cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ectodermal or presumptive skin disintegration in the frog embryo as a response to specific tissue factor(s)

Abstract A few hours of exposure of frog embryos at the neurula stage (14–15) to head, ventral, or isolated skin homogenates prepared from donor embryos (stages 13–25) produced an extensive ectodermal disintegration of the recipient embryos, while their endoderm remained intact. No disintegration was observed in neurulae treated with homogenates of embryonic endoderm, of a variety of feeding tadpole or adult frog tissues, or of embryonic newt heads. Frog embryos at stages older than the neurula were also found to be susceptible to the homogenates. In these embryos it was again shown that only the external tissues (ectoderm and underlying mesoderm) were disintegrated; other tissues (somites, peeled belly region) were unaffected. Other test objects tried (feeding tadpoles or adult frog tissues) underwent no disintegration when treated with the embryonic homogenates. Toad embryos were the only other test objects, besides the frog embryos, that were disintegrated by the action of the homogenates. A possible role of the hatching enzyme in the ectodermal disintegration of the frog embryo was excluded by appropriate control experiments.
Detection of outliers in familial data

Procedures for detection of outliers in familial data is given for mean-slippage and dispersion-slippage model of outliers for equal and unequal family sizes. The distributions of the test statistics are derived and Bonferroni's bounds for the values of significant probabilities are given.
Modeling radiation-induced lung injury risk with an ensemble of support vector machines

Radiation-induced lung injury, radiation pneumonitis (RP), is a potentially fatal side-effect of thoracic radiation therapy. In this work, using an ensemble of support vector machines (SVMs), we build a binary RP risk model from clinical and dosimetric parameters. Patient/treatment data is partitioned into balanced subsets to prevent model bias. Forward feature selection, maximizing the area under the curve (AUC) for a cross-validated receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, is performed on each subset. Model parameter selection and construction occurs concurrently via alternating SVM and gradient descent steps to minimize estimated generalization error. We show that an ensemble classifier with a mean fusion function, five component SVMs, and limit of five features per classifier exhibits a mean AUC of 0.818-an improvement over previous SVM models of RP risk.
Intramural virtual electrodes during defibrillation shocks in left ventricular wall assessed by optical mapping of membrane potential.

Background— It is believed that defibrillation is due to shock-induced changes of transmembrane potential (ΔVm) in the bulk of ventricular myocardium (so-called virtual electrodes), but experimental proof of this hypothesis is absent. Here, intramural shock-induced ΔVm were measured for the first time in isolated preparations of left ventricle (LV) by an optical mapping technique. Methods and Results— LV preparations were excised from porcine hearts (n=9) and perfused through a coronary artery. Rectangular shocks (duration 10 ms, field strength E ≈2 to 50 V/cm) were applied across the wall during the action potential plateau by 2 large electrodes. Shock-induced ΔVm were measured on the transmural wall surface with a 16×16 photodiode array (resolution 1.2 mm/diode). Whereas weak shocks (E≈2 V/cm) induced negligible ΔVm in the wall middle, stronger shocks produced intramural ΔVm of 2 types. (1) Shocks with E>4 V/cm produced both positive and negative intramural ΔVm that changed their sign on changing shock ...
Cooperative Assembly of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Block Copolypeptides in Aqueous Media

We demonstrate that highly crystalline, monodisperse maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles, synthesized in organic solvents, can be effectively transferred into an aqueous medium using an ammonium salt and stabilized at neutral pH. The nanoparticles remain monodisperse, as characterized by TEM and XRD, as well as superparamagnetic, as determined by SQUID magnetometry. When the aqueous maghemite is combined with the block copolypeptide poly(EG2-lys)100-b-poly(asp)30, the nanoparticles assemble into uniform clusters comprised of approximately 20 nanoparticles, resulting in a water soluble block copolypeptide−nanoparticle composite structure.
JUSTIFICATION BY BALANCE RECONSIDERED

L'A. montre l'invalidite de la critique de Siegel contre la justification circulaire proposee par Goodman, tout en reconnaissant les problemes qui restent en suspens avec cette theorie de codification des actions
Extending the flat gain bandwidth of combined Raman-parametric fiber amplifiers using highly nonlinear fiber

Optical fiber parametric amplification is combined with Raman amplification to demonstrate the possibility of extending the flat gain bandwidth of Raman fiber amplifiers. Counter propagating pumps separated by over 145 nm are used to pump a section of highly nonlinear fiber. Parametric gain enables an increase in the gain bandwidth by extending the gain region to the long wavelength side of the Raman gain. Gains of nearly 20 dB have been achieved with this configuration. To achieve gain flatness of 5-6 dB, lower peak gains of between 8 and 14 dB are observed where the variations of the gain and gain flatness are controlled by adjusting the two pump powers. Optimal pump powers are determined that result in good performance amplification by characterizing the receiver power penalty of bit error rate measurements. Negligible power penalty is observed in the region of strong Raman gain whereas nearly a 3 dB power penalty is observed in the region of strong parametric gain. An experimental technique is proposed that helps in the understanding of the coupling of the parametric and Raman processes.
The scientific error of sexist research: A case study

