cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of osmolarity and dehydration on alginate production by fluorescent pseudomonads

Alginate is produced as an exopolysaccharide by many fluorescent pseudomonads. However, pseudomonads often have a nonmucoid phenotype in standard laboratory media. Growth in the presence of 0.3M sodium chloride or 3–5% ethanol reportedly can lead to the generation of mucoid variants of nonmucoid strains ofPseudomonas aeruginosa. We wished to determine whether alginate production by other fluorescent pseudomonads is affected by sodium chloride and ethanol. Eight alginate-producing strains of saprophytic and phytopathogenic pseudomonads were grown as broth cultures containing 0–0.7M sodium chloride or 0–5% ethanol for 24–30 h at 28° or 35°C. Culture supernatant fluids were subjected to ethanol precipitation, and the amount of alginate present was estimated by measuring the uronic acid content. The presence of sodium chloride and ethanol caused significant stimulation of alginate production by all strains tested exceptP. viridiflava ATCC 13223 andP. fluorescens W4F1080. The optimal concentration of sodium chloride ranged from 0.2 to 0.5M; that for ethanol ranged from 1 to 3%. Moreover, inclusion of the nonmetabolizable, nonionic solute sorbitol showed a similar stimulation of alginate production. The stimulation of alginate production by high medium osmolarity and dehydration appears to be a trait shared by fluorescent pseudomonads.
Social ties and health : the benefits of social integration

This article explores the relationship between level of social integration and various aspects of health. A search of the literature published since the mid-1970s (under the MEDLINE key words, "social ties," "social network," "social isolation," "social environment") presented strong evidence that social integration leads to reduced mortality risks, and to a better state of mental health. The evidence on physical health outcomes is less conclusive. There is no consistent evidence that social integration affects the incidence of disease (at least for cardiovascular outcomes). However, social integration does appear to have a highly beneficial effect on post-myocardial infarction prognosis (functioning and longevity). A physiologic basis for these effects on health outcomes is also indicated by research demonstrating that both social isolation and nonsupportive social interactions can result in lower immune function and higher neuroendocrine and cardiovascular activity while socially supportive interactions have the opposite effects. In conclusion, available data suggest that, although social integration is generally associated with better health outcomes, the quality of existing ties also appears to influence the extent of such health benefits. Clearly, individuals' networks of social relationships represent dynamic and complex social systems that affect health outcomes.
The differentiation inducer, dimethyl sulfoxide, transiently increases the intracellular calcium ion concentration in various cell types.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) initiates a coordinated differentiation program in various cell types but the mechanism(s) by which DMSO does this is not understood. In this study, the effect of DMSO on intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) was determined in primary cultures of chicken ovarian granulosa cells from the two largest preovulatory follicles of laying hens, and in three cell lines: undifferentiated P19 embryonal carcinoma cells, 3T3-L1 fibroblasts, and Friend murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells. [Ca2+]i was measured in cells loaded with the Ca(2+)-specific fluoroprobe Fura-2. There was an immediate (i.e., within 5 sec), transient, two to sixfold increase in [Ca2+]i after exposing all cell types to 1% DMSO. DMSO was effective between 0.2 and 1%. The prompt DMSO-induced [Ca2+]i spike in all of the cell types was not prevented by incubating the cells in Ca(2+)-free medium containing 2 mM EGTA or by pretreating them with the Ca(2+)-channel blockers methoxyverapamil (D600; 100 microM), nifedipine (20 microM), or cobalt (5 mM). However, when granulosa cells, 3T3-L1 cells, or MEL cells were pretreated with lanthanum (La3+; 1 mM), which blocks both Ca2+ channels and membrane Ca2+ pumps, there was a sustained increase in [Ca2+]i in response to 1% DMSO. By contrast, pretreating P19 cells with La3+ (1 mM) did not prolong the DMSO-triggered [Ca2+]i transient. In all cases, the DMSO-induced [Ca2+]i surge was unaffected by pretreating the cells with the inhibitors of inositol phospholipid hydrolysis, neomycin (1.5 mM) or U-73, 122 (2.5 microM). These results suggest that DMSO almost instantaneously triggers the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores through a common mechanism in cells in primary cultures and in cells of a variety of established lines, but this release is not mediated through phosphoinositide breakdown. This large, DMSO-induced Ca2+ spike may play a role in the induction of cell differentiation by DMSO.
Memory effects of exchange coupling in ferromagnet/antiferromagnet bilayers

The magnetization state of the ferromagnet is crucial in the cooling process for establishing exchange coupling in ferromagnet/antiferromagnet bilayers. Using specialll cooling procedures, the value and even the sign of the exchange bias field in several bilayers can be greatly altered. While the coercivity only depends on temperature, the exchange bias field shows an accumulative memory of the thermal and field history of the bilayer. We propose that this is due to the formation of a domain wall with a temperature dependent width in the antiferromagnet.
The Role of Leader Humility and Worker Arrogance on Leader-Member Exchange and Feedback Response

