cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Green Innovation in Energy: Product, Process and Business Innovation Gains for Competitive Advantage

The paper addresses the “green innovation” in the non-fossil fuel energy industry. The objective of the study is to identify the changes in trends of non-fossil fuel energy industry demand, growth and opportunities. The study uses the databases such as patents, news events, income/financial statements to assess the company status and the track record of the industry. The research adopts the methodology of Innovation Radar (Sawhney, MIT Sloan Management Research, 2001) to assess the positioning of the dominant company and design in photovoltaic, geothermal and wind renewable energy industry. The study also summarizes the sustainable competitive advantages of some of the successful companies in the energy sector. This study correlates the gains in innovation tripartite (product, process, business) to the corporate competitive advantage. The companies selected in this study are based on the innovations leading to improve the product, process and business aspects and are evaluated in terms of market adaptability and profitability rather than technical excellence of the product offerings. Three major non-fossil fuel energy industries are selected for the study, (1) Photovoltaic (conversion of solar energy to electrical power), (2) Geothermal (conversion of subsurface heat energy in to electrical power) and (3) Wind (conversion of wind energy in to electrical power). The innovation radar studies indicate that the Photovoltaic industry is well positioned in the nonfossil energy sector through innovations in delivery and process. Geothermal energy is found to be integrated into the broader energy portfolio of the parent company and hence benefitted from the innovations in the supply chain but lacks the customer base. Wind energy industry is found to exhibit innovations in the product offerings through new solutions in smaller and lighter wind turbines capable of operating in geographical areas with low wind speed.
A Discrete Resonance, All-Order Dispersion Engineering Method for Microcavity Design for Four-wave Mixing

We propose a rigorous method for tailoring the dispersion of azimuthally-symmetric microresonators for four-wave mixing applications and show example designs. The method implicitly includes momentum conservation and directly reveals phase mismatch via resonance detuning, avoiding Taylor expansions.
RESEARCH FOCUS: Life During Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth

Neoproterozoic “Snowball Earth” is arguably one of the most fascinating times in Earth history (e.g., [Hoffman and Schrag, 2002][1]): geologic and paleomagnetic evidence (e.g., [Evans, 2000][2]) suggests the presence of ice at low latitudes (but not without controversy: [Allen and Etienne [2008
Creating an Environmentally Sustainable Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract The number of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) designed to meet basic criteria for green design is increasing. Some organizations, however, are reluctant to embark on a program of sustainability. The resistance is typically due to cost concerns and lack of knowledge about how to accomplish goals of sustainability. This paper evaluates the availability and quality of information with regard to sustainable NICU design. Sources of information are provided including LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a system authored by the U.S. Green Building Council, and the recommended standards for newborn ICU design. Among the topics explored via this literature review on green NICUs are sustainable materials and equipment, energy and water conservation, and recycling and waste disposal. Nature and access to daylight are also identified as contributors to sustainability. As such, the role of biophilia (the innate affiliation of humans with nature) in NICU settings is also discussed.
Crazyseismic: A MATLAB GUI‐Based Software Package for Passive Seismic Data Preprocessing

We introduce an open‐source MATLAB software package, named Crazyseismic, for passive seismic data preprocessing. Built‐in core functions such as seismic phase travel‐time calculation and multichannel cross correlation significantly improve the efficiency of data processing. Compared with conventional command‐line‐style toolboxes, all functions in Crazyseismic are embedded in one single graphic user interface (GUI). The human–machine interactive nature of GUI facilitates data quality control. The simplicity of the software allows users to process Seismic Analysis Code format seismic data with great ease and also provides a means by which users can tailor the software for their specific needs. We demonstrate the power of our software through two field examples: one for P‐wave arrival‐time picking and the other for receiver function calculation. The software can essentially be used for analyzing all major body‐wave phases in seismology.
Urban neighborhoods in a new era: Revitalization politics in the postindustrial city

Books that address the revitalization of cities and neighborhoods in the post-industrial era often focus on revitalization of the downtown, or Central Business District (CBD), and demonstrate the f...
Relationships between User Demographics and User Trust in an Autonomous Agent

Reliability of autonomous agents has been shown to play a pivotal role in the human-agent team. This research investigates the relationship between demographic factors and trust using the applicati...
Robot for MRI-Guided ALS Spinal Therapy

Limited treatment options are available for treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) (1). Small animal models have shown promise in halting neurodegeneration associated with ALS where cellular therapeutics are delivered to the ventral horn of the spinal cord (2), although this procedure is invasive and requires multi-level laminectomy and dissection of the dura mater (Fig. 1). We hypothesized that SpinoBof, a robotic needle guidance platform (Fig. 2) could deliver cellular therapeutics to the ventral horn percutaneously under MRI guidance, enhancing upon existing invasive and time-consuming techniques for targeting injection sites.Copyright © 2017 by ASME
Circadian rhythms of body temperature and locomotor activity in the antelope ground squirrel, Ammospermophilus leucurus.