Examination of a recent article on sex differences in response to being touched (Whitcher & Fisher, 1979) illustrates that current preoccupation with using nonsexist referents in APA journals does not necessarily produce meaningful modification where it matters most — in the conceptual analysis of the psychological process under investigation.
Prediction and management of pain in patients with advanced cancer

In a prospective controlled study, patients with incurable cancer and an estimated prognosis of three months to one year were allocated to two patient groups for evaluation of supportive interventions. One group, called "intensive," received home visits by a nurse practitioner acting as an extension of a multidisciplinary team; the other, termed "nonintensive," did not receive such visits. Both patient groups were periodically evaluated in their homes by an observer and by self-ratings, to measure changes in quality of life as their disease progressed. Several methodologic problems were identified, which have implications for future research. Pain problems later in the course of cancer seem to be predictable in those patients with higher scores on the Cornell Medical Index M-R scales (greater emotional disturbance) and on the Rotter Locus of Control (I-E) scale (expectation of more external control of self). The study also found that the home visiting nurse practitioners, specially trained in pain treatment, improved pain control in the "intensive" group of patients over the last 90 days of life, when pain was an increasingly major problem. Such nurses can significantly improve the quality of life for patients dying outside of institutions.
Expanding-aperture annular array

Abstract A dynamically-focused annular array system for contact B-scanning has been developed. The design is based on a constant F-number approach, whereby, at short focal lengths, the aperture is increased in proportion to the focal length. This approach allows the use of larger area array elements, thus increasing the sensitivity of the system. Other major advantages include a substantial reduction in the time delays and refocusing rates required for the lens synthesis with a corresponding reduction in the electronic complexity of the system. The initial design employs an array operating at 2.25 MHz, with four annuli active at the near focal length of 1.5 cm. As the focal length increases, the array expands to a maximum of twelve rings, with 4.0 cm outer diameter, for focal lengths greater than 12 cm. A single, tapped delay line with 1 μs total duration provides the time delays for focusing on receive. A variable point or line focus is provided on transmit. Experimental measurements of the focusing properties of the system include beam profiles showing mainlobe width and sidelobe levels and B-scans of a standard test object.
The p38 and p34 polypeptides of growth cone particle membranes are the α- and β-subunits of G proteins

Growth cone particle (GCP) membranes prepared from fetal day 17 rat brain are comprised of 5 major polypeptides as analyzed by SDS-PAGE: tubulin (p52), actin (p42), pp46/GAP-43 and two unidentified species, p38 and p3414,46,52. Antibodies specific for the α- and β-subunits of G proteins recognize p38 and p34, respectively, on immunoblots following one- and two-dimensional electrophoretic separation. That G protein subunits comprise major species of GCP membrane-associated polypeptides suggests a role for G proteins in transmembrane signaling in nerve growth cones.
Anabolic steroids have long-lasting effects on male social behaviors

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use by adolescents is steadily increasing. Adolescence involves remodeling of steroid-sensitive neural circuits that mediate social behaviors, and previous studies using animal models document effects of AAS on male social behaviors. The present experiments tested whether AAS have persistent and more pronounced behavioral consequences when drug exposure occurs during adolescence as compared to exposure in adulthood. Male Syrian hamsters were injected daily for 14 days with either vehicle or an AAS cocktail containing testosterone cypionate (2 mg/kg), nandrolone decanoate (2 mg/kg), and boldenone undecylenate (1 mg/kg), either during adolescence (27-41 days of age) or adulthood (63-77 days of age). As adults, subjects were tested two or four weeks after the last injection for either sexual behavior with a receptive female or male-male agonistic behavior in a resident-intruder test. Compared with vehicle-treated males, AAS-treated males, regardless of age of treatment, displayed fewer long intromissions and a significant increase in latency to the first long intromission, indicative of reduced potential to reach sexual satiety. Increased aggression was observed in males exposed to AAS compared with males treated with vehicle, independently of age of AAS treatment. However, unlike hamsters exposed to AAS in adulthood, hamsters exposed to AAS during adolescence did not display any submissive or risk-assessment behaviors up to 4 weeks after discontinuation of AAS treatment. Thus, AAS have long-lasting effects on male sexual and agonistic behaviors, with AAS exposure during adolescence resulting in a more pronounced reduction in submissive behavior compared to AAS exposure in adulthood.
A method for the absolute measurement of anisotropic surface free energies