This paper explores the influence of leader humility and subordinate arrogance in the context of feedback interventions. Prior research has suggested that performance improvement is often not forth...
Magnetoresistance of Thallium

This paper presents a study of the magnetoresistance of several single crystals of high-purity thallium in magnetic fields up to 100 kG at liquid-helium temperatures. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of Soven's relativistic orthogonalized-plane-wave model for the Fermi surface of thallium. At low fields the magnetoresistance is in better agreement with the model than was previous work, while no evidence is found for an open orbit parallel to [0001]. Detailed results up to 54 kG are consistent with the model if incomplete magnetic breakdown is assumed and high-field results show that breakdown is not complete below 100 kG.
An application of persistent homology on Grassmann manifolds for the detection of signals in hyperspectral imagery

We present an application of persistent homology to the detection of chemical plumes in hyperspectral movies. The pixels of the raw hyperspectral data cubes are mapped to the geometric framework of the real Grassmann manifold G(k, n) (whose points parameterize the k-dimensional subspaces of Rn) where they are analyzed, contrasting our approach with the more standard framework in Euclidean space. An advantage of this approach is that it allows the time slices in a hyperspectral movie to be collapsed to a sequence of points in such a way that some of the key structure within and between the slices is encoded by the points on the Grassmann manifold. This motivates the search for topological structure, associated with the evolution of the frames of a hyperspectral movie, within the corresponding points on the Grassmann manifold. The proposed framework affords the processing of large data sets, such as the hyperspectral movies explored in this investigation, while retaining valuable discriminative information.
Attitude control system conceptual design for the GOES-N spacecraft series

The attitude determination sensing and processing of the system are considered, and inertial reference units, star trackers, and beacons and landmarks are discussed as well as an extended Kalman filter and expected attitude-determination performance. The baseline controller is overviewed, and a spacecraft motion compensation (SMC) algorithm, disturbance environment, and SMC performance expectations are covered. Detailed simulation results are presented, and emphasis is placed on dynamic models, attitude estimation and control, and SMC disturbance accommmodation. It is shown that the attitude control system employing gyro/star tracker sensing and active three-axis control with reaction wheels is capable of maintaining attitude errors of 1.7 microrad or less on all axes in the absence of attitude disturbances, and that the sensor line-of-sight pointing errors can be reduced to 0.1 microrad by SMC.
Facile Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Stabilized by Cationic Polynorbornenes and Their Catalytic Activity in 4-Nitrophenol Reduction

We report the facile one-pot single-phase syntheses of silver nanoparticles stabilized by norbornene type cationic polymers. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) stabilized by polyguanidino oxanorbornenes (PG) at 5 and 25 kDa and polyamino oxanorbornenes (PA) at 3 and 15 kDa have been synthesized by the reduction of silver ions with NaBH4 in aqueous solutions at ambient temperature. The four different silver nanoparticles have been characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for their particle size distributions. Interestingly, PG stabilizes the silver nanoparticles better than PA as evident from our spectroscopic data. Furthermore, the AgNP-PG-5K (5K = 5 kDa) was found to serve as an effective catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the presence of NaBH4. The reduction has a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 5.50 × 10–3 s–1 and an activity parameter of 1375 s–1 g–1, which...
Nesiritide in the management of treatment refractory pediatric heart failure

Abstract Objective. To describe the impact of nesiritide on critically ill children in heart failure. Design. A retrospective chart review. Setting. Pediatric intensive care unit of a university-affiliated tertiary care hospital. Patients. Fourteen children in heart failure, secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy (n =4), rejection (n =6) and congenital heart disease (n =4), managed with nesiritide while receiving two or more diuretics, two or more vasoactive medications, or increasing vasoactive or diuretic medications during the 12 h prior to nesiritide initiation. Interventions. None. Measurements and main results. The mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and central venous pressure did not change significantly following the administration of nesiritide. Fluid balance and urine output demonstrated suggestive, but non-significant, improvements (p =0.13 and 0.1, respectively). One patient experienced an episode of hypotension leading to the discontinuation of nesiritide. No other adverse events were noted. Th...
An Evaluation of Windows-Based Computer Forensics Application Software Running on a Macintosh

The two most common computer forensics applications perform exclusively on Microsoft Windows Operating Systems, yet contemporary computer forensics examinations frequently encounter one or more of the three most common operating system environments, namely Windows, OS-X, or some form of UNIX or Linux. Additionally, government and private computer forensics laboratories frequently encounter budget constraints that limit their access to computer hardware. Currently, Macintosh computer systems are marketed with the ability to accommodate these three common operating system environments, including Windows XP in native and virtual environments. We performed a series of experiments to measure the functionality and performance of the two most commonly used Windows-based computer forensics applications on a Macintosh running Windows XP in native mode and in two virtual environments relative to a similarly configured Dell personal computer. The research results are directly beneficial to practitioners, and the process illustrates affective pedagogy whereby students were engaged in applied research.
Design and application of stimulus-responsive peptide systems

