cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Gas Production Recording System and Pig Fecal Inoculum Volume on Kinetics and Variation of In Vitro Fermentation using Corn Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles and Soybean Hulls.

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of inoculum volume (IV), substrate quantity, and the use of a manual or automated gas production (GP) recording system for in vitro determinations of fermentation of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (cDDGS) and soybean hulls (SBH). A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used and included the factors of (1) ingredients (cDDGS or SBH), (2) inoculum volume and substrate quantity (IV30 = 0.2 g substrate + 30 mL inoculum or IV75 = 0.5 g substrate + 75 mL inoculum), and (3) GP recording system (MRS = manual recording system or ARS = automated recording system). Feed ingredient samples were pre-treated with pepsin and pancreatin, and the hydrolyzed residues were subsequently incubated with fresh pig feces in a buffered mineral solution. The GP recording was monitored for 72 h, and the kinetics were estimated by fitting data using an exponential model. Compared with SBH, cDDGS yielded less (p < 0.01) maximal gas production (Gf), required more time (p < 0.02) to achieve half gas accumulation (T/2), and had less (p < 0.01) fractional rate of degradation (µ) and in vitro fermentability of dry matter (IVDMF). Using the ARS resulted in less IVDMF (p < 0.01) compared with MRS (79.0% vs. 81.2%, respectively). Interactions were observed between GP recording system and inoculum volume and substrate quantity for Gf (p < 0.04), µ (p < 0.01), and T/2 (p < 0.04) which implies that increasing inoculum volume and substrate quantity resulted in decreased Gf (332 mL/g from IV30 vs. 256 mL/g from IV75), µ (0.05 from IV30 vs. 0.04 from IV75), and T/2 (34 h for IV30 vs. 25 h for IV75) when recorded with ARS but not MRS. However, the recorded cumulative GP at 72 h was not influenced by the inoculum volume nor recording system. The precision of Gf (as measured by the coefficient of variation of Gf) tended to increase for IV30 compared with IV75 (p < 0.10), indicating that using larger inoculum volume and substrate quantity (IV75) reduced within batch variation in GP kinetics. Consequently, both systems showed comparable results in GP kinetics, but considering convenience and achievement of consistency, 75 mL of inoculum volume with 0.5 g substrate is recommended for ARS.
TREATMENT OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS AND THE WEEKEND EFFECT AT AN URBAN TERTIARY-CARE CENTER.

Objective: Weekend admission has been associated with higher morbidity and mortality, but the relationship between diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) outcomes and this weekend effect is unclear. To better characterize it, we examined the outcomes of patients admitted with DKA to an urban tertiary-care center. Methods: This retrospective study included pediatric and adult patients admitted to Montefiore Health System from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2018, with a primary or secondary diagnosis of DKA as identified by International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 and -10 codes; all ICD diagnoses were present on admission. Only the first admission for each patient was analyzed, and patients were excluded if their initial anion gap was less than 13 mEq/L. A subcohort comprised of patients with documented biochemical evidence of DKA resolution was also analyzed. The Friday-Saturday weekend was defined as the period between midnight on Friday and midnight on Sunday; the Saturday-Sunday weekend was similarly defined. The following outcomes were compared between weekday and weekend groups: length of stay; time to initiation of subcutaneous insulin; and time to each of the following: venous pH >7.3, blood glucose <200 mg/dL, and anion gap ≤12 mEq/L. Odds of 30-day all-cause mortality and 30-day all-cause and DKA-specific readmission were also examined. Results: Over 11 years, 4,703 patients were included in the overall cohort, and 648 were included in the subcohort. For both weekend definitions, weekend admission did not produce differences in any outcome for either study cohort. Conclusion: No weekend effect on DKA outcomes was detected at an urban tertiary-care center. Abbreviations: AG = anion gap; CCI = Charlson Comorbidity Index; DKA = diabetic ketoacidosis; ICD = International Classification of Diseases; IVI = intravenous insulin; LOS = length of stay; SCI = subcutaneous insulin.
CHAPTER 6 – NEURAL CONTROL OF MUSCLE

Cholinergic innervation regulates the physiological and biochemical properties of skeletal muscle. The mechanisms that appear to be involved in this regulation include soluble, neurally-derived polypeptides, transmitter-evoked muscle activity and the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, itself. Despite extensive research, the interacting neural mechanisms that control such macromolecules as acetylcholinesterase, the acetylcholine receptor and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase remain unclear. It may be that more simplified in vitro model systems coupled with recent dramatic advances in the molecular biology of neurally-regulated proteins will begin to allow researchers to unravel the mechanisms controlling the expression and maintenance of these macromolecules.
Administering the U.S. Family Violence Option: The role of stigma in waiver recommendations.