Abstract Using the vector method of Cahn and Hoffman, equations are derived that relate the anisotropic surface free energy to the shapes of grain-boundary grooves at the solid-vapor, solidsolvent, solid-solid, or solid-melt interface in either a gravitational field or a temperature gradient. The components of the vector function ξ at any point on the surface of the groove are given in terms of distances and areas directly measurable on micrographs. The surface free energy is the component of ξ along the surface normal. The experimental methods now in use for measuring absolute surface energy in the isotropic case, can be employed without modification to yield data for the evaluation of anisotropic surface free energy and surface torques. Procedures for using the symmetry properties of crystals to remove the indeterminacy and reduce the amount of data gathering for anisotropic crystals are developed.
Mobile Capital, Democratic Institutions, and the Public Economy in Advanced Industrial Societies

This article addresses the following questions. Is international capital mobility systematically related to reductions in the size of the public economy, as globalization theory suggests? Alternatively, do democratic institutions and processes shape the ways in which internationalization affects national policies? Specifically, I argue that the effects of capital mobility on the scope of the public economy should be conditioned by the institutional forms of societal interest representation and the formal organization of decision-making authority within the polity. Utilizing econometric analysis of 1964–1993 data from 16 nations, I find that international capital mobility has few direct effects on the scope of the public economy. However, configurations of democratic institutions fundamentally shape the domestic policy impacts of capital mobility. Where social corporatism and inclusive electoral institutions are strong and where decision-making authority within the polity is concentrated, international capital mobility is either unrelated to the scope of the public economy or positively associated with total public spending, social transfers, and public consumption. In institutional contexts of pluralist interest and exclusive electoral representation, and in polities where decision-making is dispersed, rises in capital mobility are systematically associated with rollbacks of the public sector.
Restructuring the state in a globalizing world: capital accumulation, tangled hierarchies and the search for a new spatio-temporal fix

ABSTRACT A main concern of debates on the changing role and form of the state and the relationship of these with the process of globalization has been the role of capitalism. Jessop, a well known exponent of Marxist political theory, tackles the broader range of issues but, like the urban sociologist Brenner, is most interesting when he writes about the institutional restructuring or ‘rescaling’ of the state along lines that go well beyond multi-level governance to unstable ‘tangled hierarchies’ and the still nebulous search for a ‘new spatio-temporal fix’ for social, political and economic organization. Both authors seek to give socio-political variables a higher degree of independence in explaining change and eschew economic determinism, although the central importance they give to ‘accumulation strategies’ and, in Jessop's case, to Marxist theories of value, make this assertion problematic from a non-Marxist perspective. Thus although the authors emphasize the significance of ‘extra-economic’ interacti...
Biochemical effects of 1,1-dichloroethylene in rats: dissociation of its hepatotoxicity from a lipoperoxidative mechanism.

Abstract The dose-response and time course of hepatic injury following orally administered doses of 1,1-dichloroethylene (1,1-DCE) were studied. The following parameters were measured: hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), serum alanine-α-ketoglutarate transaminase (SAKT), hepatic triglyceride (HTG), and pentobarbital sleeping time (PST). A comparison was made between 1,1-DCE and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in terms of the ability of each to stimulate lipoperoxidation both in vitro and in vivo. The results indicate that 1,1-DCE causes G6Pase depression, SAKT and HTG elevation, and PST prolongation. Measurements of lipoperoxidative stimulatory activity indicated that 1,1-DCE was dissimilar to CCl4 in terms of a proposed lipoperoxidative mechanism.
Generalized degrees of freedom and adaptive model selection in linear mixed-effects models

Linear mixed-effects models involve fixed effects, random effects and covariance structures, which require model selection to simplify a model and to enhance its interpretability and predictability. In this article, we develop, in the context of linear mixed-effects models, the generalized degrees of freedom and an adaptive model selection procedure defined by a data-driven model complexity penalty. Numerically, the procedure performs well against its competitors not only in selecting fixed effects but in selecting random effects and covariance structure as well. Theoretically, asymptotic optimality of the proposed methodology is established over a class of information criteria. The proposed methodology is applied to the BioCycle Study, to determine predictors of hormone levels among premenopausal women and to assess variation in hormone levels both between and within women across the menstrual cycle.
Evolution of a ring-attractor in socio-spatial dynamics

This paper presents, through numerical simulations, the transformations occuring in the dynamics of a discrete map as one parameter varies within a very small neighborhood of the parameter space. The specific map used is the two-stock, two-location version of the universal map of discrete relative dynamics. This particular neighborhood of the parameter space is analyzed because it reveals the inner structure of quasi-periodicity and its bifurcations. In the spectrum of values examined, the focus is on a general class of transitions involved in and from a quasi-periodic motion.
Tobacco protein separation by aqueous two-phase extraction