The ability of peptides and proteins to change conformations in response to external stimuli such as temperature, pH and the presence of specific small molecules is ubiquitous in nature. Exploiting this phenomenon, numerous natural and designed peptides have been used to engineer stimulus-responsive systems with potential applications in important research areas such as biomaterials, nanodevices, biosensors, bioseparations, tissue engineering and drug delivery. This review describes prominent examples of both natural and designed synthetic stimulus-responsive peptide systems. While the future looks bright for stimulus-responsive systems based on natural and rationally engineered peptides, it is expected that the range of stimulants used to manipulate such systems will be significantly broadened through the use of combinatorial protein engineering approaches such as directed evolution. These new proteins and peptides will continue to be employed in exciting and high-impact research areas including bionanotechnology and synthetic biology.
The Role of αβ+ T Cells and Homeostatic T Cell Proliferation in Y-Chromosome-Associated Murine Lupus

Male BXSB mice develop an early life, severe lupus-like disease largely attributed to an undefined Y-chromosome-associated autoimmunity accelerator, termed Yaa. Although the exact disease pathogenesis is uncertain, indirect evidence suggests that T cells play an important role in the male BXSB disease. We have developed TCR α-chain gene-deleted BXSB mice to directly examine the role of αβ+ T cells and the mode by which Yaa promotes disease in this strain. All disease parameters, including hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibody production, glomerulonephritis, and the unique monocytosis of BXSB males, were severely reduced or absent in the αβ+ T cell-deficient mice. Adoptively transferred CD4+ T cells of either male or female BXSB origin showed equal homeostatic proliferation in αβ+ T cell-deficient male recipients. Moreover, deficient male mice eventually developed equally severe lupus-like disease after adoptive transfer and homeostatic expansion of T cells from wild-type BXSB males or females. The results directly demonstrate that the Yaa-mediated disease requires αβ+ T cells that are not, in themselves, abnormal in either composition or properties, but are engaged by a Yaa-encoded abnormality in a non-T cell component. In addition, homeostatic anti-self proliferation of mature T cells derived from a small number of precursors can induce systemic autoimmunity in an appropriate background.
Polyamines and abiotic stress in plants: a complex relationship1

The physiological relationship between abiotic stress in plants and polyamines was reported more than 40 years ago. Ever since there has been a debate as to whether increased polyamines protect plants against abiotic stress (e.g., due to their ability to deal with oxidative radicals) or cause damage to them (perhaps due to hydrogen peroxide produced by their catabolism). The observation that cellular polyamines are typically elevated in plants under both short-term as well as long-term abiotic stress conditions is consistent with the possibility of their dual effects, i.e., being protectors from as well as perpetrators of stress damage to the cells. The observed increase in tolerance of plants to abiotic stress when their cellular contents are elevated by either exogenous treatment with polyamines or through genetic engineering with genes encoding polyamine biosynthetic enzymes is indicative of a protective role for them. However, through their catabolic production of hydrogen peroxide and acrolein, both strong oxidizers, they can potentially be the cause of cellular harm during stress. In fact, somewhat enigmatic but strong positive relationship between abiotic stress and foliar polyamines has been proposed as a potential biochemical marker of persistent environmental stress in forest trees in which phenotypic symptoms of stress are not yet visible. Such markers may help forewarn forest managers to undertake amelioration strategies before the appearance of visual symptoms of stress and damage at which stage it is often too late for implementing strategies for stress remediation and reversal of damage. This review provides a comprehensive and critical evaluation of the published literature on interactions between abiotic stress and polyamines in plants, and examines the experimental strategies used to understand the functional significance of this relationship with the aim of improving plant productivity, especially under conditions of abiotic stress.
Expression of myelin proteolipid and basic protein mRNAs in cultured cells

Studies were undertaken to investigate the regulation of myelin-specific mRNA expression in cultured cells. Three experimental systems were investigated: primary oligodendrocytes grown as enriched cell populations, primary oligodendrocytes grown in the presence of chick spinal cord neurons, and C6 cells. cDNA probes specific for the myelin proteolipid mRNA and the myelin basic protein mRNA were used to quantitate proteolipid and myelin basic protein mRNA levels in cells under different experimental conditions. C6 cells expressed less than 0.2% of the proteolipid mRNA that was expressed in primary oligodendrocytes. Primary oligodendrocytes expressed the myelin-specific mRNAs for at least 104 days in culture, and the level of these mRNAs in cultures was elevated fourfold by coculturing rat oligodendrocytes with chick spinal cord neurons.
Non-Timely 10-K Filings and Audit Fees

