cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Landscape responses to wetland eutrophication: loss of slough habitat in the Florida Everglades, USA

Much of the historical Everglades has been either lost or degraded as a result of human activities. Among the aquatic habitats that comprise the Everglades landscape mosaic, open-water sloughs support critical ecological functions and appear especially sensitive to both hydrologic and water-quality perturbations. We used a combination of remote sensing and on-the-ground sampling to document spatial changes in the extent and vegetative composition of sloughs along a phosphorus (P) gradient in the northern Everglades. Increasing levels of water and soil P were associated with a decline in slough coverage, loss of the abundant native periphyton community, and a shift in dominant macrophyte species. The characteristic slough macrophyte species Eleocharis cellulosa and Nymphaea odorata exhibited different sensitivities to P enrichment, but both species declined with enrichment as slough habitats were invaded by Typha domingensis, a species that is known to expand aggressively in response to enrichment. A limited amount of open-water habitat occurred in highly enriched areas, but these habitats were maintained largely as a result of airboat disturbance and did not contain characteristic slough vegetation. Many changes in slough coverage and composition occurred in areas where water and soil P concentrations were only marginally higher than background levels. Our findings support the need for Everglades hydrologic restoration efforts to adhere to strict water-quality standards for P to avoid further degradation of this key landscape feature.
Deformation Behavior of Cadmium Telluride Stressed at Elevated Temperatures

CdTe crystals were uniaxially compressed along several crystallographic axes at temperatures from 773 to 1353 K. The applied stress ranged from 14 to 74% of the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) measured in the authors’ laboratory. The deformed specimens were annealed without applying stress at temperatures from 573 to 1073 K. No twins were observed after the above operations. Dense slip bands were observed on most of the compressed specimens. Secondary slip systems were activated in some experiments. CdTe crystals were sheared along {111} at 1073 K with a load of 40% CRSS. Slip bands, but no twins, were observed. Synchrotron x-ray topography was used to study in situ the effect of stress on crystal deformation. CdTe specimens were uniaxially stressed in tension along at 293 to 673 K. When the load reached ~50% of the CRSS, the topograph began to distort, indicating the beginning of plastic deformation. No twins were observed on the stressed specimens.
Age-Related Changes in Bone Morphology Are Accelerated in Group VIA Phospholipase A2 (iPLA2β)-Null Mice

Phospholipases A2 (PLA2) hydrolyze the sn−2 fatty acid substituent, such as arachidonic acid, from phospholipids, and arachidonate metabolites are recognized mediators of bone modeling. We have previously generated knockout (KO) mice lacking the group VIA PLA2 (iPLA2β), which participates in a variety of signaling events; iPLA2β mRNA is expressed in bones of wild-type (WT) but not KO mice. Cortical bone size, trabecular bone volume, bone mineralizing surfaces, and bone strength are similar in WT and KO mice at 3 months and decline with age in both groups, but the decreases are more pronounced in KO mice. The lower bone mass phenotype observed in KO mice is not associated with an increase in osteoclast abundance/activity or a decrease in osteoblast density, but is accompanied by an increase in bone marrow fat. Relative to WT mice, undifferentiated bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) from KO mice express higher levels of PPAR-γ and lower levels of Runx2 mRNA, and this correlates with increased adipogenesis and decreased osteogenesis in BMSCs from these mice. In summary, our studies indicate that age-related losses in bone mass and strength are accelerated in iPLA2β-null mice. Because adipocytes and osteoblasts share a common mesenchymal stem cell origin, our findings suggest that absence of iPLA2β causes abnormalities in osteoblast function and BMSC differentiation and identify a previously unrecognized role of iPLA2β in bone formation.
Sialic acid metabolism's dual function in Haemophilus influenzae

Many bacterial commensals and pathogens use the sialic acids as carbon and nitrogen sources. In Escherichia coli, the breakdown of these sugars is catalysed by gene products of the nan (Nacylneuraminate) operon; other microorganisms may use a similar catabolic strategy. Despite the known ligand and antirecognition functions of the sialic acids, the contribution of their catabolism to infection or host colonization has never been directly investigated. We addressed these questions with Haemophilus influenzae type b, which metabolizes relatively few carbohydrates, using the infant-rat infection model. The predicted H. influenzae homologue (HI0142) of the E. coli sialic acid aldolase structural gene, nanA, was subcloned and mutagenized by insertion of a kanamycin resistance cassette. Phenotypic investigation of the resulting H. influenzae aldolase mutants showed that: (i) HI0142 is essential for sialic acid degradation; (ii) the products of the open reading frames (ORFs) flanking HI0142 (HI0140, 41, 44 and 45) are likely to have the same functions as those of their counterparts in E. coli; (iii) sialylation of the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) epitope recognized by monoclonal antibody 3F11 is dependent on an environmental source of sialic acid; (iv) a nanA mutant hypersialylates its LOS sialyl acceptor, corresponding to an apparent increased fitness of the mutant in the infant-rat model; and (v) expression of the LOS sialyl acceptor is altered in cells grown without exogenous sialic acid, indicating the direct or indirect effect of sialic acid metabolism on LOS antigenicity. Taken together the data show the dual role of sialic acid catabolism in nutrition and cell surface modulation.
Termination of Ca2+ release during Ca2+ sparks in rat ventricular myocytes.

