cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Data base development for school-related research

During 2008, the Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning (INSPIRE) began a research project that started with 19 teachers and more than 200 students who were educated, interviewed, and assessed for STEM learning. This longitudinal study grew fast, gathering numerous pieces of data from 168 teachers and more than 3,000 students during the five-year treatment. This information growth led to a need for data management improvement. However, there are few database structures available for gathering school-related research. This paper presents lessons learned during the process of database construction and improvement for supporting project data consolidation. The process of construction and development included structural changes to provide an organization commensurate with schools' clusters, domains, and strata, all of which occur organically in the school setting. The database construction also included program development for uploading and cleaning large amounts of information; application analysis for defining an appropriate tool; and improvements for user information visualization. The analysis of lessons learned includes a discussion of major changes within the database and benefits of creating program codes within this tool. The discussion ends addressing the implications of having a structured and automatized yet flexible database tool designed for school settings.
The effects of cholinergic substances upon the isolated heart of Periplaneta americana

Abstract The effects of acetylcholine and twelve other structurally related esters in accelerating the heartbeat rate of the isolated heart of Periplaneta americana were studied. Acetylcholine was about forty times more effective than acetylthiocholine or any other analogues studied, indicating that the receptor sites are much more stereospecific than the active site of insect cholinesterase. Organophosphorus and phenyl N-methylcarbamate anticholinesterase at great dilutions also accelerate the rate of heartbeat. The importance of the acetylcholine cholinesterase system at the insect neural synapses is emphasized by the protective action afforded by pyridine aldoxime methiodide and atropine sulphate in antagonizing the action of the anticholinesterases on heartbeat rate.
712-2 Comparison of Transesophageal Echocardiographic and Surgical Assessment of Mitral Regurgitant Lesions: Accuracy and Incremental Value

Transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) provides superb images of the mitral valve. In patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) the type of lesion conditions the ability to perform a valve repair, suggesting liberal indications of TEE preoperatively. However, the accuracy of TEE and its incremental value over transthoracic echocardiography(TTE) are not available to determine the proper utilization of resources. Among 347 patients operated on between 1988 and 1991 for pure, isolated MR, 248 had a preoperative TEE (age = 64 ± 14 years, 152 males) and 216 of them had a preoperative TTE. The accuracy (Ac) of TTE and TEE, the percentage of patients with incremental accuracy of TEE (% Inc) and the percentage of TTE errors corrected by TEE (% Corr) were: Acc TEE Acc TTE P % Inc % Corr Etiology 99% 95% 0.008 3.7% 80% Mechanism 99% 94% 0.002 4.6% 77% Vegetations 99% 95% 0.008 3.7% 73% Prolapse 93% 80% 0.001 13.9% 70% Flail segment 96% 80% 0.001 16.2% 81% Rupture chord 87% 57% 0.001 32.4% 75% The % Inc was significantly higher when the anatomy was felt to be incompletely described by the observer (vegetations 15% vs 1%, P = 0.0001, prolapse 36% vs 9%, P = 0.0001). In conclusion, 1)the high resolution imaging of TEE allows a high accuracy of anatomic assessment but, 2)the incremental value over TTE is moderate and most significant for ruptured chordae or when TTE is incomplete and thus, 3)TEE should be performed preoperatively in selected cases in which the probability for incremental value is high.
Post-jurassic tectonic evolution of Papua New Guinea

Abstract Synthesis of available geologic and geophysical data for Papua New Guinea yields a series of kinematically constrained tectonic reconstructions. These reconstructions document the post-Jurassic evolution of the northern margin of the Australian plate from a rifted, passive continental margin to one composed of accreted, tectonostratigraphic terranes undergoing sinistral oblique transpression. The allochthonous terranes represent marginal basins and fringing island arcs which began docking to the Australian plate in the Miocene. At present, assemblage forms a diffuse suture zone between the Australian and Pacific plates, structurally responding in a complex fashion to the regional oblique compression.
Darwin's Legacy: An Evolutionary View of Women's Reproductive and Sexual Functioning

On the Origin of Species, published just over 150 years ago, has deeply influenced thinking in both scientific and wider communities. Darwin's legacy includes recognition of the fact that all organ...
Anomalies in gravity-coupled SU(N) Yang-Mills theory

Abstract In a general even space-time dimension I consider spin- 1 2 fermions coupled to SU(N) Yang-Mills fields and to gravity. It is shown (unexpectedly) that, once the chiral gauge anomaly is cancelled, gravitational anomalies do not further constrain the fermion representation.
Foreign body in the heart

Summary An unusual case of a piece of wire retained in the heart for at least twenty-nine months and in the lung for four more months, and then expelled spontaneously from the body, has been reported. A review of the literature has failed to reveal a similar case.
Autoimmune Responses to the Brain After Stroke Are Associated With Worse Outcome

