cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Forced expression of fibroblast growth factor 21 reverses the sustained impairment of liver regeneration in hPPARα PAC mice due to dysregulated bile acid synthesis

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα) stimulates hepatocellular proliferation is species-specific. Activation of mouse, but not human, PPARα induces hepatocellular proliferation, hepatomegaly, and liver cancer. Here we tested the hypothesis that human and mouse PPARα affects liver regeneration differentially. PPARα-humanized mice (hPPARα(PAC)) were similar to wild type mice in responding to fasting-induced PPARα signaling. However, these mouse livers failed to regenerate in response to partial hepatectomy (PH). The liver-to-body weight ratios did not recover even 3 months after PH in hPPARα(PAC). The mouse PPARα-mediated down-regulation of let-7c was absent in hPPARα(PAC), which might partially be responsible for impaired proliferation. After PH, hPPARα(PAC) displayed steatosis, necrosis, and inflammation mainly in periportal zone 1, which suggested bile-induced toxicity. Quantification of hepatic bile acids (BA) revealed BA overload with increased hydrophobic BA in hPPARα(PAC). Forced FGF21 expression in partial hepatectomized hPPARα(PAC) reduced hepatic steatosis, prevented focal necrosis, and restored liver mass. Compared to mouse PPARα, human PPARα has a reduced capacity to regulate metabolic pathways required for liver regeneration. In addition, FGF21 can compensate for the reduced ability of human PPARα in stimulating liver regeneration, which suggests the potential application of FGF21 in promoting hepatic growth in injured and steatotic livers in humans.
Simplified Doherty power amplifier structures

We present two simplified Doherty power amplifier (DPA) structures to eliminate a quarter-wavelength impedance inverter used in the conventional DPA structure. The simplified DPA structures reduce the number of the impedance inverters, therefore they can be easily adopted in the broadband/multi-band applications of the DPA. To prove the design concept of the simplified DPA structures, a dual-band DPA based on one of the proposed structures is designed and fabricated. The designed dual-band DPA provides 76.3% drain efficiency (DE) at the full output power (39.8 dBm) and 54.5% DE at 6 dB of output power back-off (OBO) at 600 MHz, and it also provides 54% drain efficiency (DE) at the full output power (40.2 dBm) and 37% DE at 6 dB of output power back-off (OBO) at 1000 MHz.
The major acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF)-stimulated phosphoprotein from bovine liver plasma membranes has aFGF-stimulated kinase, autoadenylylation, and alkaline nucleotide phosphodiesterase activities

The major acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF)-stimulated phosphoprotein (MAFP) purified from bovine liver exhibits kinase, autoadenylylation, and alkaline nucleotide phosphodiesterase activities depending upon reaction conditions. In the presence of divalent ions, MAFP showed intrinsic and a FGF-stimulated kinase activities (autophosphorylation) using either [gamma-32P]ATP or [gamma-32P]GTP as a substrate. The autophosphorylation activity of MAFP was stimulated at low concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, or Mn2+ (0.2-2 microM). Depletion of the divalent ions by EDTA abolished the autophosphorylation activity but enhanced the autoadenylylation activity of MAFP. [alpha-32P]ATP as well as [alpha-32P]NAD could serve as substrates for autoadenylylation activity of MAFP. aFGF appeared to enhance the autoadenylylation activity of MAFP with an optimal concentration (0.6-1.2 nM). P1, P3-di(adenosine-5')-triphosphate (AP3A) was found to be a potent inhibitor for the autophosphorylation and autoadenylylation activities of MAFP. Analyses by automated Edman degradation of the adenylylated and phosphorylated peptides derived from autoadenylylated and autophosphorylated MAFP revealed that both autoadenylylation and autophosphorylation occurred at residue Thr204. The kinase and autoadenylylation activities of MAFP had an optimal pH of 6.9-7.4. However, at pH 8.9, MAFP showed intrinsic and aFGF-stimulated phosphodiesterase activities. aFGF appeared to stimulate the phosphodiesterase activity of MAFP without altering the Km (approximately 0.2 mM) of its substrate.
Prediction of Joint Line Movement and Temperatures in Friction Stir Spot Welding of DP 980 Steel

The friction stir spot welding (FSSW) process is non steady state and therefore lends itself to modeling using a Lagrangian approach. However a 3 dimensional model of this process can be overly time-consuming, particularly when an implicit scheme is used to solve the equilibrium equations that arise from discretization of the continuum body into finite elements. In this paper a novel 2 dimensional, finite element approach was used to model the FSSW process. An updated Lagrangian scheme was employed to predict the flow of the sheet material, subjected to boundary conditions of a descending tool and a fixed backing plate. Material flow was calculated from a velocity field that is two dimensional, but heat generated by friction was computed by an approach where the rotational velocity component from the tool surface was included in the thermal boundary conditions. An isotropic, viscoplastic Norton-Hoff law was used to model the material flow stress as a function of strain, strain rate, and temperature, while a viscoplastic friction law was used to compute the shear stress at the tool/sheet interface. The model predicted welding temperatures to within a few percent of experiment, but welding loads were significantly overpredicted. Comparison with a 3D model of FSSW showed that frictional heating and proportion of total heat generated by friction were similar. It was also shown that the position of the joint interface was reasonably well-predicted by the 2D model, compared to experiment.
Climatic fluctuations in the Northern Hemisphere stratosphere