1Confocal Ca2+ imaging was used to measure spontaneous release events (Ca2+ sparks) in fluo-3-loaded isolated rat ventricular myocytes. 2The microscopic Ca2+ release flux underlying Ca2+ sparks was derived by adapting the methods used previously to describe macroscopic Ca2+ release from cell-averaged Ca2+ transients. 3The magnitude of the local release fluxes varied from 2 to 5 μM ms−1, depending on SR Ca2+ loading conditions. Following spontaneous activation, the release flux rapidly decayed (τ= 6–12 ms). The rate of termination of release flux was found to be directly related to the magnitude of the flux (r2= 0.88). 4The rate of termination of local release flux was slowed in the presence of FK506, a compound that is known to reduce inactivation of SR Ca2+ channels in vitro. 5These results suggest that termination of release flux during sparks is not due to a spontaneous stochastic decay process or local depletion of Ca2+ from the SR, but rather involves an active extinguishing mechanism such as Ca2+-dependent inactivation or adaptation.
Correct Charge State Assignment of Native Electrospray Spectra of Protein Complexes

Correct charge state assignment is crucial to assigning an accurate mass to supramolecular complexes analyzed by electrospray mass spectrometry. Conventional charge state assignment techniques fall short of reliably and unambiguously predicting the correct charge state for many supramolecular complexes. We provide an explanation of the shortcomings of the conventional techniques and have developed a robust charge state assignment method that is applicable to all spectra.
Disaggregation of “giant” heterogeneous nuclear RNA of mouse Ehrlich ascites cells by thermal denaturation in the presence of formaldehyde

Abstract Heterogeneous nuclear RNA of higher organisms has been previously shown to be of very large molecular weight (2 · 106) by sedimentation values. Sucrose gradient centrifugation of heterogeneous nuclear RNA thermally denatured in the presence of formaldehyde shows that this RNA consists of aggregates of smaller molecules with molecular weights ranging from about 1 · 105 to 1.4 · 106.
Dynamics of free surface perturbations along an annular viscous film.

It is known that the free surface of an axisymmetric viscous film flowing down the outside of a thin vertical fiber under the influence of gravity becomes unstable to interfacial perturbations. We present an experimental study using fluids with different densities, surface tensions, and viscosities to investigate the growth and dynamics of these interfacial perturbations and to test the assumptions made by previous authors. We find that the initial perturbation growth is exponential, followed by a slower phase as the amplitude and wavelength saturate in size. Measurements of the perturbation growth for experiments conducted at low and moderate Reynolds numbers are compared to theoretical predictions developed from linear stability theory. Excellent agreement is found between predictions from a long-wave Stokes flow model [Craster and Matar, J. Fluid Mech. 553, 85 (2006)] and data, while fair to excellent agreement (depending on fiber size) is found between predictions from a moderate-Reynolds-number model [Sisoev et al., Chem. Eng. Sci. 61, 7279 (2006)] and data. Furthermore, we find that a known transition in the longer-time perturbation dynamics from unsteady to steady behavior at a critical flow rate ${Q}_{c}$ is correlated with a transition in the rate at which perturbations naturally form along the fiber. For $Ql{Q}_{c}$ (steady case), the rate of perturbation formation is constant. As a result, the position along the fiber where perturbations form is nearly fixed, and the spacing between consecutive perturbations remains constant as they travel 2 m down the fiber. For $Qg{Q}_{c}$ (unsteady case), the rate of perturbation formation is modulated. As a result, the position along the fiber where perturbations form oscillates irregularly, and the initial speed and spacing between perturbations varies, resulting in the coalescence of neighboring perturbations further down the fiber.
Evaluation of Intra‐ and Interobserver Variability and Repeatability of Tibial Plateau Angle Measurements with Digital Radiography Using a Novel Digital Radiographic Program