Abstract We studied circadian rhythms of body temperature and locomotor activity in antelope ground squirrels (Ammospermophilus leucurus) under laboratory conditions of a 12L:12D light-dark cycle and in constant darkness. Antelope ground squirrels are diurnally active and, exceptionally among ground squirrels and other closely related members of the squirrel family in general, they do not hibernate. Daily oscillations in body temperature consisted of a rise in temperature during the daytime activity phase of the circadian cycle and a decrease in temperature during the nighttime rest phase. The body temperature rhythms were robust (71% of maximal strength) with a daily range of oscillation of 4.6 °C, a daytime mean of 38.7 °C, and a nighttime mean of 34.1 °C (24-h overall mean 36.4 °C). The body temperature rhythm persisted in continuous darkness with a free-running period of 24.2 h. This pattern is similar to that of hibernating species of ground squirrels but with a wave form more similar to that of non-hibernating rodents. Daily oscillations in body temperature were correlated with individual bouts of activity, but daytime temperatures were higher than nighttime temperatures even when comparing short episodes of nocturnal activity that were as intense as diurnal activity. This suggests that although muscular thermogenesis associated with locomotor activity can modify the level of body temperature, the circadian rhythm of body temperature is not simply a consequence of the circadian rhythm of activity.
Trajectories of Quality of Life and Associated Risk Factors in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Findings From the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

OBJECTIVE Knee osteoarthritis (OA) has a significant impact on quality of life (QOL). Although QOL is generally thought to diminish over time, it is unknown whether different patient groups demonstrate unique patterns of change in QOL. We sought to identify and characterize QOL trajectories in knee OA. DESIGN This prospective cohort study included 1013 individuals with symptomatic knee OA from the osteoarthritis initiative. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify distinct temporal patterns of change in the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score QOL subscale for 8 yrs. Baseline covariates included age, sex, ethnicity, education, co-morbidities, body mass index, substance use, depression, knee pain, and functional tests. RESULTS Group-based trajectory modeling revealed the following three distinct QOL trajectories: a high QOL trajectory (32% of the cohort) experiencing improvement for 8 yrs as well as moderate (49%) and low QOL (20%) trajectories maintaining similar levels over time. Low QOL trajectory membership was significantly associated with younger age (P < 0.001), nonwhite race (P < 0.001), less education (P < 0.001), more co-morbidities (P < 0.001), higher body mass index (P < 0.001), and more depressive symptoms (P < 0.001). Higher QOL trajectory members were less likely to undergo knee replacement surgery (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Distinct QOL trajectories exist in knee OA and are associated with modifiable factors, with a subset of patients showing potential to improve their QOL over time.
Courtship and copulation in Glaucous-winged Gulls, Larus glaucescens, and the influence of environmental variables

ABSTRACT Courtship and copulation constitute crucial elements of avian reproduction and fitness. Despite the potential impact of environmental perturbations and long-term climate change on avian reproduction, few studies provide quantitative information on courtship and copulation behaviors and their responses to proximate environmental factors. We provide the first quantitative description of courtship and copulation behavior in Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens), an important indicator species of marine environmental quality in North America's Pacific Northwest. Male and female Glaucous-winged Gulls exhibited similar frequencies of most pre- and post-mount behaviors, which closely resemble those used by other larids. Mounts were more frequent than expected during the pre-egg-laying and egg-laying stages of the breeding season and less frequent than expected during the incubation stage. In 2008, numbers of successful copulations vs. unsuccessful copulations, numbers of cloacal contacts per success...
Men in unhappy relationships: Perceptions of couple therapy:

Research suggests men are reluctant to seek couple therapy. Parnell and Hammer (2018) established the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in explaining men’s relationship help seeking. ...
Neurotransmitter Modulation of Calcium Currents in Rat Sensory Neurons

It is well established that Ca2+ acts as an essential second messenger in virtually all cell types (Berridge and Irvine, 1984). Thus, regulation of the concentration of cytoplasmic free Ca2+, [Ca2+]i is of great importance in the regulation of cell function. One way in which [Ca2+]i can be readily increased is by opening specific voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels in the cell membrane (Tsien, 1983). In neurons the most important role of this voltage-dependent Ca2+ entry is the regulation of neurotransmitter release. Upon depolarization Ca2+ channels in the nerve terminal are opened and a transient rise in [Ca2+]i triggers neurotransmitter release as is discussed elsewhere in this volume (Augustine; Llinas; Smith). This release process can be modulated by other neurotransmitters by at least two types of mechanisms. Modulatory neurotransmitters can change the membrane potential by altering K+ currents, thereby indirectly increasing or decreasing the entry of Ca2+ into the nerve terminal (Miller, 1984; Newberry and Nicoll, 1984; Klein et al., 1980; Williams et al., 1985). Alternatively, modulatory neurotransmitters can change the gating properties of the Ca2+ channels themselves and thus directly modulate Ca2+ entry [See for example, Cherubini and North, 1985; Deisz and Lux, 1985; Dunlap and Fischbach, 1978, 1981; Dolphin and Scott, 1986; MacDonald and Werz, 1986; Mochida and Kobayashi, 1986; Robertson and Taylor, 1986; Dolphin et al., 1986; Forscher et al., 1986; Heschler et al., 1987; Madison et al., 1987; Marchetti et al., 1986; Tsunoo et al., 1986; Wanke et al., 1987].
Cyber-Dependent Crimes: An Interdisciplinary Review