Global fluctuations in the mean temperature of three stratospheric layers (10–30 mb, 30–50 mb. 50–100mb) were examined for the period 1957–1972. These data show that during the last decade of the analysis the mid layer (30–50 mb) cooled at a rate which is similar to the cooling rate observed in the lower troposphere. Hemispheric averages of the trend calculated for each layer show a net warming trend in the upper (10–30 mb) layer and the lower (50–100 mb) layer that is only one third or one half the cooling rate of the 30 50 mb layer. These same hemispheric trends appear when the analysis is restricted to the period after 1965, for which both observational data and analyses are more complete.
Autonomic Control of Airways

Publisher Summary Several neural mechanisms are involved in the regulation of airway caliber, and abnormalities in neural control may contribute to airway narrowing in diseases—such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—contributing to the symptoms and possibly to the inflammatory response. Neural mechanisms contribute to the pathophysiology of asthma in several ways. Several triggers activate reflex cholinergic bronchoconstriction and the cough reflex may be sensitized by inflammatory mediators, including neurotrophins. The roles of neurogenic inflammation and neuropeptides, however, remain uncertain. The structural narrowing of the airways in COPD means that the normal vagal cholinergic tone has a relatively greater effect on caliber than in normal airways for geometric reasons. Cholinergic mechanisms are the only reversible component of COPD and may contribute to the mucus hypersecretion of chronic bronchitis.
Are Unitarizable Groups Amenable

We give a new formulation of some of our recent results on the following problem: if all uniformly bounded representations on a discrete group G are similar to unitary ones, is the group amenable? In §5, we give a new proof of Haagerup’s theorem that, on non-commutative free groups, there are Herz-Schur multipliers that are not coefficients of uniformly bounded representations. We actually prove a refinement of this result involving a generalization of the class of Herz-Schur multipliers, namely the class Md(G) which is formed of all the functions f : G → ℂ such that there are bounded functions ξi : G → B(Hi, Hi−1) (Hi Hilbert) with H0 = ℂ, Hd = ℂ such that $$ f(t_1 t_2 ...t_d ) = \xi _1 (t_1 )\xi _2 (t_2 )...\xi _d (t_d ). \forall t_i \in G $$ We prove that if G is a non-commutative free group, for any d ≥ 1, we have $$ M_d (G) \ne M_{d + 1} (G), $$ and hence there are elements of Md(G) which are not coefficients of uniformly bounded representations. In the case d = 2, Haagerup’s theorem implies that M2(G) ≠ M4(G).
Intelligent Mobile, Wearable, and Ambient Technologies for Behavioral Health Care

This chapter provides an overview of intelligent mobile, wearable, and ambient device applications for behavioral health care. Several of the latest advancements in these technologies are presented and descriptions of applicable artificial intelligence methods and technologies are provided. Examples of their practical applications in behavioral and mental health care are also provided. Design recommendations are given and relevant security, privacy and ethical considerations specific to the use of these technologies are discussed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of emerging technologies and opportunities.
Two key factors that belong in a macroergonomic analysis of electronic monitoring: Employee perceptions of fairness and the climate of organizational trust or distrust.

Abstract Two microergonomic elements not usually discussed in treatments of electronic monitoring of VDT clerical work are employee perceptions of fairness (in work standards and measurement process) and the overall climate of employee trust in management. The author's field studies found these factors serving as major mitigating or intensifying elements in the stress that clerical employees can experience when they perform intensive heavy-duty VDT applications, and as central variables in distinguishing beneficial from harmful monitoring programmes. A case study involving change in supervisory monitoring policies for 200 customer service agents at one of Federal Express Corporation's telecommunication call centres in the USA in 1985–86 demonstrates how a Unit Head at a non-union company long known for its positive employee relations policies installed monitoring practices that the call agents considered unfair and a breach of the company's traditional climate of employee-employer trust. Employee protests, when communicated to top management, led to discarding the unilaterally-instituted and quantity-oriented monitoring policy and replacing it with a consensually-developed supervisory monitoring system balancing quality and quantity elements in a way that satisfied both employees and management. The present system of supervisory monitoring of customer service work at Federal Express (1991) enjoys broad employee support, suggesting that a fair system of monitoring, applied in an environment of earned trust between employees and employer, can meet critical productivity and quality interests of employers in clerical VDT work without creating harmful employee stress and discontent. It also suggests that empirical investigation of the fairness and trust factors represents an important and practical area of research in a macroergonomic analysis of employee monitoring programs and impacts.
Investigations into the pathway of electron transport to the nitrogenase from nodule bacteroids