Objective— To compare the intra- and interobserver variability occurring when observers with differing experience levels measure tibial plateau angles (TPAs) with a novel digital radiographic projection program (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy [TPLO] planning program), the Kodak Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS), and standard sized printed films (SF). Study Design— Cross-sectional study. Sample Population— Dogs (n=36) with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture that had a TPLO. Methods— Six observers, divided into 3 equal groups based on experience level, measured TPA on 36 digitally captured radiographic images of tibiae of dogs clinically affected with CCL rupture. Each observer used 3 methods of measuring TPA and repeated the measurements 3 times with each method. The intra- and interobserver variability was compared using the coefficient of variation. Results— Averaged over all replications and images, there was no significant difference (P>.05) in the average variability occurring with each method for all but 1 observer. There was no effect of experience level on measurement variability; however, interobserver variability was significantly less with measurements made with the PACS and TPLO planning program compared with measurements made from SF (P<.05). Conclusions— Repeated measurements of TPA made using digital images and computer-based measurement programs were significantly less variable between observers than those made from images printed on standard radiographic films. Clinical Relevance— Digital radiography and computer-based measurement programs are effective for determining the TPA, allowing less variability in measurements compared with SF. The ability to manipulate the image may allow better identification of anatomic landmarks.
Muscle fatigue: clinical implications for fatigue assessment and neuromuscular electrical stimulation

Muscle fatigue can be defined as a decrease in the force-generating ability of a muscle that resulted from recent activity. Recent studies of muscle fatigue are reviewed that are relevant to two areas of interest to physical therapists: clinical assessment of muscle fatigue and neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Volitional and electrical tests have been used to quantify muscle fatigue. Several variations on each type of test are discussed, as are the possible sites in which fatigue might occur. The rate of fatigue during the therapeutic application of electrical stimulation of skeletal muscle is much greater than that seen during volitional contractions. Factors contributing to this phenomenon are examined. The unique requirements affecting how stimulus variables can be manipulated to minimize muscle fatigue in three specific therapeutic uses of neuromuscular electrical stimulation are addressed.
Reactive oxygen species in cell signaling

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated as by-products of cellular metabolism, primarily in the mitochondria. When cellular production of ROS overwhelms its antioxidant capacity, damage to cellular macromolecules such as lipids, protein, and DNA may ensue. Such a state of “oxidative stress” is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases including those of the lung. Recent studies have also implicated ROS that are generated by specialized plasma membrane oxidases in normal physiological signaling by growth factors and cytokines. In this review, we examine the evidence for ligand-induced generation of ROS, its cellular sources, and the signaling pathways that are activated. Emerging concepts on the mechanisms of signal transduction by ROS that involve alterations in cellular redox state and oxidative modifications of proteins are also discussed.
Potassium ferrate [Fe(VI)] does not mediate self-sterilization of a surrogate mars soil

Background Martian soil is thought to be enriched with strong oxidants such as peroxides and/or iron in high oxidation states that might destroy biological materials. There is also a high flux of ultraviolet radiation at the surface of Mars. Thus, Mars may be inhospitable to life as we know it on Earth. We examined the hypothesis that if the soil of Mars contains ferrates [Fe(VI)], the strongest of the proposed oxidizing species, and also is exposed to high fluxes of UV radiation, it will be self-sterilizing.
Can public housing authorities attract and hold upwardly mobile households? A report from Cincinnati

Logistic regression analysis is applied to a pooled, cross sectional data set containing results from approximately 1,300 interviews with Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) residents, carried out between 1995 and 1998 to determine overall levels of residential attachment, and to test whether socially mobile householders had especially weak attachments to their locations. The results highlighted a strong propensity to move among CMHA residents generally. Although most residents stated that they were satisfied with their home, nearly three-fifths said that they expected to move within five years. Multivariate results suggested that socially mobile residents (college educated householders, workers, moderate-income households) were using the CMHA stock as a stepping-stone to better rental housing or homeownership. Public housing officials need to decide whether to make a special effort to hold these upwardly mobile households. A more realistic goal would be to minimize residential turnover caused by environmental problems (e.g., crime), regardless of income level. Policies to achieve this goal are discussed.
Intensive care unit disaster preparation: keep it simple.

Stuff. The ICUs are frequently strapped to provide necessary equipment for day-to-day operations. The sine qua non of critical care “stuff” is the mechanical ventilator. Most ICUs purchase or lease these to care for their usual patient needs. The number of available machines depends on the setting. Kaji and Rubinson found that 71% of hospitals in Los Angeles had less than 6 ventilators available for emergency use. Ontario reports having 16 ventilators/100 000 population. Challenges to surging these machines occur, in part, because vendors often have working supply relationships with multiple customers. Support from the Strategic National Stockpile can provide additional ventilators within 12 hours, providing states and transportation systems can deliver them to the affected facilities. However, it is important to note that in all of the planning for the delivery of emergency mass critical care with mechanical ventilation, no national support plans at present include the provision of medical gas, including oxygen. In this issue of the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, Mahoney, Biffl, and Cioffi outline an ambitious plan for intensive care units (ICUs) to prepare for mass casualty incidents (MCIs). The journal’s dedication of article space to this topic should be applauded, for modern health care systems with expanding critical care services have insufficient specialized staff, medical equipment, and ICU space to provide standard critical care for the influx of additional patients from a disaster. Therefore, disaster planning, which has typically been under the purview of emergency medicine or more recently, public health disciplines, must transcend into critical care medicine. Additionally, the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic and the looming threat of an influenza pandemic have stimulated much recent debate about how to care for a surge of critically ill who overwhelm ICUs beyond that normally seen in suddenimpact disasters. Therefore, intensivists and the health care systems in which they operate must heed the advice provided in the accompanying article and elsewhere to best prepare for an inevitable surge in critical care requirements. Although the accompanying article develops a methodology for developing a detailed disaster plan for ICUs, I think the planning process needs to consider Murphy’s Law as perhaps an alternative strategy in many ways.
Characterization of the mRNA ligands bound by the RNA binding protein hnRNP A2 utilizing a novel in vivo technique