Background and Purpose—Immune responses to brain antigens occur after stroke, and experimental studies show that the likelihood of developing a detrimental autoimmune response to these antigens is increased by systemic inflammation at the time of stroke. The aim of this study was to determine if patients who developed infection in the poststroke period would be similarly predisposed to develop autoimmune responses to central nervous system antigens. Methods—We enrolled 114 patients within 72 hours of ischemic stroke. Clinical and demographic data were obtained, and cellular immune responses to a panel of central nervous system antigens were assessed during the initial week and again at Day 90. Outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale. Results—Patients who developed an infection, especially pneumonia, in the 15 days after stroke were more likely to evidence a Th1(+) response to myelin basic protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein (P=0.019 and P=0.039, respectively) at 90 days after stroke. ...
Regulation of uncoupling proteins 2 and 3 in porcine adipose tissue.

Abstract This study was performed to determine whether or not uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and UCP3 expression in porcine subcutaneous adipose tissue are hormonally regulated in vitro and whether their expression is correlated with changes in metabolic activity. Tissue slices (approximately 100 mg) were placed in 12-well plates containing 1 mL of DMEM/F12 with 25 mM Hepes, 0.5% BSA, pH 7.4. Triplicate slices were incubated with basal medium or hormone supplemented media at 37 °C with 95% air/5% CO 2 . Parallel cultures were maintained for either 2 or 24 h to evaluate metabolic viability of the tissue. Slices were transferred to test tubes containing 1 mL of DMEM/F12 with 25 mM Hepes, 3% BSA, 5.5 mM glucose, 1 μCi 14 C-U-glucose/mL and incubated for an additional 2 h at 37 °C. Glucose metabolism in 2-h incubations did not differ from 24-h (chronic) incubations, indicating viability was maintained ( P > 0.05). Expression of UCP2 and UCP3 was assessed in slices following 24 h of incubation with various combinations of hormones by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Expression of UCP2 was induced by leptin (100 ng/mL; P P P P P
The Walter/Palya experiment controller users’ group meeting and help session

This is a report of the group meeting for users of the Walter/Palya ECBASIC experiment controller. Several questions of broad interest were raised and answered. Possibilities for the future were discussed.
Dysregulation of Ca2+ signaling in astrocytes from mice lacking amyloid precursor protein

The relationship between altered metabolism of the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) and Alzheimer's disease is well established but the physiological roles of APP still remain unclear. Here, we st...
Chemical reactions accompanying fluid flow through granite held in a temperature gradient

Abstract Distilled water was passed at a low rate down a temperature gradient through cylinders of Barre and Westerly Granite. Temperatures ranged from 80–100°C at the outer edges of the cylinders to 250–300°C in central, drilled holes which housed the heating coils. The measured permeabilities of the granite cylinders decreased by as much as two orders of magnitude in experiments of 1–3 weeks' duration. The amount of permeability decrease varied directly with temperature and inversely with the rate of fluid flow. The compositions of the fluids discharged from the granites were functions of temperature and flow rate as well as mineral composition, with dissolved silica concentrations showing trends different from those of the other analyzed species. Fluids from experiments run at higher temperatures but at much lower initial rates of fluid flow had higher concentrations of most ions but substantially lower dissolved silica contents. In contrast, an increase in temperature at similar rates of fluid flow resulted in higher silica concentrations. In the experiments, the distilled water acquired enough dissolved materials at high temperatures to become supersaturated with respect to several minerals at the low-temperature edges of the cylinders. Some of this material, particularly silica, was deposited along grain boundaries and microfractures, causing the observed permeability decreases. The very low rates of fluid flow in some high-temperature experiments significantly increased the rates of SiO2 precipitation and reduced dissolved silica concentrations relative to other species in the discharged fluids.
Social Workers as Social Change Agents: Social Innovation, Social Intrapreneurship, and Social Entrepreneurship

This article explores and describes social innovation, social intrapreneurship, and social entrepreneurship practiced by social workers within human service organizations. Each year, the nature and complexity of clients’ problems and challenges experienced by communities continuously evolves and grows. These challenges call for social workers to lead and facilitate social change that can have a lasting impact on communities and people. The authors report findings from an exploratory, descriptive study conducted with ten social workers on these practices. The findings point to the need to develop and integrate these contents within social work education and further promote dual-degree graduate programs.
On optimal two-period repeated measurements designs

Two-period repeated measurements designs for optimal estimation of treatment contrasts are studied in four fixed effects models: (I) with unit and period effects, (II) with unit effects only, (III) with period effects only, and (IV) with neither period nor unit effects. For each model, errors within each unit are assumed to be correlated. The problems of optimality when units are random are also addressed. Strongly balanced two-period repeated measurements designs of Cheng and Wu (1980) are found to be universally optimal for direct effects under all four models. A different class of designs is found to be universally optimal for residual effects under models I and II. Optimal designs for residual effects under models III and IV are found to be very sensitive to the magnitude of within unit correlation coefficient. In general, optimal designs for both direct and residual effects under models III and IV are more restrictive than those under models I and II
Paleoecology of late-glacial peats from the bering land bridge, Chukchi Sea shelf region, northwestern Alaska