Online crime has increased in severity and frequency over the past two decades. However, although several scientific disciplines have commonly employed criminological theories to explain this pheno...
FHR, HTGR, and MSR Pebble-Bed Reactors with Multiple Pebble Sizes for Fuel Management and Coolant Cleanup

Three reactor types can be designed with pebbles (carbon spheres) as the reactor core: the pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (PB-HTGR), the pebble-bed fluoride-salt-cooled high-tempera...
The Psychology of Workplace Mentoring Relationships

Workplace mentoring relationships have been advanced as critical to employee development. However, mentoring research has tended to find small to moderate effects of mentoring on protege and mentor...
Physical and Epitope Analysis of a Recombinant Human T-Cell Receptor Vα/Vβ Construct Support the Similarity to Immunoglobulin

The genetic organization and protein structure of T-cell receptors (TCR) and immunoglobulins (Ig) are remarkably similar. Through recombinant, physical, and peptide-based immunological studies we demonstrated that rabbit antisera generated against a recombinant single-chain TCR (scTCR) react with defined peptide epitopes of their constituent TCR α and β chains. These antisera cross-react with the λ light-chain Mcg as well as with peptides duplicating its covalent structure. Conversely, rabbit antisera generated to human λ light chains cross-reacted with the recombinant scTCR. Rabbit anti-λ antibodies purified on an scTCR affinity column bound to T-cell lines and to T and B lymphocytes from peripheral blood. Circular dichroism analysis demonstrated plots characteristic of β-sheets for both Mcg and recombinant scTCR. Antisera directed against TCR α-chain synthetic peptides reacted with scTCR, Mcg λ light-chain protein, synthetic peptides from regions of sequence homology in β-chains, and Mcg. Based upon this homology and the serological cross-reactions which reflect conformational determinants, we suggest that the Vα/Vβ antigen-binding domain of this particular monoclonal scTCR construct is substantially similar to the conformational structure of λ light chains.
Priorities in stress research: a view from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health

The mission of the National Institute of Mental Health is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. In consultation with a broad range of experts, the NIMH has identified a set of priorities for stress biology research aimed squarely at creating the basic and clinical knowledge bases for reducing and alleviating mental health burden across the lifespan. Here, we discuss these priority areas in stress biology research, which include: understanding the heterogeneity of stressors and outcomes; refining and expanding the experimental systems used to study stress and its effects; embracing and exploiting the complexity of the stress response; and prioritizing translational studies that seek to test mechanistic hypotheses in human beings. We emphasize the challenge of establishing mechanistic links across levels of analysis to explain how and when specific and diverse stressors lead to enduring changes in neural systems and produce lasting functional deficits in mental health relevant behaviors. An improved understanding of mechanisms underlying stress responses and the functional consequences of stress can and will speed translation from basic research to predictive markers of risk and to improved, personalized interventions for mental illness.
Censorship, Propaganda, and Political Popularity: Evidence from Russia

This paper examines the effects of censorship and propaganda on media consumption and government support in Russia. To measure censorship, I compare the number of mentions of the USDRUB exchange rate during weeks when the ruble went up and down, finding that Russian media outlets were more likely to discuss the ruble when it did well. To measure propaganda, I consider publications about the topic with a high level of bias: the war in Ukraine. Using the frequency with which media outlets use specific keywords related to these topics and the cross-regional differences in outlets’ audience share, I construct high-frequency (weekly) measures of the distortions. I find that the popularity of the government increases in regions exposed to more censorship and propaganda, but no effect in regions with high internet penetration. Effects are temporary and dissipate after 2-3 weeks. In turn, the audience of the government-owned television channels temporarily decreases in periods when they broadcast more propaganda than their competitors. The results suggest that, while censorship and propaganda in government-controlled media can affect political attitudes, the impact is mitigated by the availability of less biased sources of information.
Situated Knowledge and Learning in Dispersed Teams

This qualitative field study explores how geographically dispersed teams learn and accomplish challenging work by drawing on knowledge situated in the multiple physical locales they span. We propose the construct of situated knowledge as important for understanding the learning process in dispersed teams. Data collected on seven development projects, each spanning multiple sites, reveal that situated knowledge is at the same time a valuable resource and a source of communication difficulty for dispersed teams. We find that, because their members understand and participate in locale–specific practices, dispersed teams can easily access and use unique locale–specific knowledge resources to resolve problems that arise in those same locales. However, when dispersed teams need knowledge situated at a site other than where the problem occurred, they must first recognize and adjust for locale–specific practices within which that knowledge is embedded before they can use it. The paper reports on analyses of 44 learning episodes that involved identifying and engaging situated knowledge, and draws from these data to identify implications for research and practice.
Antibody Libraries as Tools to Discover Functional Antibodies and Receptor Pleiotropism

