cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unwanted radioactive sources in the public domain: a historical perspective.

In the 1920's, reports of radium sources entering the public domain in an uncontrolled manner began to appear in the press and in the literature. Additionally, gold jewelry was made from depleted radon gold seeds which, in some cases, resulted in radiation injuries to the persons wearing the jewelry. Such jewelry was made as early as 1910. For many years, radium was distributed and used largely without regulatory oversight for safety. In the 1950's, increasing concern over the radiation hazards associated with the inadequate use, control, and disposal of radium sources resulted in increased regulatory oversight by the States, with significant assistance from the U.S. Public Health Service. In 1958, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission staff proposed extension of the general license concept to include measuring, gauging, and controlling devices. Since then, more than 1.8 million radioactive devices have been distributed under the general licenses in 10 CFR Part 31.5 and equivalent Agreement State regulations. These devices are typically used with minimal regulatory oversight. In recent years there has been an increasing number of reports of radioactive sources and devices appearing in the public domain as a result of inadequate control and disposal of these items with attendant risk of environmental contamination and radiation exposure. As a result of concerns over these developments there have been calls for increased regulatory oversight of general licensees. It is ironic that the present problems are the result of a program that was established about the time that States were increasing regulatory oversight over radium to address similar problems with radium.
Immobilization of firefly luciferase on glass rods: properties of the immobilized enzyme.

Firefly luciferase has been covalently linked with glutaraldehyde to alkylamine glass beads which had been cemented to glass rods. The immobilized enzyme has a lower pH optima than the soluble enzyme and emits light with a major peak at 615 nm, while the soluble enzyme emits light with a peak at 562 nm. The immobilized enzyme is stable and can be used for multiple assays. The peak light intensity is linear with respect to ATP concentration in the range of 1 × 10−5 to 1 × 10−8m. The luciferase rods have been used in a coupled assay to measure the rate of ATP production catalyzed by creatine phosphokinase. This immobilized luciferase should be very useful for assaying low levels of ATP in any type of sample.
'TifEagle' bermudagrass response to growth factors and mowing height when grown at various hours of sunlight

Application of growth promoters or inhibitors and mowing height adjustment are potential means of improving the growth and performance of TifEagle bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy] in a reduced light environment (RLE). A study was conducted in June to August 2001 and 2002 to examine the effects of growth factors and two mowing heights on TifEagle bermudagrass when grown at various hours of sunlight. Shade cloth (92%) was used at different intervals to obtain three sunlight hours, 12 h (0800-2000 h), 8 h (1000-1800 h), and 4 h (1200-1600 h), with an average 2-yr daily light integral (DLI) of 41.1, 353, and 22.1 mol m -2 d -1 , respectively. Sunlight hours were split by growth factor applications and mowing height. Growth factors included trinexapac-ethyl [TE; 4-(cyclopropyl-alpha-hydroxymethylene)-3,5-dioxo-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid ethyl ester] at 0.0393 kg a.i. ha -1 every 3 wk, gibberellic acid (GA) at 0.059 kg Gibberellin A 3 (GA 3 ) ha -1 every 2 wk, additional nitrogen (+N) application of 24.5 kg N ha -1 every 2 wk, and an untreated check. Turf was mowed at 3.2 or 4.7 mm daily. Acceptable turf quality (TQ) followed all growth factor treatments receiving the 12 and 8 h of sunlight, except GA. For the 4-h sunlight treatments, only plots treated with TE and mowed at 4.7 mm resulted in acceptable TQ. The +N applications increased percentage lateral regrowth (RG) of TifEagle bermudagrass by 7 to 10% compared with other growth factors. Across all sunlight treatments, TE increased total shoot chlorophyll by as much as 19 and 42% compared with untreated, +N, and GA-applied plots. The 3.2-mm mowing height increased total non-structural carbohydrates (TNC) by 19% compared with TifEagle mowed at 4.7 mm. Growth factors, including TE, +N, or GA, did not improve TNC concentration. In a RLE, methods of improving the growth and performance of TifEagle bermudagrass include TE applications and raising the height of cut to 4.7 mm. Overall, the growth and performance of TifEagle bermudagrass reduced greatly in the 4-h sunlight treatments compared with 12- and 8-h sunlight treatments.
Kinetic Model of Dynamic Recrystallization on Hot Working Behavior of Metallic Materials