SYNOPSIS: The SEC requires that firms failing to file their annual reports within the specified deadlines file a Form NT 10−K with the Commission. In this paper, we examine the impact of non-timely filings on audit fees. We find that in the case of accelerated filers, audit fees are 26 (12) percent higher for those firms that had a Form NT 10-K filing in the previous (current) year. There is no such statistically significant association between non-timely filing and audit fees in the case of non-accelerated filers, but this result is driven by the clients of non-Big 4 auditors. Our results add to the stream of research related to non-timely filings of annual reports, and provide additional evidence about differences in audit quality/risk between Big 4 and non-Big 4 audit firms. The results also reinforce findings from recent studies about the significant differences in the market for audit services of accelerated and non-accelerated filer firms.
Critical Pedagogy Enacted in the Gay–Straight Alliance: New Possibilities for a Third Space in Teacher Development

Critical pedagogy, combined with partnerships with adults at school, enabled the Gay–Straight Alliance (GSA) advisor to create the foundation for reflective, activist-oriented learning at one Midwestern high school. Underreported in current literature, the use of critical pedagogy in school clubs and/or organizations has broad implications for teachers and teacher educators. Informed by the tenets of critical multiculturalism, this study draws on ethnographic fieldwork from one school year and in-depth interviews with students and the GSA advisor. Data reveal that the GSA advisor’s unique conception of critical pedagogy is characterized by expanding students’ knowledge, facilitating students’ activism, and encouraging students’ reflection on significant interactions with peers and family. The author concludes that these pedagogical practices play a key role in creating a long-term GSA, where engaged student learning combined with activism promote a “third space” in teacher development.
The Capital Asset Pricing Model

The CAPM (capital asset pricing model) has a variety of uses. It provides a theoretical justification for the widespread practice of passive investing by holding index funds. The CAPM can provide estimates of expected rates of return on individual investments and can establish \fair" rates of return on invested capital in regulated firms or in firms working on a cost-plus basis.
Uterine Luminal Epithelium: Protrusions Mediate Endocytosis, not Apocrine Secretion, in the Rat

The uteri of 44 female rats on Day 5 of pregnancy were subjected to histological study using 18 different fixation procedures. Irregular protrusions from the apical surface of luminal epithelial cells were observed with every fixation procedure, indicating that such surface specializations are not a fixation artifact. A study of the reabsorption of ferritin from the uterine lumen of four rats on Day 5 of pregnancy showed that the apical protrusions were involved in the formation of 0.5-3 scm endocytosis vacuoles. Tracer was taken into these vacuoles within 10-20 mm, and by 60 mm it was found mostly in multivesicular and dense bodies. The apical protrusions carried out endocytosis only on Days 4 and 5 of pregnancy; on Days 1, 2, and 6 this activity was minimal or absent. In addition to the 0.5-3 m vacuoles, endocytosis on Day 5 of pregnancy was also carried out by 100 nm coated vesicles. There was no evidence that the apical protrusions of luminal epithelial cells or the dome-shaped bulges of glandular epithelial cells pinched off and constituted an apocrine secretion. We conclude that preimplantation rat embryos are not nourished by an apocrine secretory process, but that endocytosis may, in some way, be involved in their maintenance.
The First Association of a Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis Death With Culturable Naegleria fowleri in Tap Water From a US Treated Public Drinking Water System

Background Naegleria fowleri is a climate-sensitive, thermophilic ameba found in warm, freshwater lakes and rivers. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is almost universally fatal, occurs when N. fowleri–containing water enters the nose, typically during swimming, and N. fowleri migrates to the brain via the olfactory nerve. In August 2013, a 4-year-old child died of meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology in a Louisiana hospital.
The defocusing energy-critical nonlinear Schrödinger equation in higher dimensions

We obtain global well-posedness, scattering, and global Lt,x2(n+2)/(n−2) space-time bounds for energy-space solutions to the energy-critical nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation in Rt×Rxn, n≥5
Strategies for the in vitro evolution of protein function: enzyme evolution by random recombination of improved sequences.

Sets of genes improved by directed evolution can be recombined in vitro to produce further improvements in protein function. Recombination is particularly useful when improved sequences are available; costs of generating such sequences, however, must be weighed against the costs of further evolution by sequential random mutagenesis. Four genes encoding para-nitrobenzyl (pNB) esterase variants exhibiting enhanced activity were recombined in two cycles of high-fidelity DNA shuffling and screening. Genes encoding enzymes exhibiting further improvements in activity were analyzed in order to elucidate evolutionary processes at the DNA level and begin to provide an experimental basis for choosing in vitro evolution strategies and setting key parameters for recombination. DNA sequencing of improved variants from the two rounds of DNA shuffling confirmed important features of the recombination process: rapid fixation and accumulation of beneficial mutations from multiple parent sequences as well as removal of silent and deleterious mutations. The five to sixfold further enhancement of total activity towards the para-nitrophenyl (pNP) ester of loracarbef was obtained through recombination of mutations from several parent sequences as well as new point mutations. Computer simulations of recombination and screening illustrate the trade-offs between recombining fewer parent sequences (in order to reduce screening requirements) and lowering the potential for further evolution. Search strategies which may substantially reduce screening requirements in certain situations are described.
Closure to "Discussion of 'Factors of Safety for Richardson Extrapolation'" (2011, ASME J. Fluids Eng., 133, p. 115501)