The Family Violence Option (FVO) was designed to help survivors of domestic violence (DV) more easily secure income support in the United States (U.S.), without placing them at risk of further abuse. The objective of this study is to determine whether the decision-making of advocates responsible for determining waiver recommendations under the FVO is influenced by the relationship status of DV survivors. Recursive partitioning was used to analyse data from a sample of 237 survivor risk assessments from four New Jersey counties to determine which women receive waiver recommendations and which do not. Advocates completed risk assessments for the women and were instructed to make recommendations on waivers based on their assessment. Workers' decision-making was examined using classification and regression trees (CART) to determine what case factors made it more or less likely for survivors to be recommended waivers. The CART results were supplemented with logistic regression analyses to ensure validity. For two of three waivers, survivors who reported currently residing with their abuser or who had ended the relationship recently were less likely to receive waiver recommendations than those who had been out of the relationship for a longer period of time (OR = 0.09-0.21), even when accounting for the type and severity of DV and the impacts of the violence on survivors' mental health. The results indicate that DV advocates' decision-making is complicated by factors independent of survivors' case characteristics. This can affect the safety and well-being of women attempting to leave violent relationships by affecting their access to resources.
A phase II study of pazopanib as front-line therapy in patients with non-resectable or metastatic soft-tissue sarcomas who are not candidates for chemotherapy.

Abstract Background Cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the standard of care first-line treatment for advanced and metastatic soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs). Certain patients may not be chemotherapy candidates based upon age or co-morbidities, leaving limited treatment options. Pazopanib is a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is FDA-approved for metastatic STS after the first line. We proposed a phase II study evaluating pazopanib as a first-line agent in patients with advanced disease who are deemed not to be candidates for chemotherapy. Methods Eligible patients were at least 18 years old, not candidates for chemotherapyand were treatment naive. Pazopanib was titrated from 200 mg twice daily to a goal of 800 mg daily. The primary end point was the clinical benefit rate (CBR) (CBR = completed response + partial response + stable disease per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours [RECIST 1.1]) at 16 weeks. The sample size of 56 evaluable patients was calculated to provide 80% power to test a hypothesised CBR of ≥35% against an unfavourable CBR of ≤20%. If ≥ 17 patients achieved benefit, the null CBR of 20% would be rejected at a nominal 5% alpha level. Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), quality of life and serum biomarkers. Findings Fifty-six patients were enrolled from May 2015 to February 2019 and are included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Median PFS was 3.67 (2.62–7.25) months. Median OS was 14.16 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.4-NR) months, CBR = 39.29% (22/56) (CI = 0.265–0.533, p = 0.0007). No new or unexpected adverse events were seen. The most common grade I–II events were diarrhoea, nausea and fatigue. The most common grade III–IV events were hypertension and liver function test abnormalities. Interpretation These data suggest that there is a benefit to front-line pazopanib in patients with STS who are not candidates for cytotoxic chemotherapy.
A Framework for Facilitating Human-Human Interactions to Mitigate Loneliness in Elderly

This paper introduces a multilayered framework in the field of Human-Human interaction and its related disciplines, that envisions to take a holistic approach to provide a long-term, economic and sustainable solution to mitigate feelings of loneliness and social isolation in elderly people, as well as to address housing needs and caregiver needs for children, demonstrated by young families or extended families on a global scale. Each layer of this framework consists of a distinct functionality. The first layer allows studying and analyzing the global population data and the elderly people count to identify the percentage of elderly people in different parts of the world who are currently staying alone - who might need this framework. The second layer helps to identify young families or extended families with demonstrated housing needs or caregiver needs to look after their children. The final layer consists of the methodology to develop mutually beneficial connections between these families and elderly people based on the geographic locations of the two. In the context of these connections, the elderly could act as the source of housing as well as interact and look after the young children from these families, this would provide means of human interactions and mitigate their feelings of loneliness. To add to this, when the family members come to visit the elderly, they could bring medications or address any of their other needs. This is the first of a series of publications towards the development of this framework. Here we primarily focus on developing the first layer of this framework and present the results.
Dignity Therapy in Pediatrics: A Case Series

Objective: To report our first case series of Dignity Therapy modified for a pediatric palliative care population. Background: Dignity Therapy has been utilized successfully with terminally ill adu...
Exploring spatial trends and causes in Lake Ontario coastal chemistry: Nutrients and pigments