Insect fossils and pollen from late Pleistocene nonmarine peat layers were recovered from cores from the shelf region of the Chukchi Sea at depths of about 50 m below sea level. The peats date to 11,300−11,000 yr B.P. and provide a limiting age for the regional Pleistocene-Holocene marine transgression. The insect fossils are indicative of arctic coastal habitats like those of the Mackenzie Delta region (mean July temperatures = 10.6–14°C) suggesting that 11,000 yr ago the exposed Chukchi Sea shelf had a climate substantially warmer than modern coastal regions of the Alaskan north slope. The pollen spectra are consistent with the age assignment to the Birch Interval (14,000–9000 yr B.P.). The data suggest a meadow-like graminoid tundra with birch shrubs and some willow shrubs growing in sheltered areas.
Observability of the Sign Change of Spinors under 2 π Rotations

We consider the observability of the sign change of spinors under $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ rotations. We show that in certain circumstances there are observable consequences of such rotations, contrary to the classical case. We suggest experiments which can in principle be done to demonstrate such effects.
Sandwich data leading to elliptic equations

It is shown that a large class of conformal transformations of the metric tensor on a three-dimensional space-like hypersurface leads to sandwich problems that result in elliptic differential equations for the unknown variables.
Connection between scale-free networks and nonextensive statistical mechanics

The degree distribution of the so-called scale-free networks exhibits, quite often, the form p(k) ∝1/(k0+k)γ (with γ>0 and k0>0), in the limit of large networks. It happens that this form precisely coincides with the q-exponential p(k) ∝exp q(-k/κ) (q ≥1 and κ>0), with γ=1/(q-1) and k0=κ/(q-1). It optimises the nonadditive entropy \(S_q= \frac{k_B}{q-1}\left\{ 1-\sum_{k=1}^\infty [p(k)]^q \right\}\) with mathematically the same constraints that yield the stationary (or quasi-stationary) distribution in nonextensive statistical mechanics. In other words, the most ubiquitous form of the degree distribution of scale-free networks is a realisation of the hypothesis involved within the q-generalisation of Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical mechanics. In addition to this, we show that growth is not a necessary condition for having scale-free networks, in contrast with a widely spread belief.
SEPARATING TABELLARIA (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) SHAPE GROUPS BASED ON FOURIER DESCRIPTORS1

A random sample of 490 Tabellaria specimens was analyzed using the harmonic amplitudes of the Fourier transformations of their valve outlines as shape descriptors. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the sample to reduce dimensionality. The problem of non-normal distribution of these descriptors due to cell division was solved by sub-sectioning the entire data set based on its distribution on the first three components (PC1, PC2, and PC3) of the overall PCA. Each of the subsets was then analyzed by PCA. Shape groups from subset clusters were compared with one another and then similar groups were congregated into one growth series. Eight distinct shape groups were found. The results agree with some previous classical observations on the genus and at the same time reveal many new morphological characteristics related to valve shape. These new characteristics are impossible to obtain without appropriate specimen sampling, quantitative shape description, and data analysis techniques.
Renal function and morphology in a girl with oculocerebrorenal syndrome

T H ~ O C I U L O C E R E B R O R E N A L synd rome was first described by Lowe and associates in 1952.1 This syndrome is character ized by menta I re ta rda t ion , hypotonia , ocu la r abnormal i t ies , metabol ic acidosis, general ized aminoac idur ia , and in most cases, rickets. I n L o w e ' s most recent review, the syndrome is considered to be a congenital hered i ta ry disease l imited to males. 2 In this report , a Negro female child wi th similar symptomato logy is presented. Rena l funct ion and morpho logy were s tudied in detail .
Testing and assessing web vulnerability scanners for persistent SQL injection attacks

Web application security scanners are automated tools used to detect security vulnerabilities in web applications. Recent research has shown that detecting persistent SQL injection vulnerabilities, one of the most critical web application vulnerabilities, is a major challenge for black-box scanners. In this paper, we evaluate three state of art black-box scanners that support detecting persistent SQL injection vulnerabilities. We developed our custom testbed "MatchIt" that tests the scanners capability in detecting persistent SQL injections. The results show that existing vulnerabilities are not detected even when these automated scanners are explicitly configured to exploit the vulnerability. The weaknesses of blackbox scanners identified reside in many areas: crawling web pages, input values and attack code selection, user registration and login, analysis of server replies and classification of findings. Because of the poor detection rate, we analyze the scanner's behavior and present a set of recommendations that could enhance the discovery of persistent SQL injection vulnerabilities.
Immunological assays for understanding neuroimmune interactions.