Post-transcriptional regulation is an important mechanism in cellular response to stimuli, allowing for the rapid and discrete expression of relevant proteins. Genes regulated by this mechanism have specific cis-acting elements, frequently in their 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs), that have been shown to serve as recognition sites for trans-acting RNA-binding proteins. Unfortunately, the identification of specific mRNA ligands for different RNA binding proteins in vivo has been limited by a lack of adequate methodology. We have developed a novel technique that addresses this shortcoming, using immunoprecipitation of RNA binding proteins from polysomes followed by RT–PCR and library screening to identify the in vivo mRNA ligands of RNA binding proteins. Utilizing this approach, we have identified 32 known and 16 novel mRNAs specifically bound by the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A2. Of the clones identified, 74% contained AU-rich elements and/or poly-uridine tracts in their 3′ UTRs, cis-acting elements that have been established as impacting mRNA stability. The high percentage of clones containing these uridine-rich sequences compares favorably with the high affinity binding of poly-uridine RNA by hnRNP A2 in vitro. These data thus support the representative nature of the technique.
Morphological variation and systematics in the Scyphozoa: Mastigias (Rhizostomeae, Mastigiidae) - a golden unstandard?

Vagarious descriptions of species boundaries in jellyfishes have been attributed to inconsistent phenotypic variation between individuals, size-classes, populations, and species. However, the historical predominance of subjective and largely qualitative analyses of geographic variation has made it difficult to know where, if not in the analyses themselves, the real problems lie. Statistical analyses of morphological variation provide more objective and quantitative datasets. They also can be integrated with, for example, molecular genetics, geography, and paleoclimatology to provide an evolutionary perspective on biodiversity. Here, I illustrate some of the benefits of integrative statistical analyses of morphological variation in the golden jellyfish, Mastigias L. Agassiz, that inhabit lagoon and marine lake ecosystems in Palau, Micronesia. The morphology of Mastigias varies considerably between medusae, size-classes, populations, and environments and, although medusae generally showed location-specific morphologies, none of the variable features measured diagnosed all medusae from any location. DNA sequence data from cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and internal transcribed spacer one showed little variation and also did not reliably distinguish medusae from different locations. These results are consistent with post-glacial changes in sea-level and topography that suggest recent evolution of marine lake populations from an ancestral lagoonal form. Remarkably, many morphological features show greater variety in Mastigias in Palau than in all other members of the genus described from eastern Africa to the tropical South Pacific. Their morphological similarity, however, may mask considerable genetic divergence, as is the case for lagoonal forms in Palau and Papua New Guinea. There is, therefore, considerable heterogeneity in evolutionary process and morphological variation may be decoupled from variation in commonly used molecular markers. These results contribute to our understanding of inconsistencies in the taxonomy of scyphozoans and confirm that there is no widely applicable taxonomic standard for divining species. An evolutionary approach, however, provides a diverse set of tools for satisfactorily interpreting geographic variation for systematic purposes.
Pepsin concentrations are elevated in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis after lung transplantation.

Background Aspiration of gastroesophageal refluxate has been implicated in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and the progression of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation. The goals of the present study were to identify lung transplant patients at the greatest risk of aspiration and to investigate the causative factors.
On the instability of flow in a streamwise corner

The linear stability of an incompressible laminar flow in the blending boundary layer between the boundary layer in a 90 deg streamwise corner and a Blasius boundary layer well away from the corner is examined using a locally parallel flow approximation. It is shown that the influence of the outer boundary conditions associated with oblique modes of disturbances which are anti-symmetric about the bisector plane have a profound effect on the stability of the flow. As a result, in good agreement with observation, the critical streamwise Reynolds number, associated with a spanwise location is significantly reduced as the corner is approached, being R(sub Cr) = 60 approximately for spanwise distance of z* = 6x*R(sup -1) from the corner compared with R(sub Cr) = 322 approximately for z* = 20x*R(sup -1), where x* measures downstream distance from the leading edges. At R = 600, the growth rate of the most amplified mode of disturbance at the former location is over six times greater than that at the latter; the corresponding wave angle at the two locations is respectively 44 deg and 5 deg, approximately.
A methodology for streamlining historical research: the analysis of technical and scientific publications

The article provides a framework for organizing and structuring the research of historical researchers who analyze technical and scientific publications. Because historical research spans both decades and centuries, an effective research methodology is essential. The framework consists of a multifaceted 10-step method for studying the written discourse of scientific and technical communication, specifically for interpreting historical data obtained from articles published in technical and scientific journals. The method is a reliable means for making sense of the enormous body of data that awaits historical researchers in the volumes of scientific and technical discourse already published.
Effect of amphotericin B on the renal clearance of urea in man.