An ordination approach integrating chemical water quality and biological parameters proved to be an effective method that identified six regional clusters of differing water quality in the nearshore of Lake Ontario. This approach allows for an evaluation of potential factors that contribute to the water quality observed. Creeks and rivers with high dissolved nutrients, low suspended solids, and low biological production as chlorophyll were included in Cluster 1, while Cluster 2 included four bays associated with eutrophic conditions. The shoreside sites along the south shore of Lake Ontario (Cluster 3) had high total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll, and phycocyanin relative to the offshore and moderate P limitation, suggesting that any P entering these systems from tributaries will stimulate phytoplankton and benthic algal growth. Long Pond and the Genesee River shoreside (Cluster 4) had elevated TP, total suspended solids, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen and high chlorophyll and phycocyanin concentrations. In general, offshore waters and the eastern nearshore and embayments of Lake Ontario (Clusters 5 and 6) had relatively low P, N, chlorophyll, and phycocyanin levels and were the most severely limited for P (N/P = molar ratio 82). Phosphorus loads to embayments and perhaps to the nearshore may be creating regional areas where N-limitation is likely, which tends to favor the growth of Cyanobacteria and may be associated with hepatotoxin production. From a management perspective, such analyses identify regions stressed by nutrients and provide possible causal relationships enabling the targeting of regions of the lake and its watershed for remediation.
Effects of post-infusion dwell on vacuum infusion of thermoset composites toughened by thermoplastic interlaminar veils:

The effects of post-infusion dwell on vacuum infusion of thermoset composites toughened by non-woven thermoplastic interlaminar veils were investigated. Permeability measurements and simulation of ...
Multifractal orthogonality catastrophe in one-dimensional random quantum critical points

The authors in this work consider the orthogonality catastrophe in a new context, that of disordered quantum spin chains. Here the orthogonality catastrophe arises from measuring the overlap of the spin chain's ground state before and after cutting the system into two. Unlike the orthogonality catastrophe in a metal, here the orthogonality catastrophe exhibits multifractality: different disorder-averaged moments of the overlap exhibit different scaling exponents with system size.
Capillary flow-based sample preparation system for metabolomic analysis of mammalian cells in suspension.

Sample preparation methodology is critical to obtaining reliable data for studying endogenous metabolites. Dependable preparation techniques require separation of cells from culture media, quenching of enzymatic activity, and extraction of metabolites from the cells. Presented here is a simple, rapid, semi-automated metabolomic sample preparation technique for 20 μL samples of RAW 264.7 cells suspended in culture media. This method uses online filter-assisted electroporation-based cell lysis and chilled organic solvent extraction to prepare metabolomic samples from cells in suspension in 2 min. Experiments using an isotopically labeled adenosine triphosphate internal standard were carried out to ensure enzymatic quenching by monitoring the ratio of labeled adenosine diphosphate to adenosine triphosphate. Cells were metabolically labeled with 13C-glucose concurrent with sampling aliquots of the cell suspension over the course of 24 h. Incorporation of 13C into organic acid metabolites such as itaconate Cell lysates was analyzed by nano-reverse-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (nano-RP-LC-MS), showing incorporation of 13C into organic acid metabolites such as itaconate.
Abstract 168: Computational model for prediction of actionable drug combinations in cancer

Synthetic essentiality presents an effective approach towards finding connected genetic targets in cancer by identifying genes that produce an inviable phenotype upon joint inactivation. However, it is less studied how synthetic lethal gene pairs may be contextualized with respect to deregulation of different cell functions and how these pairs act in different cell types and tissues. To study cancer-specific synthetic essentiality, we devised an integrated network-based algorithm to analyze relationships between tumor gene expression and patient survival in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and expression data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. In particular, we identify gene pairs in each cancer cohort that exhibit upregulation in tumors but are associated with improved survival for patients whose tumors feature reduced expression of the gene pair. Our findings reveal variability in synthetic lethal pair activity across different cancer types, and the identified pairs connect distinct signaling and metabolic cellular pathways to different cancer types. Altogether, our findings present a pan-cancer reference for gene expression-based synthetic lethal gene pairs as well as a nuanced perspective on changes in synthetic essentiality across different cellular and tissue contexts, pointing to a new avenue for drug combination discovery oriented on targeting key pathways based on the cancer type. Citation Format: Sairahul Pentaparthi, Brandon Burgman, S. Stephen Yi. Computational model for prediction of actionable drug combinations in cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 168.
Beyond “Alt-Text”: Creating Accessible Data Visualizations with Code

Data visualization is a reliable tool for professional communication practitioners for synthesizing and presenting data to a variety of audiences. However, data visualizations have a range of accessibility concerns including: visual acuity, color/contrast difficulties, color blindness and size/scale issues. Alt-text is not enough to make these visuals accessible and therefore more advanced web coding techniques, such as the Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) format should be used to create data visualizations for the web. The use of SVG allows for greater coded semantic and contextual information to be added to data visualizations resulting in graphics that can be better interacted with by users with a variety of accessibility software.
Synchronization Issues in Data-Parallel Languages