Tobacco has long been considered as a host to produce large quantity of high-valued recombinant proteins. However, dealing with large quantities of biomass is a challenge for downstream processing. Aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) has been widely used in purifying proteins from various sources. It is a protein-friendly process and can be scaled up easily. In this paper, ATPE was studied for its applicability to recombinant protein purification from tobacco with egg white lysozyme as the model protein. Separate experiments with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-salt-tobacco extract and PEG-salt-lysozyme were carried out to determine the partition behavior of tobacco protein and lysozyme, respectively. Two-level fractional factorial designs were used to study the effects of factors such as, PEG molecular mass, PEG concentration, the concentration of phase forming salt, sodium chloride concentration and pH, on protein partitioning. The results showed that, among the studied systems, PEG-sodium sulfate system was most suitable for lysozyme purification. Detailed experiments were conducted by spiking lysozyme into the tobacco extract. The conditions with highest selectivity of lysozyme over native tobacco protein were determined using a response surface design. The purification factor was further improved by decreasing the phase ratio along the tie line corresponding to the phase compositions with the highest selectivity. Under selected conditions the lysozyme yield was predicted to be 87% with a purification factor of 4 and concentration factor of 14. From this study, ATPE was shown to be suitable for initial protein recovery and partial purification from transgenic tobacco.
Characterization of the Functional and Growth Properties of Cell Lines Established from Ileal and Rectal Carcinoid Tumors

Carcinoids of the intestine are the most common gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors. Therapeutic options to treat patients with these tumors are limited. There are very few ileal carcinoid cell lines available for in vitro studies to analyze new drugs that could be effective in treating patients with metastatic tumors. A replication defective recombinant adenovirus with an SV40 early T-antigen insert was used to infect two intestinal carcinoid tumors to create carcinoid cell lines. The cell lines were studied by cell culture, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Both cell lines expressed SV40 large T antigen and receptors for TGFβ1, TGFβ2, EGFR, and somatostatin receptors. Treatment with TGFβ1 led to growth inhibition and increased apoptosis in the cultured cells. Octreotide inhibited cell growth of both cell lines while stimulating apoptosis. Treatment of the HC45 cells with gefitinib also inhibited cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner. TGFβ treatment stimulated chromogranin A expression while expression of two other granins, chromogranin B and 7B2, did not change significantly. RNA profiling of cells treated with TGFβ1 showed increased expression of vitamin D3 receptor. This finding was validated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. These results indicate that these carcinoid cell lines can be used to study the proliferative and apoptotic mechanisms involved in intestinal carcinoid tumor growth regulation.
A BIR Motif Containing Gene of African Swine Fever Virus, 4CL, Is Nonessential for Growth in Vitro and Viral Virulence

An African swine fever virus (ASFV) gene with similarity to viral and cellular inhibitor of apoptosis genes (iap) has been described in the African isolate Malawi Lil-20/1 (ORF 4CL) and a cell-culture-adapted European virus, BA71V (ORF A224L). The similarity of the ASFV gene to genes involved in inhibiting cellular apoptosis suggested the gene may regulate apoptosis in ASFV-infected cells and thus may function in ASFV virulence and/or host range. Sequence analysis of additional African and European pathogenic isolates demonstrates that this gene is highly conserved among both pig and tick ASFV isolates and that its similarity to iap genes is limited to the presence of a single IAP repeat motif (BIR motif) in the ASFV gene. To study gene function, a 4CL gene deletion mutant, delta 4CL, was constructed from the pathogenic Malawi Lil-20/1 isolate. Growth characteristics of delta 4CL in swine macrophage cell cultures were indistinguishable from those of parental virus. Infected macrophage survival time and the induction and magnitude of apoptosis in virus-infected macrophages were comparable for cells infected with either delta 4CL or parental virus. In infected swine, delta 4CL exhibited an unaltered Malawi Lil-20/1 virulence phenotype. These data indicate that, although highly conserved among ASFV isolates, the 4CL gene is nonessential for growth in macrophage cell cultures in vitro and for pig virulence. Additionally, despite its limited similarity to JAP genes, 4CL exhibits no anti-apoptotic function in infected macrophage cell cultures. The high degree of gene conservation among ASFV isolates, together with the apparent lack of function in the swine host, suggests 4CL may be a host range gene involved in aspects of infection in the arthropod host, ticks of the genus Ornithodoros.
Closed streamline flows past small rotating particles: Heat transfer at high péclet numbers

Abstract A heat transfer problem is solved, first for an infinitely long heated cylinder and then for a small heated sphere, each freely suspended in a general linear flow at Reynolds numbers Re ⪡ 1 . Asymptotic solutions to the convection problem are developed for very large values of the Peclet number Pe , and expressions are obtained for the asymptotic Nusselt number for two-dimensional flows ranging from solid body rotation to hyperbolic flow. Since the objects in these cases are surrounded by a region of effectively isothermal closed streamlines, the asymptotic Nusselt number becomes independent of the Peclet number in the limit Pe → ∞ .
Sudomotor dysfunction is associated with foot ulceration in diabetes.