Most antibodies currently in use have been selected based on their binding affinity. However, nowadays, antibodies that can not only bind but can also alter the function of cell surface signaling components are increasingly sought after as therapeutic drugs. Therefore, the identification of such functional antibodies from a large antibody library is the subject of intensive research. New methods applied to combinatorial antibody libraries now allow the isolation of functional antibodies in the cellular environment. These selected agonist antibodies have provided new insights into important issues of signal transduction. Notably, when certain antibodies bind to a given receptor, the cell fate induced by them may be the same or different from that induced by natural agonists. In addition, combined with phenotypic screening, this platform allows us to discover unexpected experimental results and explore various phenomena in cell biology, such as those associated with stem cells and cancer cells.
Heartbeat: bone densitometry for atherosclerotic risk stratification in women

Atherosclerotic vascular calcification and bone mineral density (BMD) appear to mirror each other—less bone calcification goes hand-in-hand with excess vascular calcification—with plausible biological mechanisms to explain this apparent paradox. But whether the vascular-bone calcification relationship is an independent association or is simply related to the ageing process and shared risk factors has been unclear. In this issue of Heart , Park and colleagues1 investigated the association between BMD and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events in a cohort of 12 681 women aged 50–80 years of age with a median of 9.2 years follow-up after BMD measurement. The primary endpoint of ASCVD death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or ischaemic stroke occurred in 3.7% of patients. As hypothesised, a lower BMD was associated with a higher risk for ASCVD events (adjusted HR 1.38, p<0.001 per 1 SD decrease in BMD measured at the hip). In addition, a clinical diagnosis of osteoporosis was independently associated with a higher risk of ASCVD events even after adjustment for other risk factors (adjusted HR: 1.79, p<0.001). The authors suggest that evaluation of BMD may add incremental value for ASCVD risk stratification in women (figure 1). Figure 1 Comparison of prediction performance for ASCVD events between the BMD model and ASCVD risk score. The addition of a clinical diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis by total hip BMD to age and other clinical risk factors demonstrates a significant improvement in model …
Don’t Mess with Texas: Austin’s Round Trip Journey from the Periphery to the Centre of the Earth

At least for a few weeks in March, when 280,000 people gather to see bands, watch basketball, eat BBQ, and schmooze at the annual SXSW music festival, Austin, Texas becomes the centre of the music industry in America, typically adding $355.9 million to city’s economy. But it hasn’t always been this way. In 1987, the year that SXSW began, the city of Austin Texas was very much on the periphery: a smallish town with a municipal airport that was so small it didn’t receive any direct flights from coastal cities. This chapter recounts how Austin used its quirky, punk rock-ridden local music scene to go from periphery to center stage, a story that provides the most extreme example of how music can not only fuel a city’s economy, but also, as we are now finding, shut it down.
Cloning and targeted gene disruption of EXG1, encoding exo-beta 1, 3-glucanase, in the phytopathogenic fungus Cochliobolus carbonum.

Abstract The phytopathogenic fungus Cochliobolus carbonum produces an extracellular enzyme capable of degrading beta 1,3-glucan in an exolytic manner. On the basis of partial amino acid sequences of the purified enzyme, two degenerate oligonucleotides were synthesized and used as PCR primers to amplify a 1.1-kb fragment of corresponding genomic DNA. The PCR product was used to isolate the genomic copy of the gene, called EXG1. Partial sequencing of the genomic DNA confirmed that the PCR product corresponded to EXG1. A strain of the fungus specifically mutated in the EXG1 gene was constructed by homologous integration of an internal fragment of EXG1. In the mutant, enzymatic activity and the corresponding peak of UV absorption during high-pressure liquid chromatography purification were reduced by at least 98%. However, crude culture filtrates of the mutant retained 44% of the wild-type beta 1,3-glucanase activity. This residual activity was due to two additional activities which were chromatographically separable from the product of EXG1 and which were coeluted with beta 1,3-beta 1,4-glucanase activity. Growth of the EXG1 mutant was normal on sucrose and oat bran but was reduced by 65% on pure beta 1,3-glucan. The EXG1 mutant was still pathogenic to maize.
Forward-backward asymmetry of B → ( π , K ) l + l − : Supersymmetry at work

We analyze the forward-backward asymmetry of the decays $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}(\ensuremath{\pi},K){\mathcal{l}}^{+}{\mathcal{l}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ with $\mathcal{l}=\ensuremath{\mu}$ or \ensuremath{\tau} in the framework of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model. We find that the asymmetry is enhanced at large $\mathrm{tan}\ensuremath{\beta}$ and depends strongly on the sign of the \ensuremath{\mu} parameter. For $\ensuremath{\mu}g0,$ the asymmetry is typically large and observable, whereas for $\ensuremath{\mu}l0$ it changes the sign and is suppressed by an order of magnitude. Including cosmological constraints we find that the asymmetry has a maximal value of about $30%,$ produced when Higgs- and gauge-induced flavor violations are of comparable size, at a value of $\mathrm{tan}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\simeq}35.$ The present constraints from the B factories are too weak to constrain parameter space, and the regions excluded by them are already disfavored by at least one of $\mathrm{BR}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}{X}_{s}\ensuremath{\gamma}),$ $g\ensuremath{-}2,$ and/or cosmology. The size of the asymmetry is mainly determined by the flavor of the final state lepton rather than the flavor of the pseudoscalar.
Rapid Creation and Deployment of Communities of Interest Using the CMap Ontology Editor and the KAoS Policy Services Framework