SummaryRenal function studies were performed in five patients with disseminated fungous disease before, during, and, in one case, after treatment with amphotericin B. Early in the course of therapy, inulin and paraminohippurate (PAH) clearances decreased. The decreases in urea clearances were generally absent or less impressive than decreases in inulin clearances, and some increase in plasma urea nitrogen level was observed in each case. Later in the course of therapy, urea clearances increased often until they were similar to the inulin clearances, and plasma urea nitrogen levels fell with little change in other clearance measurements. These observations suggest that amphotericin B, in addition to its deleterious effect on glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow, may block reabsorption of urea and prevent establishment of a concentration gradient between the collecting duct and medullary interstitium.
Effect of Digitonin on the Rhodopsin Meta I–Meta II Equilibrium¶

Absorbance difference spectra were recorded from 10 μs to 540 ms after photoexcitation of sonicated suspensions of hypotonically washed bovine rod outer segments with varying amounts of the detergent digitonin added (0 to 2%) at 20°C. Metarhodopsin I480 and metarhodopsin II displayed the expected anomalous pH dependence at pH 6 and 8 (i.e. opposite to that expected from direct protonation of the chromophore Schiff base). However, increasing levels of digitonin eliminated the pH dependence of the equilibrium, and at 2% digitonin the pH 6 and pH 8 data were both similar to the data collected at pH 8 without digitonin. Addition of 0.5% azolectin restored approximately 50% of the anomalous pH dependence at pH 6 in the 2% digitonin sample. The possibility that digitonin induced large-scale aggregation of rhodopsin in the disk membrane that could be reversed by azolectin was tested using time-resolved linear dichroism. Those results showed that even 0.3% digitonin disrupted the membrane, and no large aggregates were detectable under any conditions. Thus, digitonin reduces the activity of a component of the disk membrane required for metarhodopsin II formation, and that deficiency can be compensated for by azolectin.
Hydrologic Prediction over the Conterminous United States Using the National Multi-Model Ensemble

AbstractThe authors analyzed the skill of monthly and seasonal soil moisture (SM) and runoff (RO) forecasts over the United States performed by driving the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model with forcings derived from the National Multi-Model Ensemble hindcasts (NMME_VIC). The grand ensemble mean NMME_VIC forecasts were compared to ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP) forecasts derived from the VIC model forced by resampling of historical observations during the forecast period (ESP_VIC), using the same initial conditions as NMME_VIC. The forecast period is from 1982 to 2010, with the forecast initialized on 1 January, 1 April, 5 July, and 3 October. Overall, forecast skill is seasonally and regionally dependent. The authors found that 1) the skill of the grand ensemble mean NMME_VIC forecasts is comparable with that of the individual model that has the highest skill; 2) for all forecast initiation dates, the initial conditions play a dominant role in forecast skill at 1-month lead, and...
The rate transfer argument in two-stage scenarios: When does it matter?

The significance of the rate transfer argument used in a class of two-stage source and channel coding problems is discussed. A very simple necessary and sufficient condition is derived as to when the argument helps expand the achievability region. Special attention is paid to several example scenarios such as successive refinement with or without side information, and degraded broadcast channels. Finally, for reliable separate source-channel coding, whether a test based on comparing marginal source and channel rate regions is more restrictive than comparing cumulative rate regions, obtained after using the rate transfer argument, is discussed. It turns out that if rate transfer does not matter in either the source or the channel coding problem, the two tests are equivalent.
Symmetry Considerations for Closed Loop Photonic Crystal Coupled Resonators

Waveguide coupling to closed loop coupled-resonator optical waveguides is explored. By coupling a CROW chain back on itself, a reduction in individual resonant linewidth is achieved making these slow light modes more conducive to periodic filters toward novel frequency-comb integration. Through numerical simulation by finite-difference time-domain methods, the importance of waveguide symmetry conditions for coupling is illustrated. The impact of unit cavity mode symmetry strongly impacts the necessary coupling geometry to both cavities and waveguides. Design insight into different waveguide coupling schemes is provided while aiming to achieve transmission of the resonant structure exhibited by the isolated resonator.
Local factorization of trajectory lifting morphisms for single-input affine control systems ☆