Data-parallel programming has established itself as the preferred way of programming a large class of scientific applications. In this paper, we address the issue of reducing synchronization costs when implementing a data-parallel language on an asynchronous architecture. The synchronization issue is addressed from two perspectives: first, we describe language constructs that allow the programmer to specify that different parts of a data-parallel program be synchronized at different levels of granularity. Secondly, we show how existing tools and algorithms for data dependency analysis can be used by the compiler to both reduce the number of barriers and to replace global barriers by cheaper clustered synchronizations. Although the techniques presented in the paper are general purpose, we describe them in the context of a data-parallel language called UC developed at UCLA. Reducing the number of barriers improves program execution time by reducing synchronization time and also processor stall times.
On the achievable rate of three-node cognitive hybrid wireless networks

In this paper, we investigate the information-theoretic performance of the multi-band relay channel which is defined by a source node, a relay node, and a destination node communicating over multiple orthogonal bands. The model is motivated by the vision of hybrid wireless networks where links operating with different communication standards relay information from the source to the destination. We consider hybrid wireless networks, with cognitive and agile radios, where bandwidth and power are the shared resources between different systems. We first provide the capacity bounds and find the optimum resource allocation that maximizes the achievable rate for a simple network. Based on the allocation strategy found, we next study the impact of optimum resource allocation on the construction of a hybrid wireless network, in particular, the scenario where a new source to relay and destination band is added to a classical frequency division relay network. Given the channel conditions of the network, we establish the guidelines on how to allocate resources in order to achieve the higher achievable rates, depending on the relative quality of the available links.
How Case-Based Reasoning and Cooperative Query Answering Techniques Support RICAD ?

Many Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) systems are built using the conventional database systems as their case memory. Even though these Database Management Systems (DBMSs) provide a large number of advantages, CBR systems developers face one major draw back. That is, partial-match retrieval is not supported by most of the conventional DBMSs. To overcome this limitation, we investigated contemporary research in CBR and Cooperative Query Answering (CQA). Our finding indicates that there are a number of issues in CQA that can be solved by applying some of the innovative techniques developed by the CBR community, on the other hand, the CQA provide a number of new features which enable easy development of CBR systems. The main contribution of this paper is in explicating how CBR can benefit from the CQA research, and how CQA techniques can enhance the CBR systems. Further, it describes the CQA features in RICAD (Risk Cost Advisor, our experimental CBR system), and how these features enhance its performance.
Isocenter characteristics of an external ring proton gantry.

Purpose Determine the shape, size, geometric center, and virtual center of the isocenter for a proton gantry and compare to electron/X-ray accelerator gantries. Methods and materials The majority of commercial electron/X-ray accelerator gantries consist of a rotating treatment head mounted to a stationary stand through a slewing ring bearing. The world's first proton gantry uses two rotating external rings, to which is mounted a fixed treatment nozzle with a movable snout that extends close to the center of rotation. The radial aspect of the isocenter for two similar proton gantries and two different electron/X-ray gantries were measured in the gantry frame of reference with a front pointer and a theodolite. These results were then transformed into room coordinates. The axial aspect of the isocenter was measured with a dial indicator. Results The radial aspect of the isocenter for slewing ring gantries has the shape of two concentric circles. The radial aspect of the isocenter for external ring gantries is shaped like a butterfly. The size of the mechanical isocenter is independent of the gantry style. Conclusions The locations of the geometric and virtual centers can be determined to within 0.2 mm. Multiple gantry angle treatments can be delivered with a single setup allowing 2 mm for gantry and nozzle deflections. Precision treatments can be delivered allowing only 0.5 mm if the measured isocenter path is applied.
Effects of Multiple-Bond Ruptures in Force Spectroscopy Measurements of Interactions between Fullerene C60 Molecules in Water

Interactions between fullerene C_(60) molecules in water were measured by force spectroscopy. Fullerene molecules were covalently connected to bifunctional water-soluble poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linkers and subsequently tethered to the substrate and to the tip of the atomic force microscope to facilitate single molecule detection and avoid spurious surface effects. The distributions of rupture forces for substrates prepared with different incubation times of C_(60)-PEG-NH_2 exhibit high rupture forces that cannot be explained by the theoretical distribution of single molecule binding. Moreover, the relative amplitude of the high force peak in the histogram increases with incubation time. These observations are explained by attributing the measured high forces to the rupture of multiple bonds between fullerene molecules. Force spectroscopy data analysis based on the most probable forces gives significantly different dissociation rates for samples that exhibit different amplitudes of the high force peak. An approximate analytical model that considers ruptures of two bonds that are simultaneously loaded by tethers with different lengths is proposed. This model successfully fits the distributions of the rupture forces using the same set of kinetic parameters for samples prepared with different grafting densities. It is proposed that this model can be used as a common tool to analyze the probability distributions of rupture forces that contain peaks or shoulders on the high force side of the distribution.
The radiosensitivity of thalli of Marchantia polymorpha L. To acute gamma irradiation