Sharing information across diverse teams is increasingly important in military operations, intelligence analysis, emergency response, and multi-institutional scientific studies. Communities of Interest (COIs) are an approach by which such information sharing can be realized. Widespread adoption of COIs has been hampered by a lack of adequate methodologies and software tools to support the COI lifecycle. After describing this lifecycle and associated dataflows, this article defines requirements for tools to support the COI lifecycle and presents a prototype implementation. An important result of our research was to show how consistent use of ontologies in the COI support tools could add significant flexibility, efficiency, and representational richness to the process. Our COI-Tool prototype supports the major element of the COI lifecycle through graphical capture and sharing COI configurations represented in OWL through the IHMC CMap Ontology Editor (COE), facilitation of the COI implementation through integration with the AFRL Information Management System (IMS) and IHMC’s KAoS Policy Services framework, and the reuse of COI models. In order to evaluate our tools and methodology, an example METOC (weather) community of interest was developed using it.
Temporal Logic Model Checking: Two Techniques for Avoiding the State Explosion Problem

Verifying the correctness of finite-state concurrent programs has been an important problem for a long time. However, lack of any formal and efficient method of verification has prevented the creation of practical design aids for this purpose. Since all known techniques of simulation and prototype testing are time-consuming and not very reliable, there is an acute need for such tools. We describe an automatic verification system for such systems in which specifications are expressed in a propositional temporal logic. We use a procedure called temporal logic model checking to determine automatically if a specification is true of a large state-transition graph. In contrast to most other mechanical verification systems, our system does not require user assistance and will produce a counterexample trace to show how an error occurs if this is possible. The main difficulty with our approach is that the state space we have to search may grow exponentially with the number of circuit components. Recently, however, we have made significant progress on this problem. In this talk we outline how our verification method works and describe two of the techniques that we have developed for dealing with the state explosion problem. The first technique is an automatic procedure for reducing the state-space of a modular system by abstracting away details of a module's behaviour that are not relevant to the specification being checked. This method relies on a description of the system as a hierarchy of concurrently executing modules. To provide a vehicle for such descriptions, we have extended the facilities of the language we use for describing synchronous hardware controllers, to allow the design of modular systems. We illustrate the use of this approach to verify the controller of a CPU with decoupled access and execution units. We have also modified the model checking algorithm to represent a state graph using binary decision diagrams (BDD's). Because this representation captures some of the regularity in the state space of sequential circuits with data path logic, we are able to verify circuits with an extremely large number of states. We demonstrate this new technique on a synchronous pipelined design with approximately 5 times 10"20 reachable states. We give empirical results on the performance of the algorithm applied to other examples of both synchronous and asynchronous cirucits with data path logic.
The free configuration space of a Kirchhoff elastic rod is path-connected

In this paper, we show that the free configuration space of a Kirchhoff elastic rod is path-connected. By free configuration space, we mean the set of all equilibrium configurations of the rod that are stable (i.e. locally minimize elastic potential energy) and do not experience self-intersections. We also provide semi-analytical expressions for paths in the free configuration space that connect any two stable equilibrium configurations that do not contain self-intersections. These results are applied to the problem of manipulation planning for deformable objects.
American Psychological Association Code of Ethics

The American Psychological Association (APA) promulgated the first Code of Ethics for psychologists in 1953. This publication, however, had been preceded by a committee devoted to ethical concerns that had been formed in 1938, and was based on the work of a committee organized in 1947 (Canter, Bennett, Jones, & Nagy, 1994). The formalization and codification of ethical standards was a response to the increasing professionalization of psychology, a development that began during World War II.
Ate-customer perspectives & requirements panel

Does one do the “minimum” DFT just to avoid buying the “next” tester, does one do all the test “on chip” and cost reduce the ATE down to a battery and a data source and sink, or is silicon so precious that any use for non mission related function make the cost of the final die prohibitive. One can easily find proponents for each position and the data to back it up. This is because the answer is highly dependent on the particulars of the design of the device and the issues related to the business case that the device is going into.
Axotomy-induced alterations in the synthesis and transport of neurofilaments and microtubules in dorsal root ganglion cells