The human nervous system, particularly the central nervous system (CNS), enjoys a status of immune privilege owing to the restricted access of cells and molecules originating from the immune system. This protection from immune damage is particularly important for preservation of the CNS, since mature brain cells are terminally differentiated and are not normally replaced after death. There is now new evidence for the presence of stem cells in the brain that may be the source for neuronal cells in adulthood. This phenomenon appears to be very limited and does not compensate for the neuronal loss that occurs during pathological processes. 1 Thus, the brain, unlike other organs that are composed of cell types that have the capacity to divide, is particularly vulnerable to immune-mediated damage.
POST-POLLINATION PHENOMENA IN ORCHID FLOWERS. VI. EXCISED FLORAL SEGMENTS OF CYMBIDIUM

A B S T R A C T Whole Cymbidium Sw. (Orchidaceae) flowers, ones with their labella, gynostemia or perianth removed as well as excised ovaries, lips and columns, were pollinated, emasculated and treated with NAA and maintained in media containing or lacking NAA. The results indicate that, 1) the rostellar-stigmatic region seems to control many post-pollination phenomena, 2) auxin from the medium apparently does not reach the rostellum and/or stigma, 3) there is a certain interdependence among floral segments which exhibit post-pollination phenomena, and 4) once initiated, these phenomena may be subject to localized effects. These findings are taken as an indication that pollinated orchid flowers are a well-integrated system despite the diversity and number of observable phenomena. POLLINATED CYMBIDIUM SW. and other orchid flowers are complex developmental systems which exhibit a number of phenomena including ovule formation (in the ovary), chlorophyll production (in the gynostemium or column), anthocyanin synthesis [in the gynostemium (column) and labellum (lip)] and senescence (of the perianth) all occurring in a "programmed" sequence and in physical proximity (Arditti, 1969; Arditti and
Bringing judgment into combination forecasts

Abstract This research investigates the benefits in forecast accuracy by combining judgmental forecasts with those generated by statistical models. Our study differs from prior research efforts in this area along two important dimensions. First, two different types of judgmental forecasts are evaluated for combination with statistical forecasts — one based on contextual knowledge and one based on technical knowledge. Contextual knowledge is information gained through experience on the job with the specific time series and products being forecasted. Technical knowledge is information gained from education on formal forecasting models and data analysis. Second, we investigate the conditions under which adding judgment to combination forecasts helps the most. Specifically, we test the improvement as a function of time series variability. Our results show that judgmental forecasts based on contextual knowledge, rather than technical knowledge, are the better input into combination forecasts. Bringing judgmental forecasts based on contextual knowledge into combination forecast improves forecast accuracy over the individual statistical and judgmental forecasts. However, the benefit attained from including contextual knowledge in the combination depends on the amount of inherent variability in the time series being forecast. More contextual knowledge is needed for combination forecasts if a time series has more data variability. If the amount of variability is low, less emphasis should be given to contextual knowledge when making combination forecasts. In general, our findings suggest a linear relationship between the amount of contextual knowledge needed and data variability.
Improving limited-view photoacoustic tomography with an acoustic reflector

The versatility and real-time imaging capability of commercial linear array transducers make them widely used in clinical ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging. However, they often suffer from limited detection view. For instance, acoustic waves traveling at a grazing angle to the transducer surface are difficult to detect. In this letter, we propose a simple and easy approach to ameliorate this problem by using a 45-deg acoustic reflector. The reflector forms a virtual array that is perpendicular to the physical array, thereby doubling the detection coverage. The improvement in image quality in photoacoustic tomography was demonstrated through a hair phantom, a leaf skeleton phantom, and an ex vivo mouse ear experiment.
Weather modification from cooling towers: A test based on the distributional properties of rainfall

Abstract A statistical technique for the treatment of data from weather modification experiments is presented. This work, a part of the Meteorological Effects of Thermal Energy Releases (METER) Program, is aimed at determining the potential precipitation modification effects of the Bowen Electric Generating Plant near Cartersville, Georgia. For that purpose a network of 49 recording raingages and four recording windsets situated on a square (42 km side) grid was installed in early 1978. The statistical technique utilizes a design which resembles the crossover statistical design used in cloud seeding studies and employs the distributional properties of the sample skewness and kurtosis. Based on the storm data from the above network for the period February 1978-August 1978 the technique demonstrates an anomaly in the target area rainfall with a 90% confidence level. This anomaly is interpreted as a plant-induced modification of the spatial variability of rainfall volume.
Model predictive controller for cryogenic tunnel freezers