A series of investigations were conducted with the objective of elucidating natural pathways of electron transport from respiratory processes to the site of N2 fixation in nodule bacteroids. A survey of dehydrogenase activities in a crude extract of soybean nodule bacteroids revealed relatively high activities of NAD-specific β-hydroxybutyrate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases. Moderate activities of NADP-specific isocitrate and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenases were observed. By use of the ATP-dependent acetylene reduction reaction catalyzed by soybean bacteroid nitrogenase, and enzymes and cofactors from bacteroids and other sources, the following sequences of electron transport to bacteroid nitrogenase were demonstrated: (1) H2 to bacteroid nitrogenase in presence of a nitrogenase-free extract ofC. pasteurianum; (2) β-hydroxybutyrate to bacteroid nitrogenase in a reaction containing β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, NADH dehydrogenase, NAD and benzyl viologen; (3) β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, to nitrogenase in reaction containing NADH dehydrogenase, NAD and either FMN or FAD; (4) light-dependent transfer of electrons from ascorbate to bacteroid nitrogenase in a reaction containing photosystem I from spinach chloroplasts, 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, and either azotoflavin from Azotobacter or non-heme iron protein from bacteroids; (5) glucose-6-phosphate to bacteroid nitrogenase in a system that included glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, NADP, NADP-ferredoxin reductase from spinach, azotoflavin from Azotobacter and bacteroid non-heme iron protein. The electron transport factors, azotoflavin and bacteroid non-heme iron protein, failed to function in the transfer of electrons from an NADH-generating system to bacteroid nitrogenase. When FMN or FAD were added to systems containing azotoflavin and bacteroid non-heme iron protein, electrons apparently were transferred to the flavin-nucleotides and then nitrogenase without involvement of azotoflavin and bacteroid non-heme iron protein.
Gene therapy for radioprotection

Radiation therapy is a critical component of cancer treatment with over half of patients receiving radiation during their treatment. Despite advances in image-guided therapy and dose fractionation, patients receiving radiation therapy are still at risk for side effects due to off-target radiation damage of normal tissues. To reduce normal tissue damage, researchers have sought radioprotectors, which are agents capable of protecting tissue against radiation by preventing radiation damage from occurring or by decreasing cell death in the presence of radiation damage. Although much early research focused on small-molecule radioprotectors, there has been a growing interest in gene therapy for radioprotection. The amenability of gene therapy vectors to targeting, as well as the flexibility of gene therapy to accomplish ablation or augmentation of biologically relevant genes, makes gene therapy an excellent strategy for radioprotection. Future improvements to vector targeting and delivery should greatly enhance radioprotection through gene therapy.
Differential expression and biological effects of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-4 and -5 in vascular smooth muscle cells

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) plays an important role in regulating vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. The bioactivity of IGF-I is modulated by a group of high affinity, specific binding proteins (IGF-binding proteins; IGFBPs) that are present in the interstitial fluid. Previously, we have reported that porcine VSMCs synthesize and secrete IGF-I and several forms of IGFBPs, including IGFBP-2, IGFBP-4, and IGFBP-5. In this study, we examined the role of autocrine/paracrine secreted IGF-I in controlling the expression of IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-5 as well as the effects of these IGFBPs in modulating the cellular replication response to IGF-I. The concentrations of IGFBP-4 in the conditioned medium increased significantly from
Spectrum of ST-T–Wave Patterns and Repolarization Parameters in Congenital Long-QT Syndrome ECG Findings Identify Genotypes

Background—Congenital long-QT syndrome (LQTS) is caused by mutations of genes encoding the slow component of the delayed rectifier current (LQT1, LQT5), the rapid component of the delayed rectifier current (LQT2, LQT6), or the Na+ current (LQT3), resulting in ST-T–wave abnormalities on the ECG. This study evaluated the spectrum of ST-T–wave patterns and repolarization parameters by genotype and determined whether genotype could be identified by ECG. Methods and Results—ECGs of 284 gene carriers were studied to determine ST-T–wave patterns, and repolarization parameters were quantified. Genotypes were identified by individual ECG versus family-grouped ECG analysis in separate studies using ECGs of 146 gene carriers from 29 families and 233 members of 127 families undergoing molecular genotyping, respectively. Ten typical ST-T patterns (4 LQT1, 4 LQT2, and 2 LQT3) were present in 88% of LQT1 and LQT2 carriers and in 65% of LQT3 carriers. Repolarization parameters also differed by genotype. A combination of ...
Cost-efficient designs based on linearly associated biomarkers