Abstract Thalli of Marchantia polymorpha were irradiated with Co60 gamma rays at exposures up to 55 kR and scored for survival after 4 weeks of growth. The reproductive integrity of the two apical cells of the thalli was inhibited by exposures lower than those required for complete lethality of the thalli. The nuclei of these apical cells are approximately 9·4 times larger than those in the vegetative cells adjacent to the proximal end of the rhizoids (116·6 ±13·0 μ3 vs. 12·4 ±1·1 μ3). At the 100 per cent lethal exposure the energy absorbed by the interphase chromosomes of the vegetative cells of the thallus is within the 95 per cent confidence limits as previously predicted for chromosomes of similar size in higher plants. The radiosensitivity of the thallus, however, is different from that of the gemma when sensitivity is based on an energy absorption basis: the thallus is approximately 4·3 times more sensitive than the gemmae.
What is the Southern California Earthquake Center

On February 11, Congressman George E. Brown, Jr., Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, together with the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey, and state and local officials, helped inaugurate the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) on the campus of the University of Southern California. SCEC is one of 14 new NSF Science and Technology Centers and includes a substantial commitment from the USGS for FY91. The center is a consortium of seven core academic institutions-USC (coordinating institution), Caltech, Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of California at Santa Cruz, and University of California at San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography-in partnership with the USGS's Office of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Engineering (OEVE). The center grew out of an April 3-5, 1989, workshop at Lake Arrowhead, Calif., convened by the USGS to discuss the need for an expanded effort in earthquake research in southern California.
Three-dimensional structure of cholera toxin penetrating a lipid membrane

Two-dimensional crystals of cholera toxin bound to receptors in a lipid membrane give diffraction extending to 15 A resolution. Three-dimensional structure determination reveals a ring of five B subunits on the membrane surface, with one-third of the A subunit occupying the center of the ring. The remaining mass of the A subunit appears to penetrate the hydrophobic interior of the membrane. Cleavage of a disulfide bond in the A subunit, which activates the toxin, causes a major conformational change, with the A subunit mostly exiting from the B ring.
Hepatic function is preserved following liver-directed, adenovirus-mediated gene transfer.

Abstract Inherited and acquired disorders of the liver are attractive targets for gene therapy. Hepatic cells are susceptible targets for shuttle vectors because of a diversity of protein and viral receptors and accessibility of a selective afferent blood supply. Preservation of existing hepatic cell integrity and metabolic function is of paramount importance for successful whole animal gene therapy trials. In this report, we examine hepatic cell function and integrity following adenovirus-mediated reporter gene transfer to the liver in vivo . E1-deleted, replication-defective adenovectors encoding the LacZ gene driven by the human CMV promoter were delivered to the liver by isolated portal perfusion. The gene transfer rate, as determined by specific histochemical staining, approached 30% with recombinant protein detectable by Western blot throughout the course of study. Hepatic cell integrity as assessed by histology and hepatic enzyme profile (serum aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase) demonstrated normal cellular architecture and no significant difference between transfected liver and controls. Hepatic synthetic and metabolic function, as determined by albumin levels, prothrombin time, and bilirubin, were similar between the two study groups. This study demonstrates that efficient adenovirus-mediated gene transfer and expression in the rat liver do not compromise hepatic cell metabolism and integrity.
An implantable eye movement transducer.

Abstract A small implantable piezo-ceramic transducer provides a sensitive eye movement detector which is insensitive to EEG artifact.
Ultrafast Time Resolved Photoinduced Magnetization Rotation in a Ferromagnetic/Antiferromagnetic Exchange Coupled System

Ultrashort pulse laser techniques are applied to study optically induced modulation in exchange biased ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (FM/AF) thin bilayer films (NiFe/NiO). Photoexcitation of the FM/AF interface with subpicosecond laser pulses induces large modulation in the unidirectional exchange bias field ( ${H}_{\mathrm{ex}}$) on an ultrashort time scale. The ``unpinning'' of the exchange bias leads to coherent magnetization rotation in the permalloy film which is time resolved by the experiment and corresponds to a large modulation in the magnetization component ( $\ensuremath{\Delta}{M}_{Z}{/M}_{S}\ensuremath{\sim}0.5$), on a time scale of 100 psec.
Matrix metalloproteinases in angiogenesis: a moving target for therapeutic intervention