Abstract Cryogenic freezing is an upcoming food processing technology that is gaining popularity because of the lower setup costs and improved food quality when compared to mechanical freezing. However, high operating costs are its major deterrent: the cost of cryogenic freezing is almost eight times that of its mechanical counterpart, and this is mainly attributed to the cost of the cryogen that is used. When the variability in the input heat load and/or the product characteristics is high, the economics become highly unfavorable due to either over or under freezing, which in turn imply either excess use of cryogen or reduced throughput. There is therefore a need for a good control mechanism that will minimize the losses due to over or under freezing while maintaining the required throughput. Current industrial freezers use programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which have conservative set-points and consequently significant operational costs. This paper proposes and tests the design of a model predictive control (MPC) algorithm with a zero absolute error (ZAE) minimizer that addresses these issues simultaneously. The controller combines features of feedback–feedforward control to adjust cryogen consumption and throughput rate of the tunnel freezers to minimize the deviation of the end temperature of the food product from the desired set point temperature at the outlet. The stability, accuracy and robustness of the proposed method are tested on a simulation model. The controller guarantees stability, and for an input variance of 10%, the average deviation of the temperature from the set point was found to be less that 0.25%.
BHK cell variant with defective fibronectin receptor function

Baby hamster kidney cells were mutagenized with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and selected to obtain a population of non-attaching cells. The cell variant FN-1 was cloned from the non-attaching cell population, recloned, and tested for cell adhesive interactions using four different assays of fibronectin (pFN) receptor function: cell attachment and spreading on culture dishes and cell binding and phagocytosis of latex beads. On pFN-coated culture dishes, FN-1 cells had decreased attachment compared to parental cells and were unable to spread. With pFN-coated beads, only one third as many pFN-bead binding sites could be detected on FN-1 cells as on the parental cells, and the FN-1 cells were unable to phagocytose the pFN-coated beads. In other studies, the variant cells were able to attach normally and spread partially on substrata coated with polycationic ferritin, concanavalin A, or anti-BHK cell surface antibody. The results suggest that the pFN-receptor function of FN-1 cells is defective.
Passivation layer breakdown during laser-fired contact formation for photovoltaic devices

Low resistance laser-fired ohmic contacts (LFCs) can be formed on the backside of Si-based solar cells using microsecond pulses. However, the impact of these longer pulse durations on the dielectric passivation layer is not clear. Retention of the passivation layer during processing is critical to ensure low recombination rates of electron-hole pairs at the rear surface of the device. In this work, advanced characterization tools are used to demonstrate that although the SiO2 passivation layer melts directly below the laser, it is well preserved outside the immediate LFC region over a wide range of processing parameters. As a result, low recombination rates at the passivation layer/wafer interface can be expected despite higher energy densities associated with these pulse durations.
OSCILLATORY EXCHANGE COUPLING IN FE/CR MULTILAYERS

First-principles calculations of the reflection probabilities for Fermi-surface electrons at Cr/Fe interfaces are used to compute the strength of the oscillatory exchange coupling in Cr/Fe multilayers. These calculations show that critical spanning vectors across the N-centered ellipsoids of the Cr Fermi surface cause the long-period coupling for (001), (110), and (211) interfaces. The periods of these spanning vectors, when extracted from the experimental Fermi surface, agree with experimentally measured periods. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
The camotes de Santa Clara

Throughout Latin America the word "camote" is almost exclusively applied to the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas: Convolvulaceae). A few other species are said to yield "camotes" in some localities (e.g., I. tyrian thina: Tehuacan, Mexico), but a clear distinction is usually made between these and the true "camote". Although this word has been widely adapted into the Spanish language, it is of Aztec (Nahuatl) origin (1, 7, 10). Much has been written about the origin of the sweet potato (1, 7, 13, 14 for recent reviews), yet the question remains essentially unsolved. Various areas have been postulated as the home of the species. While some authors have considered Africa and Melanasia as the original source (2, 4, 11), most biologists agree that the plant is from the New World (5, 6, 12,13, Martin, pers. comm., Jones, pers. comm.). A more exact location is not so well established. Sauer (9, 10), Yen (13) and others believe the species originated in South America, while Nishiyama and Teramura (6) have suggested a Mexican origin. Conclusions cannot yet be drawn as to where this hexaploid species was first cultivated, but the following observations support the conclusion that the plant did not evolve in Mexico. While studying the Convolvtulaceae in Mexico (late August and early September, 1972), I learned that the State of Puebla was famous for "camote" agriculture. I also discovered that the City of Puebla was renowned for a local candy called "camotes de Santa Clara". Mr. Hans Mattes, a restaurant owner in Cuernavaca, stated that the "camote de
Robust adaptive control for a MEMS vibratory gyroscope

This paper presents an adaptive sliding mode controller for a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) vibratory z-axis gyroscope. The proposed adaptive sliding mode controller can real-time estimate the angular velocity and the damping and stiffness coefficients. The stability of the closed-loop system can be guaranteed with the proposed adaptive sliding mode control strategy. The numerical simulation for MEMS gyroscope is investigated to show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. It is shown that the proposed adaptive sliding mode control scheme offers several advantages such as real-time estimation of gyroscope parameters and large robustness to parameter variations and external disturbance.
Validation of the Face Name Associative Memory Exam in cognitively normal older individuals

The recently developed Face Name Associative Memory Exam (FNAME), a challenging paired associative learning task, shows promise in detecting the subtle cognitive changes characteristic of preclinical Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we evaluated the validity and reliability of the FNAME in 210 cognitively normal older individuals (58–90 years of age). Construct validity of the measure was assessed by principal components analysis, which revealed two independent factors. Correlations between the FNAME subtests and another episodic memory test were significant. The results indicated strong test–retest reliability in a subsample (n = 41). Normative data stratified by age were also generated.
Multiplication of vaccinia virus in the chorioallantoic membrane in vitro.