A major limiting factor in much of the epidemiological and environmental researches is the cost of measuring the biomarkers or analytes of interest. Often, the number of specimens available for analysis is greater than the number of assays that is budgeted for. These assays are then performed on a random sample of specimens. Regression calibration is then utilized to infer biomarker levels of expensive assays from other correlated biomarkers that are relatively inexpensive to obtain and analyze. In other contexts, use of pooled specimens has been shown to increase efficiency in estimation. In this article, we examine two types of pooling in lieu of a random sample. The first is random (or traditional) pooling, and we characterize the second as “optimal” pooling. The second, which we propose for regression analysis, is pooling based on specimens ranked on the less expensive biomarker. The more expensive assay is then performed on the pool of relatively similar measurements. The optimal nature of this techn...
Anticancer indole alkaloids of Ervatamia heyneana

Abstract The wood and stem bark of Ervatamia heyneana (Apocynaceae) yielded 14 indole alkaloids and 3 triterpenoids. Six of these isolates, camptothecin (2), 9-methoxycamptothecin (3), coronaridine (1), pericalline (25), heyneatine (18) and 10-methoxyeglandine- N-oxide (4) displayed cytotoxic activity. Three of the indole alkaloids 18, 4 and 10-hydroxycoronaridine (8) are new members in the iboga series and their structures were determined by a combination of spectral interpretation and chemical correlation.
Foraging Ecology of Epiphyte-Searching Insectivorous Birds in Costa Rica

Foraging ecology and diet of eight species of epiphyte-searching insectivorous birds were studied in the Talamanca mountains ofCosta Rica to determine degree ofepiphyte specialization. To measure species' selectivity for epiphytic substrates, quantitative data on epiphyte availability was compared to actual bird use of epiphytes. Associations between each species and its foraging substrates, foraging maneuvers, and diets suggested a continuum in foraging behaviors across the eight species. At one end of this continuum were substraterestricted species, whose foraging behavior and prey choice appear to have been mediated by the nature of their foraging substrates. At the other end of the continuum were preyspecific species, whose foraging behavior and substrate choice appear to have been determined by the nature of their prey. Four species in the study area (approximately 8% of the resident avifauna) were epiphyte specialists: Pseudocolaptes lawrencii on arboreal bromeliads, Margarornis rubiginosus on bryophytes, Lepidocolaptes affinis on bryophytes and foliose lichens, and Troglodytes ochraceus on epiphytic root masses.
With J for TeX

Last summer I asked the Jforum for advice regarding the conversion of J text to a format suitable for placing J expressions and session logs into TeX word processing documents. There were a couple dozen follow-up posts to the Jforum and I received many private e-mail messages. There have been independent threads regarding TeX in comp.lang.apl too. I was quite surprised by the high level of interest and impressed by the number of sophisticated comments. I also enjoyed a few good laughs. This note offers some remarks on the Jforum discussion, what I eventually did, what the alternatives were, and what I might have done if I could have foreseen the future. While the core computation was simple escape sequence substitution, there also were subtle contexts for modifications when lines end and when box drawing characters appear. J's adverb facility helped with those situations and the use of J-defined function keys made the J to TeX conversion much easier.
Insular cortex and perception of temporal patterns.

Abstract Previous ablation studies have suggested that insular-temporal cortex in the cat brain is critical for the animal's ability to perceive changes in temporal sequences of stimuli. Implicit in these experiments has been the belief that the brain lesions must include both insular and temporal cortex in order to produce a behavioral deficit. Recent anatomical evidence indicates that the nature of the subcortical projections to insular and to temporal cortex is quite different. Thus we questioned the assumption of functional homogeneity of insular and temporal cortex implicit in previous ablation studies. The data of the present experiment indicate that cats prepared with bilateral lesions of insular cortex exhibit a severe deficit in temporal pattern discrimination, while animals prepared with temporal lesions show no such loss. The data suggest that performance deficits noted in earlier studies and attributed to insular-temporal cortical lesions may have actually been due to lesions of insular cortex.
Regeneration of Male Germline Stem Cells by Spermatogonial Dedifferentiation in Vivo

Although the ability of engrafted stem cells to regenerate tissue has received much attention, the molecular mechanisms controlling regeneration are poorly understood. In the Drosophila male germline, local activation of the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (Jak-STAT) pathway maintains stem cells; germline stem cells lacking Jak-STAT signaling differentiate into spermatogonia without self-renewal. By conditionally manipulating Jak-STAT signaling, we find that spermatogonia that have initiated differentiation and are undergoing limited mitotic (transit-amplifying) divisions can repopulate the niche and revert to stem cell identity. Thus, in the appropriate microenvironment, transit-amplifying cells dedifferentiate, becoming functional stem cells during tissue regeneration.
DECISION‐MAKING PROCEDURE AND DECISION QUALITY