Angiogenesis is the process in which new vessels emerge from existing endothelial lined vessels. This is distinct from the process of vasculogenesis in that the endothelial cells arise by proliferation from existing vessels rather than differentiating from stem cells. Angiogenesis is an invasive process that requires proteolysis of the extracellular matrix and, proliferation and migration of endothelial cells, as well as synthesis of new matrix components. During embryonic development, both vasculogenesis and angiogenesis contribute to formation of the circulatory system. In the adult, with the single exception of the reproductive cycle in women, angiogenesis is initiated only in response to a pathologic condition, such as inflammation or hypoxia. The angiogenic response is critical for progression of wound healing and rheumatoid arthritis. Angiogenesis is also a prerequisite for tumor growth and metastasis formation. Therefore, understanding the cellular events involved in angiogenesis and the molecular regulation of these events has enormous clinical implications. This understanding is providing novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including cancer.
An improved method for rapid preconcentration and determination of bioactive trace metals in seawater using solid phase extraction and high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract Investigating how bioactive trace metals influence the cycling of macro-nutrients and carbon in oceanic and neritic environments is hindered by the labor-intensive and slow metal preconcentration methods currently available. We describe here a solid phase extraction method that rapidly preconcentrates a suite of bioactive trace metals from seawater. The ligand bis(2-hydroxyethyl) dithiocarbamate (HEDC) is added to seawater samples and forms neutrally-charged, but polar (water soluble) metal–ligand complexes with Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd. These neutral complexes can be recovered onto polystyrene-based C-18 resin columns for subsequent elution with acidic methanol. Metals are recovered quantitatively between sample pH 5–8.5. Sample flow rates of >10 ml min −1 can be used, making it logistically possible to extract the larger sample volumes necessary for determining open ocean metal concentrations on conventional analytical instruments. Moreover, the method is well suited for developing flow extraction instrumentation for autonomous shipboard and in situ metal extractions and determinations. Here, we combine rapid seawater extractions with the measurement of bioactive metal concentrations by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS). The low instrumental blank and high sensitivity and precision of HR-ICP-MS analyses combine to yield detection limits of ≤5 pM for the bioactive metals of interest.
Rethinking a Megalopolis: A Metropolitan Government Proposal for the Mexico City Metro Area

This essay looks at the governance arrangements and challenges of “Mexico City,” one of the largest and most complex capital cities in the world and a true “Megalopolis.” The essay begins by presen...
Theory of depolarization of fluorescence in molecular pairs

Abstract Depolarization of fluorescence as a result of energy transfer is studied phenomenologically for a model pair of electronically coupled molecules. The usual rate equations are replaced by the Stochastic Liouville Equations and new radiative terms are included. An expression for the fluorescence polarization for all strengths of electronic coupling between the molecules is obtained. The inclusion of off-diagonal density matrix elements is essential for resolving a paradox arising in the Forster theory of depolarization. The calculation points the way toward using a previously untapped source of information on coherence in complex systems.
Roles of specific extracellular domains of the glucagon receptor in ligand binding and signaling.

To identify structural determinants of ligand binding in the glucagon receptor, eight receptor chimeras and additional receptor point mutants were prepared and studied. Amino acid residues 103−117 and 126−137 in the extracellular N-terminal tail and residues 206−219 and 220−231 in the first extracellular loop of the glucagon receptor were replaced with the corresponding segments of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor or the secretin receptor. Specific segments of both the N-terminal tail and the first extracellular loop of the glucagon receptor are required for hormone binding. The 206−219 segment of the first loop appears to be important for both glucagon binding and receptor activation. Functional studies with a synthetic chimeric peptide consisting of the N-terminal 14 residues of glucagon and the C-terminal 17 residues of glucagon-like peptide 1 suggest that hormone binding specificity may involve this segment of the first loop. The binding selectivity may arise in part from aspartic acid residues in...
The maximum latency of selfish routing

Abstract : We study a model of selfish routing first studied in a theoretical computer science context by Roughgarden and Tardos. In this model, we are given a directed network in which each edge possesses a continuous, nondecreasing latency function that describes the common delay experienced by all traffic on the edge as a function of the edge congestion. We assume that each network user acts selfishly and routes itself from its source to its desired destination to minimize the latency experienced, given the network congestion due to the other users. As in most earlier works, we assume that the traffic comprises a large population of users, so that the actions of a single individual have negligible effect on network congestion. In this note, we prove that for single-commodity networks with n vertices arbitrary continuous, nondecreasing latency functions, the price of anarchy is precisely n - 1. We thus give both the first finite upper bound, and a new, optimal lower bound. The finite upper bound stands in contrast to the price of anarchy relative to the average latency, which is unbounded even for tow-node tow-link networks (3). We also give two conjectures (but no results) on the price of anarchy for multicommodity networks.
Grain size and grain density in Ilford K-5 and L-4 emulsions