Deformation and recrystallization during hot working of some polycrystalline metals have been described with a kinetic equation on deformation and Avrami equation respectively. Based on the interactions between deformation region and recrystallization region, a nonlinear differential equation group is suggested to be the kinetic model of hot working. According to the analyses on the stability of the solution of the equation group, if the working temperature, strain rate and other parameters satisfy certain conditions, the volumes of deformation region and recrystallization region will change cyclically and alternatively, which can cause a special fluctuation of the stress-strain curve. The amplitude of the fluctuation will decrease gradually with the increasing strain, when a dynamic equilibrium of deformation and recrystallization is formed finally, a stable stress-strain relation can be expected. A formula is proposed to calculate the frequency of the fluctuation, it can increase with the increasing working temperature or with the decreasing strain rate, initial grain size or solute atoms content. However, when working temperature, strain rate and other parameters go over the critical conditions, the fluctuation of macro-stress can not occur. The calculated results are in better agreement with experiments, and some phenomena associated with dynamic recrystallization can be reasonably explained.
Precise pointing of space telescope using a quadrant detector

A study was done to evaluate the pointing performance of Space Telescope with a quadrant detector used as the fine guidance sensor. The detector, a quadrant digicon, has been proposed as a replacement detector should unforeseen problems develop with the present baseline interferometer design. The detector model is discussed along with the experimental data from which it was derived.
Genotyping patients with recent blood transfusions

Recently, genetic susceptibility to severe illnesses such as sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been investigated in intensive-care units (ICU).1-6 All of these studies used polymerase chain reaction amplification (PCR) to amplify DNA extracted from peripherally drawn blood. PCR is highly sensitive. Experiments in which serially diluted DNA templates were amplified by PCR suggest that, theoretically, PCR has the ability to amplify even 1 molecule of DNA.7 Because of its sensitivity, PCR is vulnerable to contamination from extraneous DNA.8 Transfusions might be one source of DNA contamination in critically ill patients. Donor leukocytes are a notable contaminant in packed red blood cells and are believed to be responsible for most transfusion reactions.10 It is estimated that there are 109 leukocytes/unit of packed red blood cells or platelet.11 Leukocyte-reduced blood components, which have been filtered to remove donor white cells, can have as much as 52 million leukocytes per unit of platelets and 250 million leukocytes per unit of packed red blood cells.10 Plasma can have 30,000 copies of cell-free DNA per milliliter.12 This has important implications for molecular epidemiology studies that u se PCR in the critical care setting, because blood transfusions in the ICU are common, occurring in 65% to 85% of patients.9,13 The presence of a distinct minor white blood cell population (microchimerism) in recipients after allogeneic blood transfusion has been demonstrated by cytogenetics up to 1 week after transfusion.14 Other studies using PCR have demonstrated persistence of donor DNA in recipients for 7 days15-19 with a possible increase 3 or 4 days after transfusion from donor leukocyte proliferation.16,17 One study found 0.5% to 10% of circulating leukocytes to be donor in origin.19 Given these findings, the possibility arises that in large molecular epidemiology studies of critically ill patients, genotype misclassification can occur because of PCR amplification of transfused DNA. To investigate this possibility, we compared the genotype results from the PCR amplification of DNA extracted from blood and buccal cells of 145 ICU patients enrolled in the Molecular Epidemiology of ARDS Study. Theoretically, buccal cells should not be contaminated with DNA from transfusions. We examined specifically 2 common polymorphisms: the NcoI restriction fragment length polymorphism in intron-1 of the TNF-β gene and a variable nucleotide tandem repeat polymorphism in intron-4 of the SP-B gene.
Penicillin resensitization among hospitalized patients

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of resensitization to penicillin after oral or intravenous treatment with β-lactam antibiotics in hospitalized patients with histories of penicillin allergy. Seventeen adults (aged 24 to 76 years) and one child (aged 10 years) were treated intravenously and/or orally with β-lactam antibiotics after negative skin tests were obtained with benzylpenicilloyl polylysine, potassium penicillin G, and alkaline hydrolysis products of penicillin G as minor determinant mixture. Repeat skin testing was performed 1 to 12 months after the therapy. Three patients (16%) became skin test positive after the treatment. Two patients reacted to potassium penicillin G alone, and the other patient reacted to benzylpenicilloyl polylysine and minor determinant mixture. These three patients were among the 15 patients who were treated with intravenous antibiotics. This study reveals a high percentage of skin test conversion after intravenously administered penicillin therapy and confirms the present practice of advising patients with a history of penicillin allergy who have successfully completed penicillin treatment to have a repeat skin test before future exposure to β-lactam antibiotics.
Infection control and hospital epidemiology: the formal review process.