Aim To examine the relationship between sudomotor dysfunction and foot ulceration (FU) in patients with diabetes. Methods Ninety patients with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes [30 without peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy (PN), 30 with PN but without FU and 30 with FU] were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Assessment of PN was based on neuropathy symptom score (NSS), neuropathy disability score (NDS) and vibration perception threshold (VPT). Sudomotor dysfunction was assessed using the sympathetic skin response (SSR). Cardiac autonomic nervous system activity was assessed by the battery of the classical autonomic function tests. Results Patients with foot ulcers had longer duration of diabetes, higher values of VPT and NDS and lower values of the autonomic functions tests in comparison with the other study groups. Sudomotor dysfunction and cardiac autonomic neuropathy were significantly more common in the FU group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjustment for gender, body mass index, duration of diabetes and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) demonstrated that the odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) of FU increased with measures of neuropathy such as NDS ≥ 6 (10.2, 6.2–17.3) and VPT ≥ 25 volts (19.8, 9.9–47.5), but was also significantly increased with absent SSR (15.3, 5.3–38.4). Conclusions Sudomotor dysfunction is associated with increased risk of FU and should be included in the screening tests for identification of diabetic patients at risk of ulceration.
Breakdown Studies in Compressed Gases

THE superior dielectric strength of compressed gases, their low dielectric loss, their low dielectric constant, their low cost, and the fact that they are self-healing make them very promising insulating media. Compressed-gas insulation has been used in precision condensers where low dielectric loss is essential; it has been tried in other types of equipment such as transformers; it has been suggested for electric power cables where the low dielectric constant is of considerable importance; and recently it has found interesting and important application in the production of very high voltages by electrostatic means for use in X ray and nuclear physics work.
The infrared spectra of some chlorinated derivatives of s-triazine

Abstract The infrared spectra of seventeen chlorotriazines were obtained over the 2–16 μ region and used to study the effect of chlorine substitution upon absorption by the triazine system. A strong band at 11.8 μ was noted as characteristic of triazines which contain two or three chlorine atoms bonded directly to ring carbon atoms; this band was assigned to the in-plane asymmetric carbon-chlorine stretching vibration. A quantitative explanation was provided for the variation in position of the sharp triazine ring bending band that occurs in the 12–14 μ, region, expressed in terms of the effect of resonance interaction between substituents and the triazine ring.
Pyroglutamyl peptidase II, a thyrotropin releasing hormone degrading enzyme: purification and specificity studies of the rabbit brain enzyme.

Abstract Pyroglutamyl peptidase II (EC 3.4.19.-) a membrane-bound thyrotropin releasing hormone degrading enzyme was purified 5000-fold to apparent homogeneity from the particulate fraction of a rabbit brain homogenate. The enzyme displayed a broad pH optimum in the neutral range. It was inhibited by metal chelators but was unaffected by inhibitors of serine, cysteine or aspartyl proteases. The molecular weight determined on a calibrated Sephadex G-200 column was 230,000. A series of pyroglutamyl peptidyl naphthylamides were synthesized for substrate specificity studies. The K m and V max of hydrolysis of the naphthylamide (NA) analog of TRH (pGlu-His-Pro-NA) was similar to TRH. The enzyme cleaved pGlu-His-tripeptidyl naphthylamides but did not cleave the pGlu-His bond of the dipeptide pGlu-His-NA or the tetrapeptide pGlu-His-Pro-Ala-NA. The degradation of substrates lacking a chromogenic group was studied by HPLC. The enzyme did not cleave pGlu-His, the pGlu-His decapeptide LHRH, Phe 2 -TRH or the ring opened Glu 1 -TRH. The specificity studies are consistent with the designation of pyroglutamyl peptidase II as the first characterized neuropeptide specific peptidase. On the basis of its localization and specificity, pyroglutamyl peptidase II may control the biological activity of neuronally released TRH.
Protection against establishment of latent infections in mice immunized with a non-pathogenic herpes simplex virus mutant and reinfected with the pathogenic parental strain.

Immunization of hairless mice with a TK−, ACVr, non-pathogenic herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 mutant protected the mice against reinfection with lethal doses of the parental pathogenic HSV strain. The protection conferred by the mutant against the establishment of latency after reinfection with the parental strain was dependent on the site of reinfection; after reinfection at the same site, only 2% of mice became latently infected, compared to 32% after reinfection at a distant site. When inoculation with the mutant was done at two different sites, single reinfections at any site led to the establishment of latency in 4% of the mice. The mutant by itself was almost completely latency-negative: only 4.5% of the mice developed latency in trigeminal ganglia and 2.3% in the spinal ganglia. The rate of mutant-induced latent infections is partly related to the dose of the virus; however, lower doses of the mutant may not colonize the ganglia, and therefore fail to protect against challenge infections.
A contour-based shape descriptor for biomedical image classification and retrieval