Although communication scholars usually have assumed that social interaction is intrinsic to the process of producing good group decisions, some writers have argued that social interaction actually may harm the quality of group decisions. Consequently, several noninteractive group decision-making procedures have been proposed; among these are the staticized group procedure and the nominal group procedure. While some research suggests the effectiveness of these non-interactive procedures, no research has compared directly the effect of staticized, nominal, and interacting decision procedures on the quality of group decisions reached with respect to complex, multistage tasks. The present study provides such a comparison. Reasoning that the open exchange of information, opinions, and criticism is necessary for optimal decision-making on complex tasks, it was hypothesized that groups employing an interacting procedure would produce better decisions than groups employing either staticized or nominal decision procedures. It was hypothesized further that subjects in the interacting condition would produce belter individual decisions than those in either the staticized or nominal conditions. Both of these hypotheses were confirmed. In addition, there was some evidence of an “assembly-effect bonus” among groups in the interacting condition.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption by Fourier transform mass spectrometry

Infrared and ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption Fourier transform mass spectrometry is investigated using a number of different matrices. In common with previous reports, it is found that the most efficacious matrices, regardless of laser wavelength used, are those which absorb at the chosen wavelength. Effects of matrix/analyte ratio, laser power, and choice of matrix under low pressure Fourier transform mass spectrometry conditions are examined.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Resource Allocation for Semi-Elastic Applications With Outage Constraints in Cellular Networks

We consider resource allocation for semi-elastic applications, such as mobile video conferencing, which require a maximum outage. We represent the performance of a session by a sigmoid utility function of the average bit rate over a time window consisting of many slots. The goal is to maximize the total expected utility of all active users. A principal challenge is the difference in timescales: The outage is measured over sessions, whereas the average bit rate is measured over a time window such as a group of pictures. We propose that these differences in timescales can be elegantly addressed by shadow prices: a price per unit average rate over each time window and a price per unit outage. We further propose that the price per unit average rate depends on combined path loss and shadowing but not on fast fading. We show that resources can be efficiently allocated if the base station chooses prices based on the total demand and if the users respond by choosing average rates. The performance of our algorithm is illustrated by simulation results.
Getting Personal: Reaching Out to Adult Learners through a Course Management System

Adult learners are returning to college in increasing numbers. The Marywood University Library has seen an influx, particularly in the university's Master of Social Work program, where many adult learners are reentering school after years of absence. Reaching out to this user group, the library initiated a personal librarian service through a Course Management System, a familiar online environment for these students. A survey was conducted to determine whether library help delivered in this way is favored among adult learners.
Distributed feature-based modulation classification using wireless sensor networks

Automatic modulation classification (AMC) is a critical prerequisite for demodulation of communication signals in tactical scenarios. Depending on the number of unknown parameters involved, the complexity of AMC can be prohibitive. Existing maximum-likelihood and feature-based approaches rely on centralized processing. The present paper develops AMC algorithms using spatially distributed sensors, each acquiring relevant features of the received signal. Individual sensors may be unable to extract all relevant features to reach a reliable classification decision. However, the cooperative in-network approach developed enables high classification rates at reduced-overhead, even when features are noisy and/or missing. Simulated tests illustrate the performance of the novel distributed AMC scheme.
Performance improvement techniques for the M88000 RISC architecture

Abstract The Motorola MC88000 RISC architecture has been designed to take advantage of the three fundamental techniques of improving processor performance: increasing clock speeds, improving the instruction sets and executing multiple instructions per clock cycle. The basic techniques are described with the associated problems encountered in their implementation, and the paper shows how the architecture overcomes them.
Le Menu: changing the user interface on a local area network

Through the use of batch commands and special application programs, the interface for users on a local area network can be greatly simplified. In an experiment at Syracuse University, a menu system has been created to allow students a more direct access to software and computer assisted instruction (CAI). This menu system is used in public microcomputer clusters to allow users to gain access to application programs such as word processors and data base managers, as well as system utilities like formatting diskettes. The menu system minimizes the number of commands the users must learn to become productive on the system. This also allows clusters of microcomputers to be used by students with significantly less prior computer experience. The menu interface is written in “Extended Batch Language”™ and is an extension of the MS-DOS batch command set. This menu interface has five main advantages: Less memorization of commands by users.Better handling of special network commands.Low hardware overhead in the workstation.Easy to modify and maintain.Easy to be phased out by students who gain more complex computer skills.
Contribution of GABA-A receptors to metaplasticity in the spinal dorsal horn.

Metaplasticity is a higher-order form of synaptic plasticity that is induced by synaptic or cellular activity, which by itself may not produce changes in synaptic strength, but which modifies subsequent changes in synaptic efficacy. In this description of metaplasticity in the spinal dorsal horn, we report that a 50 Hz high-frequency tetanus, previously shown to elicit a potentiation of sciatic-evoked A-fiber spinal dorsal horn potentials, caused a depression when coupled with a more rapid rate of repetitive stimulation. This depression appeared to be dependent upon GABAA receptor activation because the 50 Hz tetanus elicited a persistent potentiation when the GABAA antagonist bicuculline was injected at 1 mg/kg (but not at 0.5 mg/kg) prior to tetanic stimulation. These data suggest the presence of strong inhibitory inputs in the spinal dorsal horn that are activated by an increased rate of primary afferent firing. The activation of these inputs may be necessary to prevent prolonged bursts of afferent activity from modifying synaptic strength because the latter may contribute to the development of persistent pain following peripheral nerve injury.
Uncoupling photophosphorylation by detergents.