review has also has come under fire for adding to the publication time of manuscripts, perpetuating invalid practices, and limiting the dissemination of new research.4-7 However, a review of the literature would seem to indicate that, in this century, peer review can be credited with increasing the overall accuracy and reliability of medical articles, in addition to directing manuscripts to more appropriate journals.2,4,8,9 Roughly three-quarters of major scientific journals use some form of peer review10: "the assessment by experts (peers) of material submitted for publication in scientific and technical periodicals."9 As each journal strives to establish its unique identity in the expanding milieu of scientific publications, the prospective author will almost surely be confronted with several variations on the peer reviewing theme.11,12 This realization has led several journals, their sponsoring organizations, and many a disgruntled author to call for disclosures of the process of peer review. In 1975, the Scientific Information Committee of London's Royal Society published a set of eight guidelines (Table) for peer review.1 Disagreeing with three of the guidelines (numbers two, four, and eight), the editors of Nature argued against the uniformity inherent in the Society's guidelines, and instead, urged publication by each journal of its review process.13 This, the editors argued, would help prospective authors understand the process with which their manuscripts were being judged. The journal also proposed to update its procedure statement annually. Several other scientific journals have made public their review methods. In 1975, the editors of Science stated that all manuscripts are sent to members of its Board of Reviewing Editors, who rate each manuscript on a scale from 1 to 10. On that basis, 60% of all manuscripts submitted are rejected outright.14 The editors of The New England Journal of Medicine also penned a detailed description of its review process, stating that only 10% to 12% of all unsolicited manuscripts make their way onto the pages of its publication. The journal also outlined its procedures for accepting and rejecting solicited manuscripts
Electronic communKNEEcations: A descriptive analysis of anterior cruciate ligament message board postings

Objective The purpose of this study was to identify topics of potential concern to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery patients.
What Was New About the Cluster Theory? What Could It Answer and What Could It Not Answer?

Michael Porter's cluster theory became popular at both the academic and policy levels as well as received a series of critiques. This article provides a synthetic view of those critiques. In addition, it reveals two new fundamental limitations of the theory. First, the descriptive and static nature of the theory limits the ability to replicate a successful cluster in practice. In other words, the current theory is more focused on describing how a cluster is organized today rather than how a cluster emerged. Incorporating historical process can strengthen the practical application. Second, the interconnectedness of a cluster is hard to measure empirically, and moreover, the theory does not explain how exactly the public sector can strengthen this aspect. A dialogue with networking theories can potentially improve the application.
Relativistic ultra-gradient non-potential force: electron-laser energy transfer and laser gate for electrons

In contrast to the Kapitsa-Dirac gradient force conserving the energy of electron beam crossing a laser beam, our theory shows large energy transfer between them in the relativistic case, if L-beam has steep gradient
Price theory framework for target tracking using multi-modal sensors

We propose a unified framework for jointly solving the problems of sensor selection (SS), resource allocation (RA) and data fusion (DF) in multi-modal sensor networks. Our framework is inspired by the trading behavior in commercial markets. We develop an iterative double-auction mechanism for computing the equilibrium of the market. The equilibrium point corresponds to the joint solution of SS, RA, DF problems. To illustrate the framework, we consider a scenario where the objective is to track an unknown variable number of moving targets of different categories, using a sensor network comprising of a multistatic radar, infrared camera, and a human scout. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Investigation of Thin Pd-Ge Layer Formation Using Synchrotron Vacuum Ultraviolet Photoemission Spectroscopy

The formation of Pd-Ge layers was studied as a function of deposition and annealing using synchrotron Ultraviolet Photoemission Spectroscopy (UPS). Pd depositions ranging in thickness from 0.5 monolayers (ML) to 44 ML were examined in-situ on Ge (111) cleaved in ultra-high vacuum. The primary reaction components appear to be Pd2Ge and PdGe. Comparison of bulk and surface sensitive Ge 3d core levels for even the highest coverages indicates that Ge segregates to the surface at room temperature. Such low temperature segregation suggests that Ge can diffuse via a rapid diffusion mechanism.
Improvements in medical school wellness and career counseling: A comparison of one-on-one advising to an Advisory College Program

Background: Medical students have unmet needs in the areas of career and wellness advising. Aims: The goal of this study is to describe the development of an Advisory College Program (ACP) and assess its effectiveness compared to a traditional one-on-one faculty advisor system. Methods: The ACP, consisting of four colleges co-led by Advisory College Directors and supported by key Faculty, was developed to provide structured career and wellness advising. The authors compared the ACP to the former Faculty Advisory Program (FAP) using two parallel questionnaires. Results: Surveys were completed by 74% of first-year students, 60% of second-year students, and 88% of third-year students. Survey data demonstrated a significant increase in the number of students who could identify their advisor, the frequency of student–advisor contacts, and the perceived accessibility of advisors in the ACP compared to the FAP. While an ordinal logistic regression model did not demonstrate a significant effect of the new advising system on overall satisfaction, univariate analysis demonstrated a significant increase in student satisfaction with wellness and career counseling. Conclusions: The ACP was more effective in promoting student wellness and career counseling than the traditional one-on-one faculty advisor system. Similar college-based programs may be beneficial to students at other medical school programs.
CRYPTIC POSTZYGOTIC ISOLATION IN AN ERUPTIVE SPECIES OF BARK BEETLE (DENDROCTONUS PONDEROSAE)