Changes in the synthesis and axonal transport of neurofilament (NF) proteins and tubulin were examined after various selective axotomies of adult rat DRG cells. For axonal transport studies, DRGs were labeled by microinjection of 35S-methionine 14 d after axonal injuries, and nerves were retrieved 7 or 14 d after labeling. Slowly transported proteins were examined by quantitative PAGE/fluorography. After distal peripheral nerve crush (50-55 mm from the DRG), the cytoskeleton that entered undamaged regions of peripheral branch DRG axons by slow axonal transport differed from normal, while the cytoskeleton that entered dorsal root axons did not. Specifically, smaller-than-normal ratios of labeled NF protein/tubulin were transported in peripheral DRG axons after distal peripheral nerve crush. This change was almost entirely due to a selective decrease in the output of labeled NF proteins rather than to an increase in the amount of tubulin transported with NF proteins. Since the efficiency of axonal regeneration is known to be lower after cut injury than after nerve crush, we compared the effect of cut versus crush axotomy of peripheral DRG axons on cytoskeletal protein output. A more substantial reduction in the labeled NF/tubulin transport resulted in peripheral DRG axons if the distal sciatic nerve was cut rather than crushed but, even under these axotomy conditions, the labeled NF/tubulin ratios in dorsal root axons were not reduced. Peripheral cut axotomy did result in a lag in the advance of the labeling peak of the NF/microtubule protein wave in dorsal root axons, suggesting either that these proteins were delayed in exiting the cell body or that a slowing of the rate of their transport occurred. Pulse-labeling DRGs in vitro using 35S-methionine, and analysis of labeled proteins by 2-dimensional PAGE-fluorography demonstrated that the incorporation of radioactivity into NF proteins was significantly reduced, while the labeling of tubulins was unchanged 14 d after distal peripheral axotomy. In contrast to the results of peripheral axotomy, dorsal root crushes made close to the DRG (2-3 mm) or considerably distal (at the CNS entry zone 28-30 mm from the DRG) did not produce detectable changes in the amount of labeled NF or tubulin transport in central or peripheral branch axons. These findings indicate that the down-regulation of NF production/output that is exhibited at 14 d after peripheral branch axotomy is not present after central branch injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Analysis of blood flow in the long posterior ciliary artery of the cat.

PURPOSE. Experiments were undertaken to use a new technique for direct on-line measurement of blood flow in the long posterior ciliary artery (LPCA) in cats and to evaluate possible physiological mechanisms controlling blood flow in the vascular beds perfused by this artery. METHODS. Blood flow in the temporal LPCA was measured on a continuous basis using ultrasonic flowmetry in anesthetized cats. Effects of acute sectioning of the sympathetic nerve and changes in LPCA and cerebral blood flows in response to altered levels of inspired CO2 and O2 were tested in some animals. In others, the presence of vascular autoregulatory mechanisms in response to stepwise elevations of intraocular pressure was studied. RESULTS. Blood flow in the temporal LPCA averaged 0.58 ± 0.03 ml/min in 45 cats anesthetized with pentobarbital. Basal LPCA blood flow was not altered by acute sectioning of the sympathetic nerve or by changes in low levels of inspired CO2 and O2, although 10% CO2 caused a modest increase. Step wise elevations of intraocular pressure resulted in comparable stepwise decreases of LPCA blood flow, with perfusion pressure declining in a linear manner throughout the perfusion-pressure range. CONCLUSIONS. Ultrasonic flowmetry seems to be a useful tool for continuous on-line measurement of LPCA blood flow in the cat eye. Blood flow to vascular beds perfused by this artery does not seem to be under sympathetic neural control and is refractory to modest alterations of blood gas levels of CO2 and O2. Blood vessels perfused by the LPCA show no clear autoregulatory mechanisms. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1999;40:800-804)
A Review of a Guide to Pathological Evidence for Lawyers and Police Officers, Third Edition

This 240 page book contains 17 chapters relating to forensic pathology topics (that The Medicolegal Autopsy, Questions the Pathologist Tries to Answer, Traffic Fatali- ties, Stabs and Cuts, etc.), as well as a glossary of forensic terms and 174 references. publication is intended to provide lawyers and police officers with a basic under- standing and working knowledge of the capability and role of the forensic pathologist he determination of an individual's cause and manner of death. It is skillfully written lear and concise layman's terms.
Multipath Load Balancing for M × N Communication Patterns on the Blue Gene/Q Supercomputer Interconnection Network

Achievable networking performance of applications in a supercomputer depends on the exact combination of the communication patterns of the applications and the routing algorithms used by the supercomputer. In order to achieve the highest networking performance for the applications the routing algorithms need to be designed optimally for those communication patterns. However, while communication patterns usually have a wide variation from application to application and even from phase to phase in an application, routing algorithms have a limited variation and usually are optimized for typical communication patterns. This results in high networking performance for favored communication patterns but low networking performance for others. In this paper we present approaches for improving networking performance by rebalancing load on physical links on the Blue Gene Q supercomputer. We realize our approaches in a framework called OPTIQ and demonstrate the efficacy of our framework via a set of benchmarks. Our results show that we can achieve 30% higher throughput on experiment with data and patterns from a real application. The improvement can be up to several times higher throughput than default MPI_Alltoallv used in the Blue Gene Q supercomputer for certain communication patterns.
A clamped dual‐ridged waveguide measurement system for the broadband, nondestructive characterization of sheet materials