Contours, object blobs, and specific feature points are utilized to represent object shapes and extract shape descriptors that can then be used for object detection or image classification. In this research we develop a shape descriptor for biomedical image type (or, modality) classification. We adapt a feature extraction method used in optical character recognition (OCR) for character shape representation, and apply various image preprocessing methods to successfully adapt the method to our application. The proposed shape descriptor is applied to radiology images (e.g., MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray, etc.) to assess its usefulness for modality classification. In our experiment we compare our method with other visual descriptors such as CEDD, CLD, Tamura, and PHOG that extract color, texture, or shape information from images. The proposed method achieved the highest classification accuracy of 74.1% among all other individual descriptors in the test, and when combined with CSD (color structure descriptor) showed better performance (78.9%) than using the shape descriptor alone.
A Novel DNA Sensing Technique using the Nanopore MspA

Nanopores of both protein and solid-state composition provide an excellent tool for single molecule sensing, particularly for DNA. Nanopores are nanometer-sized holes that provide the only pathway between two ionic baths. DNA is sensed by electrophoretically driving it into the nanopore which temporarily causes a reduction in ionic current as the DNA translocates. The protein nanopore Mycobacteria smegmatis porin A (MspA) has a geometry enabling the discrimination of the four nucleotides using ssDNA. This discrimination is easily observed when ssDNA translocation is briefly interrupted by complimentary oligonucleotides which must dissociate before ssDNA translocation can occur. We show that such duplex-interrupted translocation yields the ability to sense nucleotide composition on various strands of DNA. Such sensing could be useful in next-generation sequencing techniques with nanopores.
Stochastic-convective transport with nonlinear reaction and mixing: application to intermediate-scale experiments in aerobic biodegradation in saturated porous media

Aerobic biodegradation of benzoate by Pseudomonas cepacia sp. in a saturated heterogeneous porous medium was simulated using the stochastic-convective reaction (SCR) approach. A laboratory flow cell was randomly packed with low permeability silt-size inclusions in a high permeability sand matrix. In the SCR upscaling approach, the characteristics of the flow field are determined by the breakthrough of a conservative tracer. Spatial information on the actual location of the heterogeneities is not used. The mass balance equations governing the nonlinear and multicomponent reactive transport are recast in terms of reactive transports in each of a finite number of discrete streamtubes. The streamtube ensemble members represent transport via a steady constant average velocity per streamtube and a conventional Fickian dispersion term, and their contributions to the observed breakthroughs are determined by flux-averaging the streamtube solute concentrations. The resulting simulations were compared to those from a high-resolution deterministic simulation of the reactive transport, and to alternative ensemble representations involving (i) effective Fickian travel time distribution function, (ii) purely convective streamtube transport, and (iii) streamtube ensemble subset simulations. The results of the SCR simulation compare favorably to that of a sophisticated high-resolution deterministic approach.
Bounded and patched solutions for boundary value problems

The technique of bounding, that is of constructing general solutions for all ranges of the variables and parameters from solutions for a few limiting and special cases, is outlined and illustrated for problems in conduction and convection. The technique of patching, that is of constructing approximate solutions for multiphase media by the combination of pseudo solutions for the different regions, is also outlined and illustrated for problems in conduction and freezing. The shortcomings and possible inaccuracies of these two techniques are indicated as well.
Proceedings, 112th annual meeting Medical Library Association, Inc., Seattle, WA.

The Medical Library Association (MLA) held its 112th annual meeting in Seattle, Washington, May 18–23, 2012, at the Washington State Convention Center. The meeting theme was “Growing Opportunities: Changing Our Game.” Total attendance was 2,007 with 380 participating in continuing education courses. Additional meeting content—including the meeting program and various electronic presentations from business, plenary, poster, and section presentations—can be accessed by meeting registrants via the MLA '12 website.
The weak structure of the nucleon from muon capture on 3He

Abstract I use a microscopic calculation of the weak capture process He 3 ( μ − , ν μ ) H 3 , to extract and constrain the weak form factors of the nucleon, particularly the induced pseudo-scalar, and the second-class currents. The induced pseudo-scalar form-factor is found to agree with the prediction of chiral perturbation theory. The constraint found on the conservation of vector current (CVC) hypothesis is the tightest to date.
Testing online and print user documentation

User-testing of computer documentation is beginning to move into the laboratory. A properly conducted user test offers software producer much more information that cannot be obtained in any other manner. The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the previous ways of user testing such as testing in the marketplace, magazine reviews, and prerelease on-site testing (beta tests). In addition, a detailed case study of a laboratory-based usability test is presented.
Cyclic alteration of proximal and distal storm facies; Kope and Fairview formations (Upper Ordovician), Ohio and Kentucky