Studies of postzygotic isolation often involve well-differentiated taxa that show a consistent level of incompatibility, thereby limiting our understanding of the initial stages and development of reproductive barriers. Dendroctonus ponderosae provides an informative system because recent evidence suggests that distant populations produce hybrids with reproductive incompatibilities. Dendroctonus ponderosae shows an isolation-by-distance gene flow pattern allowing us to characterize the evolution of postzygotic isolation (e.g., hybrid inviability, hybrid sterility) by crossing populations along a continuum of geographic/genetic divergence. We found little evidence of hybrid inviability among these crosses. However, crosses between geographically distant populations produced sterile males (consistent with Haldane’s rule). This effect was not consistent with the fixation of mutations in an isolation-by-distance pattern, but instead is spatially localized. These reproductive barriers are uncorrelated with a reduction in gene flow suggesting their recent development. Crosses between geographically proximal populations bounding the transition from compatibility to hybrid male sterility showed evidence of unidirectional reduction in hybrid male fecundity. Our study describes significant postzygotic isolation occurring across a narrow and molecularly cryptic geographic zone between the states of Oregon and Idaho. This study provides a view of the early stages of postzygotic isolation in a geographically widespread species.
Wholesale power trading through concurrent multiple-issue negotiation:

The electricity trade is expensive, and requires substantial expertise and efficient co-ordination methodologies. Several trading mechanisms including auctions have been adopted in the current energy market. To pursue success in this market, we present a protocol to support many-to-many bilateral multiple-issue negotiation in a competitive market where one or more self-interested electricity sellers can provide electricity to one or more buyers while buyers can choose the preferred sellers. Negotiation is a technique for reaching mutually beneficial agreement among autonomous entities. A concurrent negotiation problem occurs when one entity needs to negotiate simultaneously with several other entities to reach agreement. In the context of wholesale electricity trading, our described protocol enables both electricity buyers and sellers to manage several negotiation processes in parallel. This protocol allows the negotiating participants to make durable commitments to reduce the occurrence of the decommitme...
Leadership for social change

We have long viewed leadership as a solitary activity, the province of the individual. Now Helen Astin and a working ensemble of student affairs faculty and practitioners have created a new model o...
Recombination pathways in Phytophthora infestans: polyploidy resulting from aberrant sexual development and zoospore-mediated heterokaryosis

Pathways of genetic transfer outside of the normal sexual cycle were examined in Phytophthora infestans. Transformants expressing genes for resistance to G418 or hygromycin were employed to select hybrids or recombinants on double-drug media after in vitro or in planta mixing of zoospores or mycelia. In experiments using pairs of isolates of the same mating type, zoospores fused to form doubly resistant colonies. These were shown to be heterokaryons containing non-recombinant parental nuclei based on the analysis of DNA markers in the hybrids and their single-nuclear derivatives. Mixtures of vegetative hyphae failed to produce hybrids. The application of the drug selection scheme to mating cultures of A1 and A2 strains generally yielded normal progeny, but atypical progeny were also recovered which appeared to be polyploids since all markers from the parents were present.
Optimal resource control in periodic real-time environments

Three factors determine the optimum configuration of a multiprocessor at any epoch: the workload, the reward structure, and the state of the computer system. An algorithm is presented for the optimal (more realistically, quasi-optimal) configuration of such systems used in real-time applications with periodic reward rates and workloads. The algorithm is based on Markov decision theory. It is suggested that a change in the workload or the reward structure should be as powerful a motivation for reconfiguration as component failure. Such changes occur naturally over the course of operation: an example of an online transaction processing system with a workload and reward structure that has a period of a day is given. >
Melatonin, active oxygen species and neurological damage

Recently described actions of melatonin and other antioxidants are currently of great interest in the clinical arena. The overall phenomenon by which oxygen destroys molecular integrity is referred to as oxidative stress, and the damage inflicted has been linked to a variety of diseases and to aging. In addition to its direct free radical-detoxifying activity, melatonin also functions as an indirect antioxidant by changing the activity of enzymes that metabolize active oxygen species to inactive products. Besides inhibiting the prooxidative enzyme NOS, melatonin-at least when given at pharmacological levels-stimulates the activity of several antioxidative enzymes. Melatonin was also recently shown to prevent membrane fluidity changes associated with lipid peroxidation. Melatonin has been shown to protect against a large number of models of neurodegeneration in animals that involve free radical damage; however, clinical studies using this molecule have yet to be performed. Considering the apparent virtual absence of either acute or chronic toxicity of melatonin, its use in humans to avert free radical damage should be considered.
Upregulation of the CaV 1.1-ryanodine receptor complex in a rat model of critical illness myopathy