Electron micrographs of grains in unprocessed and processed Ilford K-5 and L-4 emulsions are shown. The silver bromide grain sizes in the unprocessed K-5 and L-4 plates have been measured and found to be normally distributed with mean values of (0.210±.007) μm and (0.134±.004) μm and standard deviations of 0.035 μm and 0.021 μm respectively. The electron micrographs of the silver grains in processed emulsions reveal absence of spherical shape or solid structure in case of most of these grains. The grain densities on plateau ionization tracks have been found to be approximately the same in K-5 and L-4 plates as in G-5 plates processed under similar conditions. The L-4 plates however are subject to more serious fading with delay in processing after exposure than the K-5 or G-5 ones.
Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma on wound healing in rabbits.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the healing of full-thickness skin wounds was accelerated by platelet-rich plasma (PRP).Methods: Four 2.5 × 2.5-cm full-thickness skin wounds were created on the backs of 15 New Zealand white rabbits. One wound on each animal received 0.3, 0.6, or 0.9 ml PRP, and the fourth wound served as a control. Seven and eight animals were sacrificed after 1 or 2 weeks, respectively, to determine histomorphometrically the epithelialization rate, contraction rate, healing rate, tissue fill, and volume fractions of fibroblasts, neutrophils, macrophages, and blood vessels.Results: Only the 0.6- and 0.9-ml groups had significantly lower contraction rates than the controls after 2 weeks (P <0.05). Although no statistically significant differences were found in other parameters between the PRP-treated wounds and the controls, the PRP treatment led to increases in average epithelialization rates and volume fraction of blood vessels at both time periods. The PRP also ...
Quadrature phase shift interferometer (QPSI) decoding algorithms and error analysis

A He-Ne laser based Quadrature Phase Shift Interferometer (QPSI) has been developed for the topographic measurement of ultra-smooth surfaces, such as those used as magnetic recording disks. The design uses the polarization property of the light to create two independent interference signals, which are phase shifted by 90 degrees with respect to one another. Because the phase angle is the argument of a sine and cosine function, wrapping of the phase occurs, i.e., the interference amplitude is a periodic function of the phase. An unwrapping or decoding algorithm has been developed using the maximum/minimum intensity method. Finding accurate maximum and minimum values of the intensity signals is the key to minimizing the decoding error. An approach we have developed and describe here provides a more reliable method for finding the values of maximum and minimum intensity of the interference signals in order to create accurate intensity envelopes, which are required for the phase unwrapping algorithm. The decoding error of the algorithms has been evaluated with the synthetic waveforms, which are computer generated to simulate the interference signals from a disk surface with introduced amplitude modulation and phase angle error.
On bahadur-kiefer representation of a kernel conditional quantile estimator

In this article, we establish a Bahadur-Kiefer representation for a kernel conditional quantile estimator. The optimal weak convergence rate and the limiting distribution for the remainder term are obtained.
Ada design, Jovial implementation

Although the Department of Defense has not yet awarded contracts for embedded systems implemented in Ada, it has begun to award contracts that specify Ada as the design language. Ford Aerospace and Communications Corporation is already at work on one such contract, designing a system in Ada which it will implement in Jovial (J73) and assembly language. When work began, the Ada Technology Project at Ford Aerospace was asked to prepare an Ada style guide for system designers. The purpose of the guide was to promote the creation of system designs in Ada that would have straightforward Jovial implementations.This article presents the style guide in revised form.
Improving target detection by coupling it with tracking

Target detection and tracking represent two fundamental steps in automatic video-based surveillance systems where the goal is to provide intelligent recognition capabilities by analyzing target behavior. This paper presents a framework for video-based surveillance where target detection is integrated with tracking to improve detection results. In contrast to methods that apply target detection and tracking sequentially and independently from each other, we feed the results of tracking back to the detection stage in order to adaptively optimize the detection threshold and improve system robustness. First, the initial target locations are extracted using background subtraction. To model the background, we employ Support Vector Regression (SVR) which is updated over time using an on-line learning scheme. Target detection is performed by thresholding the outputs of the SVR model. Tracking uses shape projection histograms to iteratively localize the targets and improve the confidence level of detection. For verification, additional information based on size, color and motion information is utilized. Feeding back the results of tracking to the detection stage restricts the range of detection threshold values, suppresses false alarms due to noise, and allows to continuously detect small targets as well as targets undergoing perspective projection distortions. We have validated the proposed framework in two different application scenarios, one detecting vehicles at a traffic intersection using visible video and the other detecting pedestrians at a university campus walkway using thermal video. Our experimental results and comparisons with frame-based detection and kernel-based tracking methods illustrate the robustness of our approach.
Grating assisted mode coupling in microring resonators

We present our work on developing a new class of photonic devices realized by selective coupling of degenerate modes in microring resonators using gratings. Engineering the reflection spectrum and the radiation quality factor are demonstrated.
Creating Community Gardens to Improve Access Among African Americans: A Partnership Approach

Inadequate access is increasingly recognized as a contributor to low consumption of healthy foods. This article describes the process and lessons learned from creating rural community gardens and the benefits and challenges of moving a partnership's focus from individual and social strategies to an environmental intervention strategy. Data were collected using surveys and focus groups. Respondents noted that they ate more vegetables and fruit (88%), ate less fast food (72%), and spent less money on food (76%). Almost 50% of those who self-identified as being food insecure indicated that they were better able to provide food for themselves and their families as a result of taking part in the garden. Community gardens may be a viable way to increase access to and consumption of vegetables and fruit within rural African American communities.
Sweet Syndrome Associated with Celiac Disease