[1] A novel two-port probe which uses dual-ridged waveguides for the nondestructive, broadband characterization of sheet materials is presented. The new probe is shown to possess approximately 2 to 3 times the bandwidth of traditional coaxial and rectangular/circular waveguide probe systems while maintaining the structural robustness characteristic of rectangular/circular waveguide probe systems. The theoretical development of the probe is presented, namely, by applying Love's equivalence theorem and enforcing the continuity of transverse fields at the dual-ridged waveguide apertures, a system of coupled magnetic field integral equations is derived. The system of coupled magnetic field integral equations is solved using the method of moments to yield theoretical expressions for the reflection and transmission coefficients. The complex permittivity and permeability of the unknown material under test are then found by minimizing the root-mean-square difference between the theoretical and measured reflection and transmission coefficients. Experimental results of two magnetic absorbing materials are presented to validate the new probe. The probe's sensitivity to measured scattering parameter, sample thickness, and flange-plate thickness errors is also investigated.
Newly discovered activities for calcitriol (1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3): Implications for future pharmacological use

Recent studies have yielded new insights into the critical importance of adequate vitamin D3 intake and metabolism. Investigations of the actions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol) on novel target tissues has revealed that this hormone has functions other than its recognized action in regulating blood calcium and phosphate levels. Reports have characterized calcitriol receptors and activities in organs and tissues as diverse as pancreas, skeletal and heart muscle, blood cells, brain, skin, pituitary, parathyroid, kidney, bone and intestine. These studies suggest functions for calcitriol as varied as the regulation of insulin and prolactin secretion, muscle contractility, immune cell metabolism, melanin synthesis and differentiation of blood cells. This information may ultimately help us to understand the etiologies of several kinds of organ dysfunction and lead to the development of tissue-specific agents for new therapies.
Quantitative effects of sediment mixing on stratigraphy and biogeochemistry: a signal theory approach

SEDIMENT mixing by benthic fauna greatly affects the detailed historical record of the environment preserved in the sediments1. Mechanical stirring is a major transport mechanism affecting fluxes of solid material and dissolved chemicals between sediments and the water column2. Therefore, chemical and microbiological reaction rates in sediments are coupled to the rate at which substrate and product are transported to and from the site of reaction by bioturbation3. In order to understand better these processes, models which allow quantitative prediction of sediment mixing effects on inert and reactive sedimentary constituents are desirable.
v-Myb represses the transcription of Ets-2

The v-Myb oncogene causes monoblastic leukemia and transforms only myelomonocytic cells in culture. The v-Myb protein is nuclear and binds to specific DNA sequences. To identify genes regulated by v-Myb, we utilized primary cells transformed by a retrovirus encoding a v-Myb-estrogen receptor (ER) fusion protein. The Ets-2 gene was not expressed in v-Myb-ER transformed cells in the presence of estradiol, but was expressed within 4 h after estradiol withdrawal. The expression of Ets-2 also increased dramatically following phorbol ester-induced differentiation of the v-Myb-transformed BM2 cell line. Conversely, CRYP-alpha, encoding a transmembrane tyrosine phosphatase, was expressed in the presence but not the absence of estradiol in v-Myb-ER transformed cells. CRYP-alpha was downregulated during the phorbol ester-induced differentiation of BM2 cells. Although LIM-3 expression was estradiol-inducible in v-Myb-ER transformed monoblasts, LIM-3 was expressed neither in primary yolk sac cells transformed by unfused v-Myb nor in BM2 cells. We conclude that although v-Myb has been intensively studied as a transcriptional activator, v-Myb can repress biologically relevant genes such as Ets-2, which promotes macrophage differentiation. In addition, we have shown that some genes that are regulated by a v-Myb-ER fusion protein may not be relevant to the biological function of the unfused v-Myb protein.
Changes in Nitrogen Use Traits Associated with Genetic Improvement for Grain Yield of Maize Hybrids Released in Different Decades

Further enhancement of maize ( Zea mays L.) N-use efficiency (NUE) will benefit from a thorough understanding of how genetic improvement has shaped N use parameters. Since selection for grain yield has occurred at high N fertilizer rates, our hypothesis was that modern hybrids would have a greater response to supplemental N than hybrids from earlier eras. In 2009 and 2010, 21 single-cross maize hybrids released between 1967 and 2006 were characterized for grain yield and N use traits. While the ability to acquire mineralized soil N did not change over era, the utilization increased with decade of introduction (0.24 kg kg –1 of plant N [kg plantN –1 ] yr –1 ; R 2 = 0.37). Increases of grain yield at high N (86 kg ha –1 yr –1 ; R 2 = 0.68) over era were accompanied by increases at low N of 56 kg ha –1 yr –1 (R 2 = 0.69). Grain yield improvements at all levels of N were associated with decreased barrenness and increased kernel number expressed on a per-plant and per-area basis. Fertilizer N response, NUE, increased at a rate of 0.16 kg kg –1 of fertilizer N (kg N –1 ) yr –1 (R 2 = 0.40). Increased NUE was positively correlated with improved N-uptake efficiency ( 0.76, P ≤ 0.001), due to the greater postflowering N uptake of more recent hybrids. The response of grain yield to fertilizer N in current hybrids is more dependent on uptake of fertilizer N than the efficiency of fertilizer N utilization, and approximately two-thirds of genetic gain for grain yield at high N can be explained by improvements in grain yield at low N.
Can herbs provide a new generation of drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease?