The Technical Brief by Roache [1] presents ten items of discussion of our factor of safety (FS) method for solution verification [2]. Our responses are listed below item-by-item using the same numbering as Roache. The nomenclature mostly follows our own and not Roache’s such as pRE for the order of accuracy calculated using the Richardson Extrapolation as opposed to the observed order of convergence and the GCI and GCI2 methods as opposed to the GCI0 and the real GCI methods. However, we agree with Roache to use FS for the factor of safety used in all the verification methods. In response to item (10), we have used our approach to evaluate two new variants of the GCI method and one new variant of the FS method.
Growth of Normal Human Cells in Defined Media

Until quite recently, the requirements for growth in culture of normal human cells were poorly understood. Good growth of human diploid fibroblasts had been possible for many years, but only with substantial amounts of serum (Hayflick and Moorhead, 1961). Methods had also been developed for certain types of normal human epithelial cells, such as keratinocytes (Rheinwald and Green, 1975) and mammary epithelial cells (Stampfer et al., 1980), but these typically required feeder layers, conditioned media, or special supplements for satisfactory growth. This report reviews recent progress toward a complete understanding of the growth requirements of several different types of normal human cells.
Stock Trading Fees: A Comparison of Full-Service Brokers, Discount Brokers, and Direct Purchase Plans

Stock trading is possible through full-service brokers, discount brokers, and direct purchase plans. Each broker and purchase plan sets trading fees. This study compares the trading fees of full-service brokers, discount brokers, and direct purchase plans to identify similarities and differences in fees. The fees include the indirect opportunity costs of minimum amounts to open an account, and the direct charges for buying and selling stock, reinvesting dividends, and having an IRA. Parametric and nonparametric analyses suggest that some fees are similar, and some are different. The findings should help stock investors decide whether to use a full-service broker, a discount broker, or a direct purchase plan.
Apparent Vs. True Bond Strength of Steel and PC with Nanoalumina.

The bond of polymer concrete (PC) to a steel surface is a critical aspect in many infrastructure applications. Bond strength can be evaluated through several means including pull-off, flexural, twist-off, and slant shear tests. While pull-off strength tests are the most common method for evaluating bond for PC overlays in bridge and parking structures, slant shear tests are more suitable when vertical rather than horizontal bond lines are used. In this paper, we discuss the use of slant shear tests to examine bond of polymer concrete repair material to steel pipes used to ensure wellbore integrity of abandoned oil wells used for CO2 sequestration.Bond strength of Novolac PC incorporating nanoalumina particles to a steel surface was measured using slant shear tests. Different amounts of nanoalumina were used in the PC to improve bond strength without significantly reducing PC flowability. Slant shear testing confirmed the ability of nanoalumina to improve the steel-PC bond strength. A finite element (FE) model using the ABAQUS simulation environment was developed to compare the apparent versus the true bond strength. A cohesive contact element surface was used to simulate bond along the interface line. The FE model showed that the stiffness mismatch between the PC and steel controls the maximum shear stress developed at the interface surface. The true bond strength extracted from the FE model appears to be about twice that of the apparent bond strength.
Methodological Issues in Studies of Cultural Legacies in Post-Socialist Russia’s Civil Society

The state of civil society in post-socialist Russia and other former socialist countries is of great interest to social scientists, policy makers, and development-oriented practitioners. Numerous theoretical assumptions and methodological approaches have been used by researchers to describe, analyze, and assess the state of civil society in Russia, for example. One of the key issues addressed has been the influences on citizens’ civic and social activities and the historical conditions and cultural environments that have generated – and continue to generate – these activities. This critique focuses on the concept of “communist legacies” which has been applied at the individual level to explain people’s preferences, attitudes, and forms of behavior in Russia and other post-socialist countries. The concept is influential, in large part, because it has been supported by empirical research, especially the highly influential empirical research of Marc Howard. This paper takes a critical look at this research, including its theoretical frame and the methodology associated with the frame.
Evolution of disjunct distributions among wet-zone species of the Indian subcontinent: Testing various hypotheses using a phylogenetic approach

Disjunct distributions among wet-zone taxa of the Indian subcontinent have intrigued biologists for decades. Most authors have invoked variations of either the dispersal or the vicariance model to explain disjunct distribution. However, some have noted that incorrect taxonomy, due to convergence in morphological characters, can erroneously suggest disjunct distribution. An appropriate approach to test these models (vicariance, dispersal and convergence) is to use molecular phylogenetic methods. A survey of recent molecular phylogenetic studies on Indian systems with disjunct distribution suggests that convergence may be quite common. Therefore, I propose that the first step in studying disjunct distributions is to determine if the observed pattern is real (true disjunct) and not due to convergence, i.e. an artifact of incorrect taxonomy (false disjunct).
Venturing into Foreign Markets: The Case of the Small Service Firm

The study contrasts foreign market entry behavior of small and large service firms. The sample consisted of 141 firms of which 54 were small firms and 87 were larger firms. The study provides empir...
Solubilized auxin-binding protein : Subcellular localization and regulation by a soluble factor from homogenates of corn shoots.