Trajectory preserving and lifting maps have been implicitly used in many recursive or hierarchical control design techniques. Well known systems theoretic concepts such as differential flatness or more recent ones such as simulation and bisimulation can be also understood through the trajectory lifting maps they define. In this paper we initiate a study of trajectory preserving and lifting maps between affine control systems. Our main result shows that any trajectory lifting map between two single-input control affine systems can be locally factored as the composition of two special trajectory lifting maps: a projection onto a quotient system followed by a differentially flat output with respect to another control system. We use this decomposition result to show that under mild regularity conditions, trajectory preserving maps between single-input affine control systems also lift trajectories. As an additional application of the main result, we also show how the hierarchical stabilization method known as back-stepping can be used based on the existence of a trajectory preserving and lifting map having a feedback stabilizable control system as codomain.
Temperature and stress sensitivities of microwave ferrites

The effect of changes in remanent magnetization on the performance of microwave ferrites employed in latching phase shifter applications has been a serious problem for many years. Reductions in the remanence ratio R are caused both by increases in temperature and by stresses which arise from thermal or mechanical origins. Recently, the molecular field theory developed by Neel has been modified to account for the effects of possible sublattice canting on the magnetization-temperature curves of substituted microwave garnets. The results of this work have made it possible to compute magnetization-temperature characteristics for a wide range of substituted iron garnets. The problem of the stress sensitivity of R has also been examined theoretically, and it has been concluded that the ratio of the magnetostriction constant to the first-order anisotropy constant is the important variable. The magnetostriction constant involved depends on the relationship of the stress direction to the applied magnetic field. In comparison with experimental results for Y 3 Mn x Fe 5-x O 12 in both single crystal and polycrystalline forms, the theory was shown to give at least qualitative agreement. This paper will serve as an up-to-date review of this work.
U.S. v. Japanese Regulatory Responses to the Financial Institution Crises of the 1980s: The Seductive Appeal of the Cover Up

Economists have dominated U.S. scholarship about the S&L debacle and they have universally viewed the regulatory response as horrific. This paper argues that the conventional economic wisdom is badly flawed. The U.S. regulatory response to the debacle was disastrous – when economists shaped it in the critical years (1982-1983) that produced the debacle and would have produced catastrophic losses had the policies been maintained. The Reagan administration wanted the policies maintained and even expanded. The administration’s goal was to block its own appointee Federal Home Loan Bank Board Chairman Edwin Gray from “reregulating” and “resupervising” the industry. Chairman Gray, and a great deal of luck, combined to block that administration effort. Mr. Gray’s policies proved extraordinarily successful. They explain why the S&L debacle was contained at a far lower cost that did not harm the overall U.S. economy and resolved far more expeditiously than was the still unresolved Japanese banking crisis of the 1980s that has impaired the Japanese economy for 15 years. This paper explains why the interaction of institutional factors that allowed for far greater regulatory independence in the U.S. and an extraordinary regulator leader allowed the U.S. to avoid a Japanese-style catastrophe.
Structural organization of nuclear lamins A, C, B1, and B2 revealed by superresolution microscopy

The nuclear lamina is a key structural element of the metazoan nucleus. However, the structural organization of the major proteins composing the lamina is poorly defined. Using three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy and computational image analysis, we characterized the supramolecular structures of lamin A, C, B1, and B2 in mouse embryo fibroblast nuclei. Each isoform forms a distinct fiber meshwork, with comparable physical characteristics with respect to mesh edge length, mesh face area and shape, and edge connectivity to form faces. Some differences were found in face areas among isoforms due to variation in the edge lengths and number of edges per face, suggesting that each meshwork has somewhat unique assembly characteristics. In fibroblasts null for the expression of either lamins A/C or lamin B1, the remaining lamin meshworks are altered compared with the lamin meshworks in wild-type nuclei or nuclei lacking lamin B2. Nuclei lacking LA/C exhibit slightly enlarged meshwork faces and some shape changes, whereas LB1-deficient nuclei exhibit primarily a substantial increase in face area. These studies demonstrate that individual lamin isoforms assemble into complex networks within the nuclear lamina and that A- and B-type lamins have distinct roles in maintaining the organization of the nuclear lamina.
Regulation and function of CCSP during pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in vivo.

Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP) is a 16-kDa homodimeric polypeptide secreted by respiratory epithelial cells in the conducting airways of the lung. To assess the role of CCSP in bacterial infla...
Utilizing Public Health Clinics for Service‐Learning Rotations in Dental Hygiene: A Four‐Year Retrospective Study

National reports outlining disparities in oral health care in the United States have focused attention on ways to encourage health care providers to become more involved in the public health arena. Utilization of service-learning in professional health education programs is one method being explored. The purpose of this study was to conduct a retrospective review of a service-learning rotation within a dental hygiene public health course. The study utilized data sources generated by students as part of a course evaluation. These sources included student journals (qualitative/quantitative) and Likert-scaled (quantitative) and open-ended (qualitative) student satisfaction survey items. Mixed methodology data analysis techniques were used to analyze and triangulate data in order to form conclusions related to the effectiveness of service-learning as a teaching strategy in dental hygiene. This investigation suggests that service-learning is an effective learning strategy for increasing student awareness of underserved populations, cultural diversity, and ethical patient care. The study also suggests that service-learning helped students to determine their level of interest in public health as a career choice by giving them a real-world experience in public health patient care.
Productive infection of field strains of avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus in chicken peripheral blood-derived monocyte

The avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) typically infects the respiratory tract of chickens, but can also spread to other organs. However, the mechanisms of virus dissemination are presently unclear. We show that peripheral blood-derived monocytes/macrophages from chickens (chPBMC) are productively infected by clinical strains of IBV, accompanied by induction of apoptosis. Our data suggest that chPBMCs play a role in the dissemination of IBV, and may be important for viral pathogenesis.
Computational Method for Non-Conservation Form of 1-D Unsteady Euler Equations for Closed-Loop Transport Systems

This paper describes a modeling method for closed-loop unsteady fluid transport systems based on 1-D unsteady Euler equations with nonlinear forced periodic boundary conditions. A significant feature of this model is the incorporation of dynamic constraints on the variables that control the transport process at the system boundaries as they often exist in many transport systems. These constraints result in a coupling of the Euler equations with a system of ordinary differential equations that model dynamics of auxiliary processes connected to the transport system. Another important feature of the transport model is the use of the nonconservation form instead of the flux-conserved form. This f orm lends itself to modeling with measurable conserved fluid transport variables and represents an inter mediate model between the primitive variable approach and the conserved variable approach. A wave-splitting finite-difference upwind method is presented as a numerical solution of the model. An iterative procedure is implemented to solve the nonlinear forced periodic boundary conditions prior to the time-marching procedure for the upwind method. A shock capturing method to handle transonic flow for the non-conservation form of the Euler equations is presented. A closed-loop wind tunnel is used for demonstration of the accuracy of this modeling method.
Extralegal Disparity in the Application of Intermediate Sanctions An Analysis of U.S. District Courts

The sentencing literature is replete with studies that have examined the influence of extralegal offender characteristics on two key sentence outcomes: the imprisonment and sentence length decisions. Yet the study of other outcomes, such as the application of intermediate sanctions, is rarely addressed. To date, no studies have been conducted in the federal courts to examine the potential influence of race/ethnicity, age, gender, and educational attainment on the decision to apply intermediate sanctions. Consequently, the present analysis employs U.S. Sentencing Commission data to examine direct and interactive effects of these extralegal characteristics on this understudied outcome. Findings indicate that extralegal effects may play an important role in the use of intermediate sanctions. The implications of this research are discussed in detail.
Abstract 2478: Silencing Aurora Kinase A radio-sensitizes glioma cells

Purpose: It has been reported that Aurora Kinase A (AurKA) is overexpressed in many cancer types, including breast, ovarian, pancreatic, head and neck, esophageal, renal, and lung. Upregulation of AurKA can lead to oncogenic transformation and aneuploidy. AurKA is a member of the serine/threonine family of protein kinases that is localized to the mitotic spindle during cell division. AurKA is involved in spindle assembly and regulated by phosphorylation-dependent proteosomal degradation. Cells that overexpress AurKA surpass the G2/M checkpoint prematurely, resulting in chromosomal abnormalities. Silencing AurKA will prevent premature progression through the G2/M checkpoint, allowing for cells to be targeted in the radiosensitive G2/M phase. Materials and Methods: We first looked at the expression of AurKA in established (ATCC) and primary glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines. Stable silencing of AurKA was done via a lentiviral transfection with shRNA in U87, LN18, and LN229 cell lines. We performed clonogenic survival and MTS assays to measure the cell death after radiation of these AurKA knockdown (AurKA KD) cells versus cells transfected with non-targeting (NT) shRNA. Western blot was performed using these same cells post-radiation treatment to investigate the expression of proteins in both apoptotic and pro-survival pathways. To investigate the effect of AurKA KD on the formation of polyploidy cells and cell cycle regulation. Cell cycle analysis on AurKA KD and NT cells was conducted using flow cytometry. AurKA is also known to phosphorylate tumor suppressor protein p53 at Ser315, which leads to degradation of p53 via ubiquitination by Mdm2. We carried out experiments where AurKA KD cells, with either intact or mutant p53, were treated with a p53 inhibitor Pifithrin α and subsequently measured apoptosis using Annexin V and Western blot. Initial sequencing results of AurKA in our GBM cell lines did not lead to any conclusive results. Furthermore, we assessed the copy number variation of AurKA to correlate with radiosensitivity of our GBM cell lines. Results and Conclusions: Radiation treatment increases AurKA expression in our established and primary GBM cell lines. Next we silenced AurKA using lentiviral mediated shRNA transduction. AurKA KD cells exhibit greater radiosensitivity and reduced proliferation when compared to control cells, as shown by the clonogenic survival and MTS assays, respectively. Increased expression of apoptotic proteins, such as cleaved PARP and cleaved caspase-3, is seen in AurKA KD cells after treatment with radiation when compared to controls. Moreover, silencing AurKA prevented the accumulation of polyploid cells after radiation treatment. Our data suggest that AurKA could be a promising therapeutic target for radiosensitizing of GBM. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2478. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2478
Views of Hospice and Palliative Care Among Younger and Older Sexually Diverse Women