The overall aim of this review is to discuss cellular mechanisms at work in the progression of AD and current therapeutic strategies for treating AD, with a focus on the potential efficacy of herbal treatments. Recent advances in molecular, cellular, and animal model studies have revealed that formation of the 4-kDa amyloid beta peptide is a key factor in the development and progression of AD. Several cellular changes have been identified that are related to amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles found in the autopsied brains of AD patients and in AD animal models. Several therapeutic strategies have been developed to treat AD, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-amyloid approaches. Recently, herbal treatments have been tested in animal and cellular models of AD and in clinical trials with AD subjects. In AD animal models and cell models, herbal extracts appear to have fewer adverse effects than beneficial effects on Aβ and cognitive functions. These extracts have multi-functional properties (pro-cholinergic, anti-oxidant, anti-amyloid, and anti-inflammatory), and their use in the treatment of AD patients looks promising. The chemical compositions of herbs and their potential for alleviating or reducing symptoms of AD or for affecting the disease mechanism need to be further studied.
Effects of forage type on production of dairy cows supplemented with whole cottonseed, tallow, and yeast

Abstract Effects of increasing concentrations of alfalfa hay fed in diets containing corn silage, whole cottonseed, tallow, and yeast were studied using 36 midlactation Holstein cows in a 3 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments with three forage and four fat treatments fed as TMR in three 28-d periods. Forages were 1) 50% corn silage, 2) 37.5% corn silage and 12.5% alfalfa hay, and 3) 25% corn silage and 25% alfalfa hay. Fat treatments were 1) control (0% added fat), 2) 2.5% tallow, 3) 2.5% tallow and 12% whole cottonseed, and 4) 12% whole cottonseed. Yeast was imposed across all treatments and fed to half of the cows continuously throughout the experiment. Statistical models including effect of treatment imposed in the previous period indicated no carry-over effects. Production of milk (21.0 vs. 22.8kg/d), fat (666 vs. 809g/d), FCM (19.9 vs. 22.9kg/d), and SCM (19.9 vs. 22.7kg/d) were lower for cows fed whole cottonseed-corn silage diets than for those fed whole cottonseed-alfalfa hay diets. Added tallow increased milk production with all forage treatments but tended to decrease milk fat percentage with corn silage versus alfalfa hay diets. Tendency toward lower DM, OM, NDF, and ADF digestibilities suggested that fats probably had more negative effects on ruminal fermentation when diets were based on corn silage as the only forage. The depression in milk production and fat percentage that was due to cottonseed or tallow inclusion in corn silage diets was overcome by replacing 25 to 50% of the corn silage DM with alfalfa hay. Yeast treatment had no effect on measured parameters.
Metyrapone, an Inhibitor of Glucocorticoid Production, Reduces Brain Injury Induced by Focal and Global Ischemia and Seizures

Increasing evidence indicates that glucocorticoids (GCs), produced in response to physical/emotional stressors, can exacerbate brain damage resulting from cerebral ischemia and severe seizure activity. However, much of the supporting evidence has come from studies employing nonphysiological paradigms in which adrenalectomized rats were compared with those exposed to constant GC concentrations in the upper physiological range. Cerebral ischemia and seizures can induce considerable GC secretion. We now present data from experiments using metyrapone (an 11-beta-hydroxylase inhibitor of GC production), which demonstrate that the GC stress-response worsens subsequent brain damage induced by ischemia and seizures in rats. Three different paradigms of brain injury were employed: middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of focal cerebral ischemia; four-vessel occlusion (4VO) model of transient global forebrain ischemia; and kainic acid (KA)-induced (seizure-mediated) excitotoxic damage to hippocampal CA3 and CA1 neurons. Metyrapone (200 mg/kg body wt) was administered systemically in a single i.p. bolus 30 min prior to each insult. In the MCAO model, metyrapone treatment significantly reduced infarct volume and also preserved cells within the infarct. In the 4VO model, neuronal loss in region CA1 of the hippocampus was significantly reduced in rats administered metyrapone. Seizure-induced damage to hippocampal pyramidal neurons (assessed by cell counts and immunochemical analyses of cytoskeletal alterations) was significantly reduced in rats administered metyrapone. Measurement of plasma levels of corticosterone (the species-typical GC of rats) after each insult showed that metyrapone significantly suppressed the injury-induced rise in levels of circulating corticosterone. These findings indicate that endogenous corticosterone contributes to the basal level of brain injury resulting from cerebral ischemia and excitotoxic seizure activity and suggest that drugs that suppress glucocorticoid production may be effective in reducing brain damage in stroke and epilepsy patients.