Discontinuous sucrose gradient fractionations indicate that the high-affinity auxin binding protein which can be solubilized from the microsomes of coleoptiles and primary leaves of Zea mays L. seedlings is probably located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Since aromatic hydroxylations are enzymatic activities typical of the ER of plant cells, we have examined the effects of several electron-transport inhibitors on the binding of 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA). NaN3 strongly inhibits this binding, but KCN and CO do not. Trans-cinnamic acid and trans-p-coumaric acid, which are the substrates of ER hydroxylase activities in plants (but which are themselves not auxins), also inhibit this binding. Supernatant fractions from corn shoots contain factors inhibitory to the binding of NAA to the intact membranes and solubilized Site I auxin-binding protein. Here we show that these factors are competitive inhibitors of the binding of [14C]NAA but do not change the apparent affinity of the protein for indoleacetic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or naphthoxyacetic acid. Several tissues were assayed for factors inhibitory to auxin binding to the solubilized protein, but only supernants from corn shoots were markedly inhibitory at low concentrations.
Sustainable agriculture education and civic engagement: The significance of community-university partnerships in the new agricultural paradigm

Universities and colleges across the United States are making innovative strides in higher education programming to catalyze a more sustainable era of agriculture. This is clearly exemplified through the formation of community-university partnerships as critical illustrations of civic engagement (CE) for sustainable agriculture (SA) education. This paper explores the praxis of CE for SA education by focusing on the ways in which five land-grant universities (LGUs) with undergraduate programs in SA have developed and put into practice community-university partnerships. Drawing upon these programs and supportive literature, this article specifically attempts to describe the role and significance of CE for SA education, emerging community-university partnership models and their implications for prompting food and agriculture sustainability, and student learning and program assessment outcomes. We also reveal the many challenges and opportunities encountered by stakeholders involved in the creation and continuation of these programs and their subsequent coursework. Conclusions offer "real world" recommendations for other faculty, staff, student, and community stakeholders to implement and generate action-oriented scholarship for and with communities as a viable thread of SA education.
Mechanisms governing the interaction of metallic particles with nanosecond laser pulses

The interaction of nanosecond laser pulses at 1064- and 355-nm with micro-scale, nominally spherical metallic particles is investigated in order to elucidate the governing interaction mechanisms as a function of material and laser parameters. The experimental model used involves the irradiation of metal particles located on the surface of transparent plates combined with time-resolved imaging capable of capturing the dynamics of particle ejection, plume formation and expansion along with the kinetics of the dispersed material from the liquefied layer of the particle. The mechanisms investigated in this work are informative and relevant across a multitude of materials and irradiation geometries suitable for the description of a wide range of specific applications. The experimental results were interpreted using physical models incorporating specific processes to assess their contribution to the overall observed behaviors. Analysis of the experimental results suggests that the induced kinetic properties of the particle can be adequately described using the concept of momentum coupling introduced to explain the interaction of plane metal targets to large-aperture laser beams. The results also suggest that laser energy deposition on the formed plasma affects the energy partitioning and the material modifications to the substrate.
Twig Feeding by the Smaller European Elm Bark Beetle on Different Kinds of Trees

Compared with the number of cambial punctures chewed by the smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham), on cut twigs of American elm, Ulmus americana L., in a series of twig-feeding tests conducted under variable temperature conditions in laboratory, there was relatively little to no significant increase or decrease in the number of such punctures on the following trees: Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila L.; Vanhoutte' English elm, U. procera Vanhouttei (Schelle) Rehd.; Japanese elm, U. japonica (Rehd.) Sarg.; Buisman selection smoothleaved elm, U. carpinifolia Gleditsch; Augustine ascending elm, U. americana ascendens Slavin F.; slippery elm, U. fulva Micheux; or on Japanese zelkova, Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Mak. On David hemiptelea, Hemiptelea Davidii (Hance) Planch., there were significantly fewer cambial punctures while on native hackberry, Celtis occidentalis L., and white oak, Quercus alba L., no such punctures occurred.
Development of a CART Model to Predict the Synthesis of Cardiotoxic Daunorubicinol in Heart Tissue Samples From Donors With and Without Down Syndrome