The processes that trigger severe muscle atrophy and loss of myosin in critical illness myopathy (CIM) are poorly understood. It has been reported that muscle disuse alters Ca2+ handling by the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Since inactivity is an important contributor to CIM, this finding raises the possibility that elevated levels of the proteins involved in Ca2+ handling might contribute to development of CIM. CIM was induced in 3- to 5-mo-old rats by sciatic nerve lesion and infusion of dexamethasone for 1 wk. Western blot analysis revealed increased levels of ryanodine receptor (RYR) isoforms-1 and -2 as well as the dihydropyridine receptor/voltage-gated calcium channel type 1.1 (DHPR/CaV 1.1). Immunostaining revealed a subset of fibers with elevation of RYR1 and CaV 1.1 that had severe atrophy and disorganization of sarcomeres. These findings suggest increased Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum may be an important contributor to development of CIM. To assess the endogenous functional effects of increased intracellular Ca2+ in CIM, proteolysis of α-fodrin, a well-known target substrate of Ca2+-activated proteases, was measured and found to be 50% greater in CIM. There was also selective degradation of myosin heavy chain relative to actin in CIM muscle. Taken together, our findings suggest that increased Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum may contribute to pathology in CIM.
Morphology of block copolyurethanes. III. Effect of polyether molecular weight on the mechanical properties of solvent cast films

A homologous series of copolyether–urethane–ureas were synthesized with polypropylene glycol segments having molecular weights of approximately 200, 400, 700, 1000, 2000, and 3000. These copolymers were characterized using tensile measurements and dynamic mechanical spectroscopy. The dynamic mechanical measurements at low frequencies (≤ 1 Hz) showed evidence of the existence of an α-relaxation process. This was attributed to constrained polyether segments located at the interfacial region between the hard urea segments and the soft polypropylene glycol segments.
The Case for Servers in a Peer-to-Peer World

The increasing ease of self-expression and web-publishing has resulted in an explosion in the amount of content being generated in the current Internet. Besides traditional sources such as news portals, regular users are documenting their lives and thoughts and other people are subscribing, downloading and viewing this content. A lot of content therefore is being generated at the edge and consumed by the edge. Traditional client-server architectures are known to be in-effective in handling large correlated bursts of user demands. However, with RSS becoming more popular, such flash crowd scenarios will be more and more commonplace due to automated polling and downloads. Peer to peer protocols such as BitTorrent provide an attractive solution for such scenarios. BitTorrent networks are scalable, and the expected download time is independent of the arrival rate of peers (content consumers). However, the base performance of a BitTorrent network may not be fast enough from a user or content publisher's perspective. Besides, BitTorrent gives poor results towards the end of a flash crowd when most of the large burst of arrivals have downloaded and left, and there are not too many peers online. We motivate the need for a content delivery network with well connected servers to participate in BitTorrent delivery streams. The servers are dynamically added and function as cushions to handle increase in demand as well as bolster a delivery stream when there is a paucity of users.
Cross-correlation-based method for determining the position and velocity of a railgun plasma armature from B-dot probe signals

A method of determining the position and velocity of a plasma armature from B-dot probe signals is presented. It utilizes the physical processes governing the plasma armature current density to model the leading edge of the armature as a unit step function. This model of the current profile is convolved with the impulse response of the probe and compared with B-dot probe data via a local-area cross-correlation (LACC) coefficient. Two-parameter iteration determines the time of passage and velocity of the leading edge of the armature as the values for which the correlation is maximized. Results obtained using this technique indicate that significant improvement in accuracy for time of passage estimates can be obtained over previous ad hoc methods. Velocity estimates from individual B-dot probe signals can also be obtained. >
ATP-sensitive K+ channels: regulation of bursting by the sulphonylurea receptor, PIP2 and regions of Kir6.2.

ATP-sensitive K+ channels composed of the pore-forming protein Kir6.2 and the sulphonylurea receptor SUR1 are inhibited by ATP and activated by Phosphatidylinositol Bisphosphate (PIP2). Residues involved in binding of these ligands to the Kir6.2 cytoplasmic domain have been identified, and it has been hypothesized that gating mechanisms involve conformational changes in the regions of the bundle crossing and/or the selectivity filter of Kir6.2. Regulation of Kir6.2 by SUR1, however, is not well-understood, even though this process is ATP and PIP2 dependent. In this study, we investigated the relationship between channel regulation by SUR1 and PIP2 by comparing a number of single and double mutants known to affect open probability (Po), PIP2 affinity, and sulphonylurea and MgADP sensitivity. When coexpressed with SUR1, the Kir6.2 mutant C166A, which is characterized by a Po value close to 0.8, exhibits no sulphonylurea or MgADP sensitivity. However, when Po was reduced by combining mutations at the PIP2-sensitive residues R176 and R177 with C166A, sulphonylurea and MgADP sensitivities were restored. These effects correlated with a dramatic decrease in PIP2 affinity, as assessed by PIP2-induced channel reactivation and inhibition by neomycin, an antagonist of PIP2 binding. Based on macroscopic and single-channel data, we propose a model in which entry into the high-Po bursting state by the C166A mutation or by SUR1 depends on the interaction of PIP2 with R176 and R177 and, to a lesser extent, R54. In conjunction with this PIP2-dependent process, SUR1 also regulates channel activity via a PIP2-independent, but MgADP-dependent process.
Mucosal Biofilm Formation on Middle‐Ear Mucosa in a Nonhuman Primate Model of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media