The Upper Ordovician Kope and Fairview Formations and the Bellevue Tongue of the Grant Lake Limestone exposed in the Cincinnati, Ohio region, represent storm-dominated sedimentation on a prograding, intracratonic ramp. The upper Kopelower Fairview transition zone (25 m thick) is an outer to intermediate ramp lithofacies and is composed of numerous (1-3 m thick) shallowing-upward subtidal cycles. Bedding cycles are composed of two depth-controlled facies: 1) a shale-dominated distal facies and 2) a fossiliferous proximal facies . The distal facies records low-energy, largely single-storm events and consists of thin graded shale beds, nearly in situ fragile-fossil accumulations, thin parautochthonous packstones, and quartzose siltstone beds. Siltstones contain abundant storm-depositional indicators: tool-marked soles, gutter casts, mud-filled scours, hummocky lamination, and hummocky bedforms. The proximal facies represents deposition in an energetic, storm-wave-swept environment and consists of amalgamated sets of thick-bedded, fine- to coarse-grained skeletal grainstones and packstones with low-angle cross-lamination, megaripples, and shale lithoclasts. Sedimentary structures and paleocurrent patterns from both facies record deposition under a combined flow regime with the unidirectional current vector oriented in the offshore direction. Cycles are laterally continuous across the 35 km by 32 km study area. Cycle boundaries (flooding surfaces) are parallel to a unique storm-generated marker bed, implying that these surfaces are effective time lines. Their widespread character and relatively deep subtidal-facies assemblage argues against autocyclic processes in cycle formation. We propose that the alternation of proximal and distal facies was tied to fluctuations in storm-wave base driven by short-term glacio-eustasy. Three scales or orders of sedimentary cyclicity are recognized in the study area. Meter-scale bedding cycles are considered fifth-order parasequences (20-100 Ka duration) and stack into genetically related parasequence sets. These fourth-order units have been previously described as member-scale lithostratigraphic tongues. Analysis of Fischer plots suggest that cycle thickness and subfacies composition was controlled by both accommodation and siliciclastic sediment supply. These higher-order stratal units are super-imposed onto the highstand portion of the Kope to Bellevue depositional sequence and give insight into the high-frequency controls on the progradation of the ramp complex.
Three Layers of Neutrinos

Abstract In this Letter we point out that in a class of models for spontaneous R-parity breaking based on gauged B − L , the spectrum for neutrinos is quite peculiar. We find that those models generally predict three layers of neutrinos: one heavy sterile neutrino, two massive active neutrinos, and three nearly massless (one active and two sterile) neutrinos.
High pin count BGA board level assembly

Successful processing of high pin count Ball Grid Array (BGA) components through an assembly operation is dependant upon many factors including solder paste deposition, component placement, and quality of the raw materials including the printed wiring boards (PWB) and the BGA components.
The Drama Triangle: An Attempt to Resurrect a Neglected Pathogenic Model in Family Therapy Theory and Practice

Among various models relevant to family theory and practice, two are relevant to both endeavors. The Attachment Model has been extremely fruitful in attracting world-wide attention and research. The Drama Triangle, on the other hand, composed by reactive and manipulative Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer roles—originating in 1968 by S. B. Karpman—has not received the attention and interest it deserves from the family therapy profession. This neglect has occurred in spite of its pervasive presence in fiction (movies and novels), religion and politics, and in the justice and legal systems. In real life, this triangle is evident where emotional, sexual, and physical abuse are present. Both models, however, have received prominence in relational competence theory (L'Abate & Cusinato, 2007). Its clinical applications to family therapy practice should yield ample dividends by conceptualizing dysfunctional processes in ways that could not be perhaps achieved through other known relational models, including attachm...
The Embodiment of Learning

This paper offers an introduction to the philosophy and science of embodied learning, conceived as both the stabilizing and expansionary process that sustains order and novelty within learners’ worlds enacted through observing and describing. Embodied learning acknowledges stability and change as the purposeful conjoined characteristics that sustain learners. It is, in many respects, a composite theory that represents work from various disciplines. This ‘naturalized epistemology’ ( ) conceives a world of fact inevitably imbued with the values that our own structural histories guarantee us observers, whether acknowledged or not within our reflective awareness. These values, however, are not simple sets of preferences, for they are constituted in our individual learning histories that, for good or bad, influence the course of future learning. This conservational element of our condition is only half the story, however. The more radical aspect resides in the expansionary capacity of embodied observers to ch...
Single-molecule FRET analysis of DNA binding and bending by yeast HMGB protein Nhp6A

High-mobility group B (HMGB) proteins bind duplex DNA without sequence specificity, facilitating the formation of compact nucleoprotein structures by increasing the apparent flexibility of DNA through the introduction of DNA kinks. It has remained unclear whether HMGB binding and DNA kinking are simultaneous and whether the induced kink is rigid (static) or flexible. The detailed molecular mechanism of HMGB-induced DNA ‘softening’ is explored here by single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer studies of single yeast Nhp6A (yNhp6A) proteins binding to short DNA duplexes. We show that the local effect of yNhp6A protein binding to DNA is consistent with formation of a single static kink that is short lived (lifetimes of a few seconds) under physiological buffer conditions. Within the time resolution of our experiments, this static kink occurs at the instant the protein binds to the DNA, and the DNA straightens at the instant the protein dissociates from the DNA. Our observations support a model in which HMGB proteins soften DNA through random dynamic binding and dissociation, accompanied by DNA kinking and straightening, respectively.
The child's lexical representation: the ‘ puzzle-puddle-pickle ’ evidence