Daunorubicin (DAUN) and doxorubicin (DOX) are used to treat a variety of cancers. The use of DAUN and DOX is hampered by the development of cardiotoxicity. Clinical evidence suggests that patients with leukemia and Down syndrome are at increased risk for anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity. Carbonyl reductases and aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) catalyze the reduction of DAUN and DOX into cardiotoxic C-13 alcohol metabolites. Anthracyclines also exert cardiotoxicity by triggering mitochondrial dysfunction. In recent studies, a collection of heart samples from donors with and without Down syndrome was used to investigate determinants for anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity including cardiac daunorubicin reductase activity (DA), carbonyl reductase/AKRs protein expression, mitochondrial DNA content (mtDNA), and AKR7A2 DNA methylation status. In this study, the available demographic, biochemical, genetic, and epigenetic data were integrated through classification and regression trees analysis with the aim of pinpointing the most relevant variables for the synthesis of cardiotoxic daunorubicinol (i.e., DA). Seventeen variables were considered as potential predictors. Leave-one-out-cross-validation was performed for model selection and to estimate the generalization error. The classification and regression trees analysis model and variable importance measures suggest that cardiac mtDNA content, mtDNA(4977) deletion frequency, and AKR7A2 protein content are the most important variables in determining DA.
Building trust in 3PIP using asset-based security property verification

Detecting vulnerabilities, including hardware Trojans, in third-party intellectual property (3PIP) is a rising security challenge for modern day System-on-Chips (SoCs). This work proposes a new approach for detecting security vulnerabilities in a SoC containing 3PIP by breaking complex security flows into fine-grained security properties which are subject to formal verification.
No association between OPA1 polymorphisms and primary open-angle glaucoma in three different populations.

PURPOSE To investigate whether recently described polymorphisms in the optic atrophy 1 gene (OPA1) are associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) with elevated intraocular pressure in the Caucasian, African-American, and Ghanaian (West African) populations. METHODS POAG was defined as the presence of glaucomatous optic nerve damage, associated visual field loss, and elevated intraocular pressure (>21 mm of mercury in both eyes). We used TaqMan allelic discrimination assays to genotype two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, rs10451941 and rs166850) in OPA1 in the Caucasian (279 cases, 227 controls), African American (193 cases, 97 controls), and Ghanaian (170 cases, 138 controls) populations. Allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies were compared between the cases and controls from each population. RESULTS There was no significant difference in OPA1 allele or genotype frequencies between POAG patients and controls at the rs10451941 and rs166850 SNPs in any population (p>0.05). Haplotype analysis also failed to demonstrate a significant association with POAG. The age-of-onset distribution in the Caucasian POAG patients was independent from genotypes at rs10451941. CONCLUSIONS There was no association between two previously implicated OPA1 polymorphisms and a POAG phenotype that includes elevated intraocular pressure. This represents the first association analysis of OPA1 in high tension glaucoma in the African American and Ghanaian populations and is the largest study to date on the investigation of the potential association between OPA1 and POAG with elevated intraocular pressure. OPA1 association with POAG may be limited to patients with normal tension glaucoma in these populations.
EFFECT OF STYRENE OXIDE ON RAT BRAIN GLUTATHIONE

Glutathione (GSH) plays a primary role in protecting cells from oxidative stress and in detoxifying foreign compounds. The functions and regulations of GSH in nervous tissue have not been thoroughly investigated. This study examines the effects of styrene oxide, a reactive metabolite of the neurotoxic solvent styrene, on GSH metabolism in six regions of the rat brain (cortex, cerebellum, medulla-pons, hippocampus, striatum and hypothalamus). Control levels of GSH in brain regions ranged from 1.6 mM in medulla-pons to 2.7 mM in striatum. Styrene oxide (100-400 mg/kg, ip) depleted GSH in a dose- and time-dependent manner in all brain regions studied. Histochemical studies indicated a predominantly glial distribution of GSH and confirmed the depletion of GSH by styrene oxide in brain. Studies with [8(-14)C] styrene oxide revealed no differences in the distribution of styrene oxide/metabolites among brain regions. gamma-Glutamylcysteine synthetase, the rate-limiting enzyme in GSH biosynthesis, was not affected by styrene oxide in any brain region, either in vitro or following in vivo administration. Glutathione S-transferase activity in different brain regions, measured using p-nitrostyrene oxide as a substrate, correlated quantitatively with GSH depletion by styrene oxide. Depletion of brain GSH by styrene oxide may contribute to oxidative injury to neuronal and glial cells and may be involved in styrene neurotoxicity.
Microgrid Design Analysis Using Technology Management Optimization and the Performance Reliability Model

