Stanford University. Explicit state model checking explores a large state space and checks properties defined by the user. The FPGA infrastructure for PHAST can be reused for many different models and properties. Our model of the DASH protocol is similar in size and complexity to models Intel uses to validate proposed features of future processors: state sizes between 1200 and 1800 bits and a transition relation with more than 100 rules.
Kinematics of complex joint angles in robotics

A method for using complex numbers in the kinematic solution of robotic manipulators is presented. The inverse kinematics algorithm of a manipulator produces complex joint angles if it is given an end effector location outside its workspace. Although complex joint angles cannot be implemented physically, they can be converted to real numbers through a suitable mapping, and the robot approximates the configuration required to produce the desired location within the limits of its workspace. It is shown that for certain manipulators, the real-part mapping produces a minimization of the end effector location error. Examples of the technique using 2R and 3R manipulators are presented. >
A Quasi-Standing-Wave Phenomenon Due to Oscillating Internal Flow

The objective of this investigation is to characterize a quasi-standing-wave pattern having a wavelength two orders of magnitude smaller than the corresponding acoustic wavelength, and relate it to the presence of: a) a downstream travelling wave due to vortical structures generated in a free shear layer, and b) downstream and upstream propagating acoustic waves. In this experiment, the vortical structures were generated by flow past an axisymmetric cavity and their influence extended downstream through the exhaust pipe. The amplitudes of the acoustic waves were associated with Helmholtz resonance of the upstream settling chamber. A linear theory models well the measured amplitude and phase distributions of the fluctuating velocity in the core flow. As system resonance is approached, the ratio of vortex wave amplitude to acoustic wave amplitude decreases. The consequence is an increase in the magnitude and gradient of the phase change across the node, or amplitude minimum, of the resultant standing-wave pattern. In addition, the peak-to-peak amplitude of the quasi-standing-wave increases. A variety of internal (and external) flow systems, including unsteady phenomena in wind tunnels, may be subject to this flow mechanism when the frequency of coherent vortex formation in the test section lies near the Helmholtz resonance frequency of the upstream settling (or plenum) chamber.
Age and seasonal effects on predator-sensitive foraging in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus): a field experiment.

A field experiment was conducted to examine the effect of perceived predation risk on the use of foraging areas by juvenile and adult primates under different conditions of local food abundance. Wild squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus, were observed in an experiment conducted during the dry and the wet seasons at a site in Eastern Amazonia, Brazil. Animals were presented with feeding platforms that differed in food quantity and exposure to aerial predators through varying vegetative cover. In the dry season, juveniles and adults chose platforms based solely on food quantity. However, in the wet season, juveniles foraged preferentially on high-reward platforms only if cover level also was high (i.e., potentially offered greater concealment from predators). In contrast, adults showed the same pattern of platform use regardless of season. These results indicate that age and local resource availability based on seasonality affect whether primates forage in a predator-sensitive manner. Juveniles may be more sensitive to predation risk when foraging, and individuals may take fewer risks when resource abundance is high in their environment. Am. J. Primatol. 69:1–15, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Three-dimensional fields and temperatures in a squat helicon reactor

Magnetically enhanced inductively coupled plasmas (MEICP) and helicons have complex plasma electric-field coupling between the electric field and the plasma due to the tensor conductivity and multiple-dimensional antenna segments. Computed three-dimensional electric fields and electron temperatures are presented for a helicon reactor demonstrating azimuthal asymmetries and rotations of the electric field. The electron temperature peaks near the axial antenna segments upstream and aligns with the azimuthal electric field downstream.