Abstract The yield-time curve of vaccinia virus in the chorioallantoic membrane in vitro has been described. With an inoculum of 0.75 × 10 6 pock-forming units per cm 2 of chorioallantoic membrane, the first evidence of increase in the amount of virus present in membranes was observed at 10 hours. Between the eighth and the forty-eighth hour, the amount of virus increased logarithmically. The earliest increase in virus in the medium was also observed at 10 hours. The rate of increase of virus in the medium was much slower than in the membranes. Even at 7 days the amount of virus present in the medium was only about 10% of that present in the membranes. Thus only a small part of the virus produced in cells was liberated into the medium. No histopathological lesions were observed at 24 hours. At 48 hours proliferative changes predominated, whereas at 72 hours considerable cellular degeneration was noted. Oxygen uptake was similar in uninfected and infected membranes during the first 24 hours after infection. Between the twenty-fourth and the forty-eighth hour, the uptake in infected membranes was somewhat higher than that in uninfected membranes. After the sixtieth hour, the uptake in infected membranes dropped below that in uninfected membranes.
Recessive Sex-Linked Mental Retardation in the Absence of Other Recognizable Abnormalities Report of a Family

Mental retardation in nine members of a family, without major physical, neurologic, cytogenetic or biochemical abnormalities, appears to belong to the infrequently described, but possibly common, nonspecific sex-linked mental retardation.
Effect of Sidewall Leading Edge Sweep Direction on Performance of a Hypersonic 3-D Inlet

The present work documents the results of computational simulations of three-dimensional sidewali-compression scramjet inlet configuration at Mach !0. The study was conducted to simulate the hypersonic inlet flow fields in order to understand the nature and structure of the flow interactions and flow controls inside the inlet. The study also looked into the effects of cowl positions and forwardand backward-sweep sidewall compression on the performance of a hypersonic scramjet inlet.
Iron Deficiency in International Adoptees from Eastern Europe

Objective To assess iron deficiency (ID) in international adoptees after adoption. Study design Participants (n = 37) were adopted into the United States from Eastern Europe before they were 24 months of age. Baseline (within 1 month post-adoption) and follow-up (6 months post-adoption) assessments included routine post-adoption clinical evaluations, anthropometrics, dietary intakes, and iron measures (hemogram and serum analysis). Results At adoption and follow-up, mean percent transferrin saturation and mean corpucuscular volume were low compared with the US population. Mean serum ferritin concentration became lower than the US population at follow-up, although the mean daily iron intake was more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Participants with Giardia lamblia at baseline had more compromised iron status at baseline and follow-up. Growth rate (change in z-score/months between assessments) was negatively correlated with change in serum ferritin concentrations between baseline and follow-up (r = −0.34; P Conclusions International adoptees had compromised iron status, with ID more prevalent in participants with G lamblia, a parasite that may interfere with iron absorption. The persistent ID at follow-up was likely caused by the erythropoietic demands of catch-up growth.
cGMP-dependent protein kinase and the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell gene expression: Possible involvement of Elk-1 sumoylation

Although the regulation of smooth muscle cell (SMC) gene expression by cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) is now recognized, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. In this study, we report that PKG-I stimulates myocardin/serum response factor (SRF)-dependent gene expression in vascular SMCs. The expression of PKG in PKG-deficient cells enhanced myocardin-induced SM22 promoter activity in a concentration-dependent fashion. However, neither SRF nor myocardin expression was affected. To investigate alternative mechanisms, we examined whether PKG affects the phosphorylation of E26-like protein-1 (Elk-1), a SRF/myocardin transcription antagonist. The activation of PKG caused an increase in a higher molecular mass form of phospho-Elk-1 that was determined to be small ubiquitin-related modifier (sumo)ylated Elk-1. PKG increased Elk-1 sumoylation twofold compared with the PKG-deficient cells, and Elk-1 sumoylation was reduced using dominant-negative sumo-conjugating enzyme, DN-Ubc9, confirming PKG-dependent sumoylation of phospho-Elk-1 in vascular SMCs. In addition, PKG stimulated Elk-1 sumoylation in COS-7 cells overexpressing Elk-1, sumo-1, and PKG-I. The increased expression of PKG in vascular SMCs inhibited Elk-1 binding to SMC-specific promoters, SM22 and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, as measured by EMSA and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, and PKG suppressed the Elk-1 inhibition of SM22 reporter gene expression. Taken together, these data suggest that PKG-I decreases Elk-1 activity by sumo modification of Elk-1, thereby increasing myocardin-SRF activity on SMC-specific gene expression.
Technical efficiency analysis for the Iranian fishery in the Persian Gulf