Abstract Triton and other detergemts show uncoupling activity for spinach chloroplast photophosphorylation, including stimulation of the basal rate of the Hill reaction, in the range of concentrations from 0.005 to 0.010 %. Slightly higher concentrations inhibit the Hill reactions, and all concentrations are inhibitory if the pH is raised to 7.7 or above. Stimulation of electron transport occurs only after a time lag ranging from 10 to 100 sec, although inhibition of phosphorylation is immediate. An increase of chloroplast size, due to water uptake, is correlated with the uncoupling effects. It is considered probable that damage caused by Triton is basically due to a change in the permeability properties of the grana and intergrana lamellae.
The boundary trace transform: An edge and region enhancement transform

Abstract The boundary trace transform (BTT) is an edge enhancing procedure which is independent of thresholds based on iso-density contours. It may therefore sometimes be employed to produce useful boundaries of objects where global level slicing fails. It is particularly applicable in the broad class of biological images which characteristically poorly defined or in which heavily textured regions locally obscure subobject contrast. contain several cells of different types. This is the case where subobject boundaries are A variation of the BTT is useful for finding large textured subobjects within differently textured darker subobjects.
Congenital cholesteatoma: 20 years' experience at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

OBJECTIVE:We report our experience with congenital cholesteatoma over a span of 20 years with an emphasis on presenting characteristics and predictors of outcome.METHODS:We conducted a retrospective review from 1981 through 2000.RESULTS:One hundred seventy-two congenital cases were identified in 167 patients. Five patients had bilateral disease. The majority (72%) were found in boys, with an average age of 5.0 years. Hearing loss was slight to moderate. When confined to 1 quadrant, cholesteatoma was anterosuperior in 82% of cases; 47% had cholesteatoma in 2 or more quadrants. Ossicular chain involvement was found in 43% of all cases, and mastoid extension was evident in 23%. The rate of recurrent disease was directly related to the extent and number of quadrants involved.CONCLUSION:To our knowledge, this is the largest series of congenital cholesteatomas to be reported. This review confirms the male predominance and predilection for the anterosuperior quadrant. The extent of cholesteatoma and its relation...
Vision and state health department public relations practitioners: Prepared to lead?

Abstract Visions are important to organizational effectiveness. Although providing vision has been identified as one of the behaviors that best captures organization-wide public relations leadership, little public relations research has focused on vision. Similarly, state health departments have drawn little interest among public relations scholars even though states are a central part of the nation's public health system. This study addressed the perceptions of the top public relations professionals at state health departments concerning vision and their involvement in the visioning process. The practitioners were nearly unanimous in their belief that organizational visions are important. However, results indicate that some top public relations practitioners at state health departments are not prepared to make optimal contributions to the visioning process. In order to take full advantage of opportunities to serve as organization-wide leaders, public relations practitioners should seek out information about visioning in order help chart their organization's future and enhance their careers.
Comparação entre métodos de tuberculinização no diagnóstico da infecção por agentes do complexo Mycobacterium avium ou M. bovis em suínos

The efficiency of the tuberculin delayed-type skin hypersensitivity test was evaluated in swine. A comparison of the tuberculin skin tests was performed with avian and bovine protein derivatives (PPD), in the detection of Mycobacterium avium-Complex or M. bovis infected swine. The methods were evaluated as to define criteria for readings and results interpretation, to determine their capacity in detecting Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infected swine and their performance in differentiating MAC from M. bovis-infected individuals. Three trials were performed with naturally MAC-infected swine, experimentally MAC-infected or experimentally M. bovis-infected animals. The skin test readings positive or negative were, respectively, correlated to the presence or absence of gross lesions and histological alterations in lymph nodes at slaughter age. Reaction with both antigens were observed in MAC and M. bovis-inoculated animals as well. Reactions wider then 0.5cm in diameter or showing skin thickness increasing more then 0.2cm in the time frame between inoculation and reading were considered to be positive, as compared to the average results of the group. Herds with MAC-infected swine could be detected with either avian or bovine PPD. Both diameter and skin thickness were efficient in detecting MAC-infected swine, however, reading the diameter of the reaction was shown to be more easily and economically performed.
How can you help organizations change to meet the corporate responsibility agenda