Background: An increased awareness of bacterial biofilms and their formation has led to a better understanding of bacterial infections that occur in the middle ear. Perhaps the best studied pathogen for its propensity toward biofilm formation is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, also the primary pathogen in chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether P. aeruginosa forms a biofilm in the middle ear in the setting of CSOM in a nonhuman primate model. Methods: Cynomolgus monkeys underwent perforation of the tympanic membrane and inoculation of the middle ear with a known biofilm-forming strain of P. aeruginosa. The contralateral ear was used as an internal control and was neither perforated nor infected. At the end of the study period, both ears were irrigated to remove planktonic bacteria, and the middle ear mucosa was removed and examined ultrastructurally using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for determination of the presence or absence of biofilm formation. Main Outcome Measure: The identification of middle ear biofilm containing rod-shaped bacteria. Results: SEM revealed that P. aeruginosa formed bacterial biofilm in vivo on the middle ear mucosal surface, seen only in the infected ear. Interestingly, biofilm formation caused by cocci was also seen in both the experimental as well as the control ear. Conclusion:P. aeruginosa forms biofilms in the middle ear in CSOM in primates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of disease-associated bacterial biofilm in a nonhuman primate model of CSOM. Such a model lays a foundation for much needed study into the role of biofilms in the pathophysiology of CSOM. Should CSOM be caused by biofilms, which is uncertain at this time, development of novel strategies for treatment and prevention may be possible. The finding of both rods and cocci forming biofilms also warrants further investigation.
Photodegradation of CI Acid Orange 60 and CI Acid Green 25 in an Amide Environment

Photodegradation, in solution and in nylon 66 fiber, of two automotive acid dyes (CI acid orange 60 and CI acid green 25) for nylon carpet has been investigated. Photofading in solution was done in dimethylformamide (DMF) with the aid of a 254-nm light source, and the work in nylon fiber used the xenon arc light of an Atlas CI 65 weatherometer. The results show that these dyes fade via a photoreduction process under both sets of conditions, and they suggest that DMF is a suitable model for nylon in characterizing the photodegradation of acid dyes. The structures of the degradation products of the two dyes were determined with the aid of fast atom bom bardment and desorption chemical ionization mass spectrometry and by HPLC and TLC comparisons with authentic samples.
Differential Regulation of Na/K-ATPaseα-subunit Isoform Gene Expressions in Cardiac Myocytes by Ouabain and Other Hypertrophic Stimuli

Abstract We showed before that partial inhibition of Na/K-ATPase by non-toxic concentrations of ouabain caused hypertrophic growth of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes, and induced several early- and late-response genes that are markers of cardiac hypertrophy. The aim of this study was to determine if the genes of the α -subunit isoforms of Na/K-ATPase were among those regulated by ouabain; and if so, to begin the characterization of the pathways regulating these genes. When neonatal myocytes, expressing α 1 - and α 3 -isoform messages, were exposed to 5–100 μ m ouabain, α 1 mRNA was not affected, but α 3 mRNA was decreased in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Oubain-induced down-regulation of α 3 mRNA was accompanied by a decrease in α 3 -protein content in these myocytes. There was a significant correlation between ouabain effects on α 3 -repression and skeletal α -actin induction; also, ouabain's transcriptional effects on both genes were antagonised by retinoic acid. These findings suggested the association of α 3 repression with ouabain-induced hypertrophy. Phenylephrine and a phorbol ester, two hypertrophic stimuli that do not inhibit Na/K-ATPase, also down-regulated α 3 mRNA without affecting α 1 mRNA, suggesting that α 3 -repression is a common feature of the hypertrophic phenotype in these myocytes. Ouabain-induced repression of α 3 required the influx of extracellular Ca 2+ , and was antagonized by inhibitors of protein kinase C, Ca 2+ -calmodulin kinase, and mitogen-activated protein kinase but not by inhibition of protein kinase A. These data, and prior findings on the mechanisms of hypertrophic effects of phenylephrine and phorbol esters, suggest that transcriptional repression of α 3 by ouabain and other hypertrophic stimuli involves a common step regulated by a mitogen-activated protein kinase.
Differential expression of miRNAs by macrophages infected with virulent and avirulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs which post-transcriptionally regulate a wide range of biological processes that include cellular differentiation, development, immunity and apoptosis. There is a growing body of evidences that bacteria modulate immune responses by altering the expression of host miRNAs. Since macrophages are immune cells associated with innate and adaptive immunity, we investigated whether Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection affects miRNAs of macrophages. THP-1 macrophages infected with virulent (H37Rv) and avirulent (H37Ra) strains of M. tuberculosis were analyzed for changes in miRNAs’ expression using microarray. This revealed that nine miRNA genes (miR-30a, miR-30e, miR-155, miR-1275, miR-3665, miR-3178, miR-4484, miR-4668-5p and miR-4497) were differentially expressed between THP-1cells infected with M. tuberculosis H37Rv and M. tuberculosis H37Ra strains. Additional characterization of these genes is likely to provide insights into their role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.
Resonance Fluorescence of Atoms at High Photon Densities