Microgrids are a focus of localized energy production that support resiliency, security, local con- trol, and increased access to renewable resources (among other potential benefits). The Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) Joint Capa- bility Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program between the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resulted in the pre- liminary design and deployment of three microgrids at military installations. This paper is focused on the analysis process and supporting software used to determine optimal designs for energy surety microgrids (ESMs) in the SPIDERS project. There are two key pieces of software, an ex- isting software application developed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) called Technology Management Optimization (TMO) and a new simulation developed for SPIDERS called the per- formance reliability model (PRM). TMO is a decision support tool that performs multi-objective optimization over a mixed discrete/continuous search space for which the performance measures are unrestricted in form. The PRM is able to statistically quantify the performance and reliability of a microgrid operating in islanded mode (disconnected from any utility power source). Together, these two software applications were used as part of the ESM process to generate themore » preliminary designs presented by SNL-led DOE team to the DOD. Acknowledgements Sandia National Laboratories and the SPIDERS technical team would like to acknowledge the following for help in the project: * Mike Hightower, who has been the key driving force for Energy Surety Microgrids * Juan Torres and Abbas Akhil, who developed the concept of microgrids for military instal- lations * Merrill Smith, U.S. Department of Energy SPIDERS Program Manager * Ross Roley and Rich Trundy from U.S. Pacific Command * Bill Waugaman and Bill Beary from U.S. Northern Command * Tarek Abdallah, Melanie Johnson, and Harold Sanborn of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory * Colleagues from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for their reviews, suggestions, and participation in the work.« less
Simultaneous liver kidney transplantation.

Purpose of reviewSimultaneous liver kidney transplantation (SLK) has taken center stage since the initiation of the new kidney allocation system (KAS). This review places SLK in the context of the changing landscape of organ allocation.Recent findingsThe introduction of the Mayo End-Stage Liver Dise
Channel estimation for precoded MIMO systems

We consider a block fading frequency selective multi-input multi-output (MIMO) channel in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The channel input is a training vector superimposed on a linearly precoded vector of Gaussian symbols. This form of precoding is referred to as affine precoding. We derive the channel Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) and we show that tr(CRB) can be lowered if we design the precoder and training such that the channel estimation through the training component is not affected by the precoded symbols. We propose a deterministic channel estimation algorithm which combines a second order blind estimator capitalized on the redundant precoding, with a standard linear estimator which exploits only training. The simulation results show a performance improvement over the least square (LS) which utilizes only training to obtain the channel estimate.
River restoration and hedonic property value analyses: Guidance for effective benefit transfer

Abstract Using home sales data for 10 years and four sites in Maine (USA), we estimate marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for river proximity and present a criterion-validity test of the use of benefit transfer. Given the degraded state of Maine's waterways (partly due to damming of rivers for commerce), we find positive, concave relationships between housing values and river distance. We find statistically different estimates of marginal WTP across the four markets, but results from the same watershed are more similar. Also, we find mean WTP is diminishing with average river distance, which is consistent with the empirical functional form. Comparing original and benefit transfer estimates, we find errors range from 29% to over 1000%, growing with spatial distance between the study and transfer sites. Lastly, we estimate a difference-in-difference model for the single market that has witnessed dam removal, and we apply the results to the other markets (that could undergo dam removal as well). While informative, our results suggest caution in the use of benefit transfer in applications of hedonic property price analysis.
Free Functioning Gracilis Muscle Transfer With and Without Simultaneous Intercostal Nerve Transfer to Musculocutaneous Nerve for Restoration of Elbow Flexion After Traumatic Adult Brachial Pan-Plexus Injury.

Purpose After complete 5-level root avulsion brachial plexus injury, the free-functioning muscle transfer (FFMT) and the intercostal nerve (ICN) to musculocutaneous nerve (MCN) transfer are 2 potential reconstructive options for restoration of elbow flexion. The aim of this study was to determine if the combination of the gracilis FFMT and the ICN to MCN transfer provides stronger elbow flexion compared with the gracilis FFMT alone. Methods Sixty-five patients who underwent the gracilis FFMT only (32 patients) or the gracilis FFMT in addition to the ICN to MCN transfer (33 patients) for elbow flexion after a pan-plexus injury were included. The 2 groups were compared with respect to postoperative elbow flexion strength according to the modified British Medical Research Council grading system as well as preoperative and postoperative Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand scores. Two subgroup analyses were performed for the British Medical Research Council elbow flexion strength grade: FFMT neurotization (spinal accessory nerve vs ICN) and the attachment of the distal gracilis tendon (biceps tendon vs flexor digitorum profundus/flexor pollicis longus tendon). Results The proportion of patients reaching the M3/M4 elbow flexion muscle grade were similar in both groups (FFMT vs FFMT + ICN to MCN transfer). Statistically significant improvement in postoperative Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score was found in the FFMT + ICN to MCN transfer group but not in the FFMT group. There was a significant difference between gracilis to biceps (M3/M4 = 52.6%) and gracilis to FDP/flexor pollicis longus (M3/M4 = 85.2%) tendon attachment. Conclusions The use of the ICN to MCN transfer associated with the FFMT does not improve the elbow flexion modified British Medical Research Council grade, although better postoperative Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand scores were found in this group. The more distal attachment of the gracilis FFMT tendon may play an important role in elbow flexion strength. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.