There are many fish landing areas in southern Iran, distributed all along the coastline, and despite gradually increasing effort, the total catch has fluctuated in recent years. This study examines the technical efficiency of the fishing industry, and identifies factors that could be causing inefficiency. A stochastic production function among fishery vessels is estimated. Technical efficiency measures the ability of firms to maximize output using a given set of inputs and technologies. The results indicate that technical efficiency in the fishery is relatively low, and that wooden vessels of medium size are more efficient than small fibreglass vessels. Both skippers' socio-economic drivers and vessel instrumentation have a significant impact on efficiency. Ownership of two-way radio and ownership of GPS are important considerations that influence fishing efficiency, and the skipper's level of education and experience are qualities that also affect it. Owner-operated vessels and younger skippers are more efficient than others. Understanding these constraints may contribute to increasing the efficiency of the Iranian fishery in the Persian Gulf.
Globalization and the role of the global corporation

Abstract A great deal of controversy exists these days concerning the role of the global corporations with very little agreement. Many charges and claims are made, often unsubstantiated and contradictory. The situation is complex due to the many different issues and points of view. This paper identifies some of the problems, issues, and perspectives and then suggests that the key question concerns the net effect of the global corporation. Unfortunately, the answer to that question still depends on a person's point of view. Therefore, it is concluded that it would be a mistake to simplify any discussion of the role of the global corporation and that we need a generally accepted set of guidelines for ethical behavior of the global corporation. This background is then used to introduce the other papers in this special issue of the Journal of International Management.
Death Don't Have No Mercy: Cell Death Programs in Plant-Microbe Interactions.

A nearly ubiquitous feature of plant-pathogen interactions is host cell death. In its most recognizable form, host cell death is manifested as the rapid collapse of tissue, termed the hypersensitive response (HR). This response accompanies "incompatible interactions" and leads to disease resistance. As detailed below, the HR is programmed genetically in the plant and is a consequence of new host transcription and trans? lation (Dixon et al., 1994; Godiard et al., 1994). The HR is a correlative feature of many but not all incompatible interac? tions controlled by classic disease resistance (R) genes (Dangl, 1995; Staskawicz et al., 1995; see also Bent, 1996, in this is? sue). A local HR is often associated with the onset of systemic acquired resistance (SAR; Chester, 1933; Enyedi et al., 1992; Ryals et al., 1994, 1996, in this issue) in distal plant tissues. In addition, sites of the HR are invariably focal points for tran? scriptional induction of plant defense genes in neighboring cells (Somssich et al., 1988; Schmelzer et al., 1989). Subse? quent biosynthesis of protective secondary metabolites and cell wall buttressing around the HR site are also thought to contribute to overall pathogen containment. Signals derived from cells undergoing the HR apparently contribute signifi? cantly to the induction of defense gene transcription in adjacent cells. However, certain bacterial mutants unable to elicit an HR are still competent to trigger the transcription of defense genes that are normally induced during both incompatible and compatible interactions (Jakobek and Lindgren, 1993). Whether the cell death that constitutes the HR actually causes disease resistance by depriving the incoming patho? gen of nutrients or by releasing microbiocidal compounds from dying cells is unclear. Alternatively, the HR could be the con? sequence of a mechanism that is actually killing both host and microbe cells. In fact, recent evidence discussed below sug? gests that HR cell death is not required to stop pathogen growth in at least some cases (Century et al., 1995; Hammond-Kosack et al., 1996). If this separation of resistance per se and cell death is generalizable, can we glean insight from the mecha? nism by which host cells die that is relevant to the mechanism that kills or stops an invading pathogen?
DSM of Newton type for solving operator equations F(u) = f with minimal smoothness assumptions on F

This paper is a review of the authors' results on the Dynamical Systems Method (DSM) for solving operator equation (*) F(u) = f. It is assumed that (*) is solvable. The novel feature of the results is the minimal assumption on the smoothness of F. It is assumed that F is continuously Frechet differentiable, but no smoothness assumptions on F′(u) are imposed. The DSM for solving equation (*) is developed. Under weak assumptions global existence of the solution u(t) is proved, the existence of u(∞) is established, and the relation F(u(∞)) = f is obtained. The DSM is developed for a stable solution of equation (*) when noisy data f δ are given, "f − f δ" ≤ δ.
Nonverbal Communication in Young Children

Nonverbal communication is an essential and integral component of the communicative competence and contributes significantly to the affective aspect of human interaction. Researchers have only rece...
Implicit Contracts Regulating Small Group Leadership: The Influence of Culture.