As corporate responsibility (CR) has developed over the past decade, companies have developed and communicated their formal values relating to environment, employees, stakeholders and governance through public statements. Many of these companies have produced formal reports covering their performance on environmental and social issues. Continued improvement and delivery of commitments depends on buy-in not just from senior management (and the CR manager), but from managers and staff across the organization. This is only possible if there is a culture that is supportive of corporate responsibility. One key aspect of making this change is understanding how the company's culture affects corporate responsibility performance. This paper discusses some areas of organizational culture that affect CR performance including rewards and recognition, learning and managing change, awareness and involvement, questioning culture and flexibility underpinned by mutual respect. It also provides an overview of our approach for assessing and fostering a supportive culture. This is based on working with clients to manage their licence to operate in addition to extensive experience in innovation culture and safety culture. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Glucose oxidase-magnetite nanoparticle bioconjugate for glucose sensing

Immobilization of bioactive molecules on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles is of great interest, because the magnetic properties of these bioconjugates promise to greatly improve the delivery and recovery of biomolecules in biomedical applications. Here we present the preparation and functionalization of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles 20 nm in diameter and the successful covalent conjugation of the enzyme glucose oxidase to the amino-modified nanoparticle surface. Functionalization of the magnetic nanoparticle surface with amino groups greatly increased the amount and activity of the immobilized enzyme compared with immobilization procedures involving physical adsorption. The enzymatic activity of the glucose oxidase-coated magnetic nanoparticles was investigated by monitoring oxygen consumption during the enzymatic oxidation of glucose using a ruthenium phenanthroline fluorescent complex for oxygen sensing. The glucose oxidase-coated magnetite nanoparticles could function as nanometric glucose sensors in glucose solutions of concentrations up to 20 mmol L−1. Immobilization of glucose oxidase on the nanoparticles also increased the stability of the enzyme. When stored at 4°C the nanoparticle suspensions maintained their bioactivity for up to 3 months.
Diagnosis of hog cholera

Abstract Hog cholera (HC), or classical swine fever, cannot be accurately differentiated from African swine fever (ASF) by clinical signs or lesions observed at necropsy. A well-equipped diagnostic laboratory with a trained staff is the only solution to this problem. Specimens should be submitted to the laboratory from pigs with lesions suspicious of HC or ASF. The best method for confirming HC in a laboratory with limited facilities is the fluorescent antibody tissue section technique. This procedure requires only three major pieces of equipment: microtome-cryostat, incubator, and fluorescence microscope. Tonsil is the specimen of choice and a biopsy of tonsil tissue may be obtained without killing the pig. Hog cholera virus may be isolated in pig kidney cell cultures (PK-15 cell line) from spleen or lymph node. The presence of the virus is detected by staining the inoculated cell cultures with anti-HC fluorescent antibody conjugate. The neutralization test (Nt) may be used to detect HC antibody titers in the serums of pigs surviving infection with strains of low virulence. However, bovine viral diarrhea virus infection will cause heterologous titers against HC virus. In addition, antibody titers produced by vaccination cannot be distinguished from those caused by natural infection.
Some steineresque comments, and monodian asides on geography in Europe☆

Abstract The question of whether geography is an art or a science is discussed within the context of comments made by Steiner about the current state of literary criticism. Several problems of geographic development parallel this situation. Problems of translation go beyond the common meaning of the word, and include questions of teaching and public communication. Mapping is seen as a fundamental act of human enquiry. The lack of even elementary mathematical training has severe consequences, because new perspectives are difficult to achieve. These are illustrated by the work of Wilson, with analogies drawn from Monod.
Determination of some first transition metal group elements by electron spin resonance

Abstract An e.s.r. method is described for the determination of chromium(III), vanadyl(II), and iron(III). The measurement is based on the linear relationship that exists between the peak heights of the spectra of these ions and their concentration. Iron(III) ion has a very broad line in aqueous solution, but in organic solvents its line becomes much narrower, and suitable for analytical purposes. Nickel (II) has no observable spectra in aqueous solution; cobalt(II) has a relatively sensitive signal only in the presence of excess cyanide ion. The reproducibility of the calibration curves is about ±0.4–0.6%. The accuracy of the determination varies between 2 and 4%. The effect of about 30 different diverse substances (anions and ligands) on the peak heights was studied. The maximum concentrations of these ions that have no effect on the e.s.r. spectra are summarized.
A highly available transaction processing system with non-disruptive failure handling

We present a highly available system for environments such as stock trading, where high request rates and low latency requirements dictate that service disruption on the order of seconds in length can be unacceptable. After a node failure, our system avoids delays in processing due to detecting the failure or transferring control to a back-up node. We achieve this by using multiple primary nodes which process transactions concurrently as peers. If a primary node fails, the remaining primaries continue executing without being delayed at all by the failed primary. Nodes agree on a total ordering for processing requests with a novel low overhead wait-free algorithm that utilizes a small amount of shared memory accessible to the nodes and a simple compare-and-swap like protocol which allows the system to progress at the speed of the fastest node. We have implemented our system and show experimentally that it performs well and can transparently handle node failures without causing delays to transaction processing. The efficient implementation of our algorithm for ordering transactions is a critically important factor in achieving good performance.
Distributed Cooperative Control of DC Microgrids