Smith (1973) presents a detailed analysis of his son's phonological development between the ages of two and four.1 The book is impressive, not only for the care with which the analysis was done but also, and more importantly, for the clarity with which central acquisition issues were stated. The analysis of the child's productions was done in two ways: first as a mapping from the adult system and second as a self-contained system. In his introduction, Smith raises seven issues that any theory of language acquisition must address; one of these concerns the nature of phonological change. Smith states that when changes occur in the child's output, they do so in an ‘across-the-board’ fashion. On the basis of this (and other) evidence, Smith concludes that the child must have the adult surface form as his underlying lexical representation. The implication is clear: the child must thus perceive in an adult-like fashion and the deviance of his/her output is due to the articulatory difficulty of certain sounds and sound sequences (and in some cases to certain formal properties of his mapping system).
Intraurban and longitudinal variability of classical pollutants in Kraków, Poland, 2000-2010.

In spite of a dramatic decrease in anthropogenic emissions, ambient concentrations of major pollutants have not changed within many urban locations. To clarify the relationship between ambient air quality trend and the population exposures, we compared the intraurban versus temporal variability of the collocated measurements of five major air pollutants including particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter <10 µm (PM10), < 2.5 µm (PM2.5), tropospheric ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), in Krakow, Poland, during the 2000−2010 period. Strong seasonal trends and overall absence of spatial heterogeneity in PM10 and PM2.5, except in the traffic monitoring site, were observed across the monitoring network. The range of median PM2.5 concentrations during winter (54–64 µg/m3) was 3- to 4-times higher than the summer medians (15–26 µg/m3) across the sites during 2009−2010. Furthermore, large proportion of PM10 appears to be comprised of PM2.5 (PM2.5/PM10 concentration ratios range, 0.5–0.7). At each monitoring site, the Pearson’s correlation coefficients between PM2.5 and PM10 ranged between 0.944 and 0.963, suggesting a health-relevance of PM10 monitoring. One ln-unit increase in PM10 was associated with 92%–100% increase in PM2.5 concentrations in the same location. While PM10 did not demonstrate a clear temporal trend, SO2 concentrations steadily declined by 40% during the 2000–2010 period. Summertime median NO2 concentration was acutely elevated ‎(70 μg/m3 vs. 22 μg/m3) at the traffic oriented site compared to the city’s central monitoring site. The traffic and the industrial sites were associated with highest number of days during which 24-hour mean PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the European Union standard. Steadily growing contributions by vehicular emissions appear to be associated with the absence of clear trend in PM10. Current practices of air quality control within Krakow may not be adequate for the protection of the public’s health.
Kinetic and thermodynamic characterization of C–N bond rotation by N‐methylacetohydroxamic acid in aqueous media

Hydroxamic acids (HAs) perform tasks in medicine and industry that require bidentate metal binding. The two favored conformations of HAs are related by rotation around the C(=O)-N bond. The conformations are unequal in stability. Recently, we reported that the most stable conformation of a small secondary HA in water places the oxygen atoms anti to one another. The barrier to C-N bond rotation may therefore modulate metal binding by secondary HAs in aqueous media. We have now determined the activation barrier to C-N rotation from major to minor conformation of a small secondary HA in D2O to be 67.3 kJ/mol. The HA rotational barrier scales with solvent polarity, as is observed in amides, although the HA barrier is less than that of a comparable tertiary amide in aqueous solution. Successful design of new secondary HAs to perform specific tasks requires solid understanding of rules governing HA structural behavior. Results from this work provide a more complete foundation for HA design efforts.
Use of Cytotoxic Agents and Cyclosporine in the Treatment of Autoimmune Disease Part 1: Rheumatologic and Renal Diseases

When cytotoxic agents were initially introduced, their ability to disrupt nucleic acid and protein synthesis led to their effective use for the treatment of neoplastic disease. During the course of this use, however, it became apparent that these agents also suppress the immune system. This usually unwelcome effect was subsequently studied and beneficially directed toward the treatment of non-neoplastic diseases in which autoimmune mechanisms were considered important to pathogenesis. As a result of these investigations, cytotoxic agents and, more recently, cyclosporine have emerged to become an important part of the therapeutic regimen for many autoimmune diseases. Nonetheless, these medications may still cause treatment-induced illness or even death. It is therefore particularly important to weigh the benefits and risks of cytotoxic therapy when treating a non-neoplastic disease. This two-part Clinical Staff Conference reviews data on the efficacy and toxicity of cytotoxic drugs and cyclosporine in selected autoimmune diseases. Part 1 examines the manner in which these agents have been used to treat rheumatologic and renal diseases.