Some general remarks and suggestions are presented concerning one- and two photon resonance fluorescence spectra, which arise from two- and three-level atoms interacting with strong light fields. Cooperative effects in the two-atom resonance fluorescence spectra are considered, where two-level atoms are resonantly pumped by a laser, while the atoms interact through their dipole-dipole interaction and radiate to each other as well. The possibility to measure experimentally the dipole-dipole energy through the observation of the collective modes of the system for one- and two-photon processes is discussed. The physical process describing a three-level atom interacting with two lasers is considered, where each laser resonantly couples the ground state with one of the excited states of the atom, respectively. Numerical computation of the spectral function, which describes the excitation spectrum of the system in question, indicates that at each transition frequency there may exist either one-pair or two-pairs or three-pairs of sidebands, in addition to the central peak, depending upon the relative strength of the Rabi frequencies involved. Quantum beats occuring in one- and two-photon resonance fluorescence of three-level atoms at high photon densities are briefly discussed.
The export of major histocompatibility complex class I molecules from the endoplasmic reticulum of rat brown adipose cells is acutely stimulated by insulin

Major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules have been implicated in several nonimmunological functions including the regulation and intracellular trafficking of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter GLUT4. We have used confocal microscopy to compare the effects of insulin on the intracellular trafficking of MHC-I and GLUT4 in freshly isolated rat brown adipose cells. We also used a recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) to express influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) as a generic integral membrane glycoprotein to distinguish global versus specific enhancement of protein export from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in response to insulin. In the absence of insulin, MHC-I molecules largely colocalize with the ER-resident protein calnexin and remain distinct from intracellular pools of GLUT4. Surprisingly, insulin induces the rapid export of MHC-I molecules from the ER with a concomitant approximately three-fold increase in their level on the cell surface. This ER export is blocked by brefeldin A and wortmannin but is unaffected by cytochalasin D, indicating that insulin stimulates the rapid transport of MHC-I molecules from the ER to the plasma membrane via the Golgi complex in a phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase-dependent and actin-independent manner. We further show that the effect of insulin on MHC-I molecules is selective, because insulin does not affect the intracellular distribution or cell-surface localization of rVV-expressed HA. These results demonstrate that in rat brown adipose cells MHC-I molecule export from the ER is stimulated by insulin and provide the first evidence that the trafficking of MHC-I molecules is acutely regulated by a hormone.
Employment in the Field of Aging: A Survey of Professionals in Four Fields

A national survey of members of professional associations representing social work, counseling, occupational therapy, and health, physical education, recreation, and dance indicates that significant changes have occurred in the characteristics, education, and perceptions of professionals working in the field of aging over the last 20 years. Findings show that greater numbers work with the elderly than previously estimated. Respondents report improved status among peers and they perceive good career opportunities in this area. The need for professional preparation to work with the elderly is widely acknowledged.
Developing innovative strategies for defending military forward operating bases

The goal of this research project is to assist in the development of innovative strategies and technologies to defend United States Army forward operating bases (FOBs) from terrorist threats. Our nationpsilas current war on terrorism has proven that a technologically superior force does not always have the upper hand. Innovation, change and the ability to stay one step ahead of your opponent have all proven to be essential in the type of conflict our nation is currently facing. The goal of this project is to aid in the design of defense strategies and technologies that will prevent, defeat and/or minimize the effects of an enemy attack against a FOB using unmanned and potentially autonomous systems. In order to logically approach this problem our group is applying the Systems Decision Process (SDP), a process originated by the Department of Systems Engineering, United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. Based on stakeholder analysis and research, a set of alternative defense strategies was developed specifying the means by which each required function of FOB defense would be accomplished. Using value focused thinking a single defense strategy was selected that held the most promise. This defense strategy is then simulated to assess its effectiveness against various enemy attack plans. Results from this analysis will be used to inform the development of new technologies by the Army in support of FOB defense.
Simulating the Maximum Domain Wall Speed in a Magnetic Nanowire