This study of mono- and intercultural decision-making groups ascertains the kind of leadership rule structure apparent in each group type before and after group interaction. Further, a stochastic analysis of decision making is conducted to illuminate some of the differences between group types in leader communication over time. Each monocultural group presented an internally consistent set of leadership rules prior to group interaction; however, each intercultural group initially presented internally varied rules. Fewer message types and interact patterns are used in the intercultural than in the monocultural groups. Intercultural groups also use more evaluative responses and fewer reciprocal communication behaviors.
Pharmacological Characterization of Inositol 1,4,5-tris Phosphate Receptors in Human Platelet Membranes

The phosphatidylinositol (PI) hydrolysis signaling system has been shown to be altered in platelets of depressed and schizophrenic subjects. Inositol (1,4,5) trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3), an integral component of the PI signaling system, mobilizes Ca2+ by activating Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptors. To eventually investigate the role of Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptors in depression and other mental disorders, we characterized [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding sites in crude platelet membranes prepared from small amounts of blood obtained from healthy human control subjects. We found a single, saturable binding site for [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 to crude platelet membranes, which is time dependent and modulated by pH, inositol phosphates, and heparin. Since cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and Ca2+ have been shown to be important modulators in Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptors, in the present study we also determined the effects of various concentrations of CaCI2 and forskolin on Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding to platelet membranes. CaCI2 modulated [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding sites in a biphasic manner: at lower concentrations it inhibited [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding, whereas at higher concentrations, it stimulated [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding. On the other hand, forskolin inhibited [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding. Our results thus suggest that the pharmacological characteristics of [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding to crude platelet membranes are similar to that of Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptors; and that both Ca2+ and cAMP modulate [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding in crude platelet membranes.
Can C# replace java in CS1 and CS2?

Microsoft has developed a language called C# ("see sharp") that it claims will allow programmers to "quickly and easily build solutions" for its new.NET platform [3]. The language has much in common with Java, particularly in those features emphasized in CS1 and CS2 courses. It also includes some of the desirable features of C++ that are missing from Java as well as some new features not available in either language. This paper explores the pros and cons of teaching CS1 and CS2 using C# instead of Java and concludes with a discussion of the author's plans for teaching such a course in the fall of 2002.
Formation of well-ordered finger-like structures on pre-cast thin films

In this work, we developed a simple method to construct well-ordered finger-like structures on pre-cast polymer films for the first time. Confining a droplet between a tilt carbon rod and a pre-cast poly(methyl methacrylate) film and limiting the evaporation of the droplet, a gradient finger-like surface structure consisting of multiple arc-segments and line-segments was formed. The wavelength of the arc-segments first decreases, reaches a minimum, and then increases with the increase of the distance to the tip of the gradient finger-like structure. The geometric characteristics of the finger-like surface structures are dependent on the droplet volume and the tilt angle. Using this approach and a “four-rod” template, a “cross” surface pattern, which consists of 4 finger-like structures, was constructed. In addition, this method was used to form surface structures on polystyrene (PS) films. The surface structures consisted of slightly undulating lines and disconnected beads in contrast to the continuous ridges formed on PMMA films.
Risk analysis for plant-made vaccines.

The production of vaccines in transgenic plants was first proposed in 1990 however no product has yet reached commercialization. There are several risks during the production and delivery stages of this technology, with potential impact on the environment and on human health. Risks to the environment include gene transfer and exposure to antigens or selectable marker proteins. Risks to human health include oral tolerance, allergenicity, inconsistent dosage, worker exposure and unintended exposure to antigens or selectable marker proteins in the food chain. These risks are controllable through appropriate regulatory measures at all stages of production and distribution of a potential plant-made vaccine. Successful use of this technology is highly dependant on stewardship and active risk management by the developers of this technology, and through quality standards for production, which will be set by regulatory agencies. Regulatory agencies can also negatively affect the future viability of this technology by requiring that all risks must be controlled, or by applying conventional regulations which are overly cumbersome for a plant production and oral delivery system. The value of new or replacement vaccines produced in plant cells and delivered orally must be considered alongside the probability and severity of potential risks in their production and use, and the cost of not deploying this technology – the risk of continuing with the status quo alternative.
Explicit State and Output Feedback Boundary Controllers for Partial Differential Equations

o In this paper the explicit (closed form) solutions to several application-motivated parabolic problems are presented. The boundary stabilization problem is converted to a problem of solving a specic linear hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE). This PDE is then solved for several particular cases. Closed loop solutions to the original parabolic problem are also found explicitly. Output feedback problem under boundary measurement is explicitly solved with both anti-collocated and collocated sensor/actuator locations. It is shown how closed form frequency domain compensators based on the closed form observers and controllers can be designed. Index Termso parabolic PDE, boundary control, back- stepping.