Neutrophilic dermatoses are a spectrum of diseases with varying presentations and similar clinical and histologic features. The association of neutrophilic dermatosis with celiac disease has not previously been described. We report a 43-year-old man with a history of diverticulitis who presented with mildly pruritic, ulcerating pustules of the dorsal hands, face, elbow, and neck, clinico-pathologically consistent with the neutrophilic dermatosis Sweet syndrome. Remission was achieved with prednisone taper, dapsone, and a gluten-free diet.
Topographic mapping from space

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has launched four space based laser instruments for Earth and planetary sciences. Three out of four are single beam laser altimeter systems. We are transitioning into multi-beam swath mapping altimeter systems for high-resolution mapping. This paper will discuss the system approach and enabling technologies for swath mapping laser altimetry.
Tactile perception and the right hemisphere: A masculine superiority for imagery coding

Recent research regarding hemispheric lateralization has suggested complex interactions among observed asymmetries, subject coding strategies, and sex differences in the utilization of and access to information codes. Prior to tactile perception of ambiguous figures, subjects were instructed to use either a verbal (left hemisphere) or imagery (right hemisphere) strategy. A non-instruction control group was included. Although a significant overall relationship between instructed strategy and tactile asymmetries was observed, this largely was due to males' privileged access to right-hemisphere imagery codes.
Hemorrhagic diathesis with ascorbic acid deficiency during administration of anterior pituitary corticotropic hormone (ACTH).

Summary1. Two patients developed hemorrhagic manifestations presumably due to ascorbic acid deficiency while receiving high doses of anterior corticotrophic hormone (ACTH). The criteria for such a diagnosis are discussed. 2. Ascorbic acid deficiency is probably not a common occurrence in the course of ACTH therapy, but should be considered if hemorrhagic manifestations appear during prolonged administration of the hormone, when other factors of hemostasis are above critical levels.
Wh -Doubling: Implications for the Syntax of Wh -Movement

L'A. examine la construction syntaxique particuliere ou apparait une apposition et un doublement du pronom interrogatif que en espagnol. Bien que le pronom interrogatif prefigure une interrogation partielle, cette structure est interpretee en espagnol comme une interrogation totale (oui/non). De plus, ce doublement du pronom que est accompagne generalement d'une proposition relative. L'A. postule que que n'est pas dans ce contexte un operateur et qu'il possede alors en espagnol un double-statut. Quant a l'interpretation de l'interrogation avec une reponse oui/non, il souligne que cette structure comporte des proprietes differentes d'une interrogation totale ordinaire.
The direct and indirect controls of meal size.

Abstract Meal size is a major determinant of energy intake and an important phenotype in animal models of obesity and in human eating disorders. Successful. analysis of the controls of meal size is a fundamental goal of the science of ingestion. This paper proposes a new classification of the controls of meal size based on an unambiguous physical criterion. The criterion is food stimuli contacting preabsorptive receptors along the surface of the gut from the tip of the tongue to the end of the small intestine. Direct controls depend upon such contact. Indirect controls, e.g., rhythmic, metabolic, cognitive, etc., do not have such contact. Instead, indirect controls change meal size by modulating the potency of direct controls. A method of measuring the potency of direct and indirect controls is described. The classification is unambiguous, comprehensive, and explicates the functional relationship between indirect and direct controls. Because the method of measurement is quantitative, this classification is heuristic for mechanistic research and provides a common theoretical framework for diverse investigators interested in different aspects of the controls of eating and meal size.
Tyrosine phosphorylation and bacterial virulence.

Protein phosphorylation on tyrosine has emerged as a key device in the control of numerous cellular functions in bacteria. In this article, we review the structure and function of bacterial tyrosine kinases and phosphatases. Phosphorylation is catalyzed by autophosphorylating adenosine triphosphate-dependent enzymes (bacterial tyrosine (BY) kinases) that are characterized by the presence of Walker motifs. The reverse reaction is catalyzed by three classes of enzymes: the eukaryotic-like phosphatases (PTPs) and dual-specific phosphatases; the low molecular weight protein-tyrosine phosphatases (LMW-PTPs); and the polymerase–histidinol phosphatases (PHP). Many BY kinases and tyrosine phosphatases can utilize host cell proteins as substrates, thereby contributing to bacterial pathogenicity. Bacterial tyrosine phosphorylation/dephosphorylation is also involved in biofilm formation and community development. The Porphyromonas gingivalis tyrosine phosphatase Ltp1 is involved in a restraint pathway that regulates heterotypic community development with Streptococcus gordonii. Ltp1 is upregulated by contact with S. gordonii and Ltp1 activity controls adhesin expression and levels of the interspecies signal AI-2.