A cooperative control paradigm is used to establish a distributed secondary/primary control framework for dc microgrids. The conventional secondary control, that adjusts the voltage set point for the local droop mechanism, is replaced by a voltage regulator and a current regulator. A noise-resilient voltage observer is introduced that uses neighbors’ data to estimate the average voltage across the microgrid. The voltage regulator processes this estimation and generates a voltage correction term to adjust the local voltage set point. This adjustment maintains the microgrid voltage level as desired by the tertiary control. The current regulator compares the local per-unit current of each converter with the neighbors’ and, accordingly, provides a second voltage correction term to synchronize per-unit currents and, thus, provide proportional load sharing. The proposed controller precisely handles the transmission line impedances. The controller on each converter communicates with only its neighbor converters on a communication graph. The graph is a sparse network of communication links spanned across the microgrid to facilitate data exchange. The global dynamic model of the microgrid is derived, and design guidelines are provided to tune the system's dynamic response. A low-voltage dc microgrid prototype is set up, where the controller performance, noise resiliency, link-failure resiliency, and the plug-and-play capability features are successfully verified.
Quench characteristics of resistive superconducting fault current limiters based on YBa2Cu3O7 films

Abstract We investigated the quench characteristics of resistive superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) based on YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) films. The SFCL consists of meander-type YBCO stripes covered with 200 nm Au layer grown in situ for current shunt and heat dispersion at hot spots. The SFCL quenched in a 100 Vrms circuit to produce resistance of 29 Ω at 55 ms. This resistance indicates the gold film temperature of about 200 K. The SFCL showed reproducible characteristics during more than a hundred times of repeated experiments. Two nearly identical SFCLs were connected in series to investigate simultaneous quench. A slight difference in the rate of voltage increase between two SFCL units produced significantly imbalanced power dissipation between units. The imbalance of power was matched by a shunt resistance connected in parallel. The appropriate values of shunt resistance here were 80 Ω at 75 Vrms, 100 Ω at 100 Vrms and 110 Ω at 120 Vrms, respectively. Increased power input at high voltages also tends to balance the power dissipation, but with increasing in film temperature to higher than 200 K.
License Limitation in the United States and Canada: an Assessment

Abstract License limitation is finding increasing acceptance. Reasons for growth in license control include its relationship to other management measures and its similarity to other forms of public regulation in North America. Experiences with license control in several areas of the United States and Canada are reviewed and evaluated in terms of the conservation objectives, economic efficiency, equity, and administrative/political feasibility. These programs are seen as diverse both in their design and the success achieved. Further use of license control is expected, requiring better information on consequences for multipurpose and multispecies fisheries. Although fishermen are extensively involved in the design of license limitation programs, new techniques for obtaining the views of fishermen are needed.
Response of exotics to restored hydroperiod at Dupuis Reserve, Florida.

In 1990 and 1991, 40 ditch plugs were constructed to restore a more natural hydroperiod (i.e., duration and depth of flooding) on portions of the 8,900-ha Dupuis Reserve in south Florida. Vegetation transects and digital water level recorders were installed at three sites to monitor changes in vegetation relative to improved hydrologic conditions. Increased hydroperiod resulted in the elimination of Paspalum notatum (bahia grass), an exotic species introduced for cattle forage. Panicum repens (torpedo grass), another introduced species, formed dense monotypic stands in response to increased hydroperiod, but was unable to penetrate areas where Panicum hemitomon (maidencane) already existed. Frequency of occurrence and density of two desirable species, Pontederia cordata (pickerelweed) and maidencane, increased relative to higher inundation frequencies, although maidencane preferred more moderate water depths. Pickerelweed density increased significantly after the second year and was well established on two sites by the fourth year of monitoring.
Distorted-wave Born approximation for inelastic collisions: Application to electron capture by positrons from hydrogen atoms

We have re-examined the distorted-wave Born approximation for inelastic collisions. We find that the distortion in the relative motion of the collision partners cannot be neglected even for high-energy ion-atom collisions. Furthermore, if the distortion in the relative motion is not treated exactly, post-prior discrepancies will occur. We have applied the distorted-wave Born approximation, with distortion included through first order, to ground-state-to-ground-state electron capture by positrons from hydrogen atoms. The results are presented in this paper. We have also examined the nonrelativistic asymptotic behavior of the cross section for electron capture from hydrogen by positrons incident with a speed $v\ensuremath{\sim}\ensuremath{\infty}$. We find that, for $\frac{{e}^{2}}{\ensuremath{\hbar}v}\ensuremath{\ll}1$, capture occurs primarily to states of positronium that have an odd orbital-angular-momentum quantum number. It follows that the cusp signifying charge transfer to the continuum will, for positron impact, be symmetric when $\frac{{e}^{2}}{\ensuremath{\hbar}v}\ensuremath{\ll}1$.