The aim of the present study was to explore end-of-life health care attitudes among younger and older sexually diverse women. Self-identified lesbian and heterosexual older women as well as lesbian and heterosexual middle-aged women were recruited. Results indicated that lesbian women held significantly more positive beliefs about hospice services and the role of alternative medicines in health care. No differences among sexual orientation were found for comfort discussing pain management but heterosexual women reported a significantly greater desire for life-sustaining treatments in the event of an incurable disease and severe life-limiting conditions (eg, feeding tube, life support, no brain response). Additionally, as expected, older women in this study held more positive beliefs about hospice and more comfort discussing pain management than middle-aged women.
Does linked selection explain the narrow range of genetic diversity across species

The relatively narrow range of genetic polymorphism levels across species has been a major source of debate since the inception of molecular population genetics. Recently Corbett-Detig et al found evidence that linked selection strongly constrains levels of polymorphism in species with large census sizes. Here I reexamine this claim and find weak support for this conclusion. While linked selection is an important determinant of polymorphism levels along the genome in many species, we currently lack compelling evidence that it is a major determinant of polymorphism levels among obligately sexual species.
Über die Normalisierung des Gehaltes menschlichen Urins an Prokoagulans nach Nierenübertragung

Im menschlichen Urin wird ein hochaktives Prokoagulans ausgeschieden, welches Prothrombin in Gegenwart von Faktor V, Phospholipoiden und Calciumchlorid in Thrombin uberfuhrt. Seine Ausscheidung bei Nierenerkrankungen ist erheblich verringert oder ganz abwesend. Es besteht bei diesen Erkrankungen eine negative Beziehung zum Eiweisgehalt des Urins. Nierentransplantation fuhrt zu Normalisierung, jedoch mit einem Trend, der nicht immer der Normalisierung des Blutkreatinins parallel geht. In der Posttransplantperiode kommt es gelegentlich zu einer temporaren, sehr ausgepragten Reduzierung, ohne das die ublichen Nierenfunktionsteste abnorm waren. Es wird vermutet, das die Prokoagulansausscheidung eine bisher nicht erfaste tubulare Funktion darstellt.
Silicon Nanowires and Lithium Cobalt Oxide Nanowires in Graphene Nanoribbon Papers for Full Lithium Ion Battery

Described here is the production and characterization of a scalable method to produce 3D structured lithium ion battery anodes using free-standing papers of porous silicon nanowires (Si-NW) and graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Using simple filtration methods, GNRs and Si-NWs can be entangled into a mat thereby forming Si-NW GNR papers. This produces anodes with high gravimetric capacity (up to 2500 mA h g−1) and high areal and volumetric capacities (up to 11 mA h cm−2 and 3960 mA h cm−3). The compact structure of the anode is possible since the GNR volume occupies a high proportion of empty space within the composite paper. These Si-NW/GNR papers have been cycled for over 300 cycles, exhibiting a stable life cycle. Combined with LiCoO2 nanowires, a full battery is produced with high energy density (386 Wh kg−1), meeting requirements for high performance devices.
Psychometric Properties of Two Bicultural Attitude Scales: An Update

The purpose of this paper is to report evidence of psychometric properties of two Bicultural Attitude Scales (BASs) developed by the author. The paper provides evidence of the reliability and validity of the two versions of the BAS (i.e., Parents version and Children versions) based on two studies. The first study was conducted on a sample of 66 Bangladeshi immigrant parents (33 mothers and 33 fathers) living in the USA. The measuring instrument was the Parents version of the BAS. Results showed a high factorial validity structure of the scale—the values ranged from .62 to .96—and high internal consistency reliability of the scale—the alpha coefficient was .80. The second study was conducted on a 412 Bangladeshi ethnic minority young adults (40 % women and 60 % men). Children version of the BAS was used in this study. The study revealed significantly high factorial validity—factor loading values ranged from .34 to .65—and a significantly high internal consistency reliability of the scale—the alpha coefficient was .86.