The dynamics of domain wall motion in permalloy nanowires have been simulated utilizing the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation of motion. The simulation results are presented in terms of the domain wall speed for ranges of the Gilbert damping parameter alpha and nanowire width. The maximum domain wall speed is independent of alpha. The speed of the domain wall can be increased by increasing the nanowire width, but this lowers the critical field. For applied fields below the critical field, the wall moves uniformly along the wire and the speed of the wall increases with increases in the driving field. This behavior is consistent with current analytic models; however, the models overestimate both the value of the domain wall speed and the critical field
Taphonomy and Environmental Distribution of Helicoplacoid Echinoderms

Helicoplacoids are Early Cambrian echinoderms with triradiate ambulacra that are covered by helically-arranged columns of calcite plates. They are abundant only in shales of the Middle Member of the Lower Cambrian Poleta Formation (Atdabanian) at Westgard Pass in the White-Inyo Mountains of California. To identify and understand the unique taphonomic conditions that led to their preservation, 146 helicoplacoid specimens were examined along with the rocks in which they are preserved. Considering their loosely articulated skeletal construction, together with their common occurrence at the base of cm-scale graded beds, helicoplacoids most likely were preserved during obrution events. A majority (69%) of helicoplacoid specimens are partially disarticulated, probably indicating that most helicoplacoids underwent some combination of pre-burial and post-burial decay. Because most (73%) helicoplacoid specimens are preserved on the same bedding plane as at least one other individual, and many (39%) are preserved on bedding planes containing at least 10 individuals, it appears that helicoplacoids were gregarious and frequently were preserved in mass mortality obrution deposits. Low levels of bioturbation, possible microbial stabilization of the sediment, a shallow redox boundary, and a normally calm depositional environment capable of preserving obrution deposits are all factors that aided in the preservation of helicoplacoids. Additionally, the presence of helicoplacoids in several facies of the Middle Member of the Poleta Formation indicates that they lived in a wider range of paleoenvironments than those represented by the shales, where they are found most commonly. The exceptional preservation of helicoplacoids, therefore, is most likely narrowly restricted stratigraphically and geographically because the proper balance of energy regimes, together with the factors mentioned above, was achieved only rarely during the Early Cambrian, not because helicoplacoids were restricted to living in one paleoenvironment.
Dynamic crossflow filtration with a rotating tubular membrane: Using centripetal force to decrease fouling by buoyant particles

Abstract This paper describes a dynamic membrane filtration system that combines crossflow filtration and centrifugal separation in a rotating tubular membrane. Because of the no-slip boundary condition, membrane rotation leads to higher centripetal force near the lumen wall than introduction of a rotating flow. In this fundamental exploratory study, hollow glass microspheres (5–35 μm diameters) serve as model low-density, separate-phase foulants during filtration of aqueous suspensions through a tubular ceramic membrane (nominal 0.14 μm pore size). At low crossflow rates, membrane rotation at 1725 rpm decreases fouling and shifts the microsphere size distribution in the membrane cake toward smaller diameters. Force balance calculations suggest that centripetal force should move particles with diameters >∼17 μm away from the lumen surface. Moreover, azimuthal and longitudinal shear stresses will also selectively remove larger particles from the membrane cake. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations show that the rotational flow does not fully develop in the membrane lumen and the fluid radial velocity peaks before the membrane wall. Both of these factors will decrease movement of low-density particles away from the lumen wall. Nevertheless, consistent with experimental data, CFD simulations show greatly decreasing encounters of particles with the membrane wall as particle size increases.
Lessons Learned From Comparing Survival Behaviors Of Very Old Japanese And American Companies

This study compares small and medium-sized U.S. and Japanese companies that have been in business for at least 100 years, looking for common characteristics that enabled them to overcome environmental changes and economic challenges in order to prosper for an unusually long period of time. Working with the premise that a fundamental objective of the corporation is to survive, this work is an attempt to identify common behaviors or strategies among the long-lived companies in different cultures that may be worth emulating.
The Middle Ear Inertial Component of Bone-Conduction Hearing in Man

The middle ear inertial component of bone-conduction hearing was studied in 8 normal-hearing young adults. The inertial component was eliminated to varying degrees by introducing various positive and negative air pressures into the ear canal. Sweep-frequency Bekesy tracings were obtained from 100 through 5 000 Hz for bone-conducted pure tone stimuli while the air pressure of the test ear was varied and the nontest ear was masked. Air pressures of +/- 100, +/- 300, and +/- 500 mm H2O were utilized. Results revealed maximal shift in the mid frequencies (750 Hz) and an increase in effect with increase in pressure. A second prominent region of threshold shift emerged at 2 000 Hz for the +/- 500 mm H2O air pressure conditions. Considerable variability in the magnitude of threshold shift and in the frequency region of maximum shift was observed.