cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of Near-Surface Composition Anomaly

Many multi-element alloy specimens have been shown to possess a wide variety of near-surface elemental composition profiles, which are significantly different from the bulk composition. Such composition nonuniformity adversely affects the measurement of basic thermophysical properties in alloys. In this paper is presented a new investigation into the mechanisms by which such depth-dependent near-surface elemental composition develops. Specifically, specimens of a low melting-point metallic alloy, Wood's alloy, as a model system are examined under varying thermal cycling conditions within a chamber of controlled gaseous atmosphere. The near-surface composition and thermal diffusivity are measured as a function of depth. The method of time-resolved spectroscopy of laser-produced plasma plumes emanating from the specimen surface is used. Different surface composition profiles emerge depending on the dynamic range of the thermal cycling forced on a specimen.
Lumps and bumps in neonates and infants

There are many developmental abnormalities that may appear in the neonate and in infants when critical steps in embryogenesis fail. These steps are often not fatal but can lead to significant morbidity for those patients affected. A logical approach is needed in addressing both the diagnostic and therapeutic issues that arise when caring for these patients, as various lesions will warrant an observational approach, and others may require imaging studies or definitive surgical intervention. Additionally, there are other "lumps and bumps" that are seen in the neonatal and infantile age groups that include malignancies and cutaneous neoplasms with associated systemic sequelae.
Post-translational arginylation in the bovine lens

This study demonstrates post-translational arginylation of bovine serum albumin and endogenous lens proteins by bovine lens arginyl-tRNA: protein transferase. This reaction has been proposed to be the first step in marking specific proteins for degradation by the non-lysosomal. ATP-dependent, ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic pathway. The transferase was obtained by the method used for isolation of the same enzyme from reticulocytes (Ferber and Ciechanover, 1987, Nature326, 808–811). Incorporation of [3H]Arg was linear for at least 2 hr at 37°C. The amount of incorporation was directly proportional to the amount of lens enzyme or substrate added. Arginylation was ATP-dependent. A requirement for tRNA was demonstrated by inhibition upon pretreatment of the enzyme preparation with nuclease to hydrolyse endogenous tRNA, and restoration of activity upon replacement of tRNA. [3H]Leu, [3H]Lys and [3H]His were not incorporated, demonstrating specificity of the reaction for arginine. This is the first demonstration of post-translational modification of proteins by arginylation in the lens.
Rat Placenta Is an Active Site of Inner Ring Deiodination of Thyroxine and 3,3′,5-Triiodothyronine*

Inner ring deiodination of L-T4 and L-T3 by rat placental homogenates resulted in the generation of rT3 from T4 and 3,3′-diiodothyronine and 3′-monoiodothyronine from T3. Dithiothreitol is required in the incubation medium. There was little or no detectable outer ring deiodination of T4 and T3. These findings suggest that placental enzymatic inner ring monodeiodination of T4 and T3 could prevent the transplacental passage of T4 and T3 from dam to fetus. They also provide an explanation for our previous observations that fetal serum rT3 is partially dependent on maternal thyroid function.
Protecting employee safety rights: OSHA or arbitration?

This paper analyzes the protection of employees against employer retatliation for seeking a safe and healthy workplace. It discusses the exercise of rights guaranteed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970 and compares the legal protection of Section 11(c) of that Act with the grievance arbitration mechanism found in most union contracts. It also considers the importance of union representation in the ability and protection of employees seeking to exercise their OSHA rights. Administrative and legislative recommendations are made to improve the OSHA procedures, and questions are raised regarding adapting arbitration procedures to the OSHA mechanism.
Analysis of the Escherichia coli glycogen gene cluster suggests that catabolic enzymes are encoded among the biosynthetic genes.

Abstract The nucleotide sequences of the Escherichia coli genome between the glycogen biosynthetic genes glgB and glgC, and 1170 bp of DNA which follows glgA have been determined. The region between glgB and glgC contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 1521 bp which we call glgX. This ORF is capable of coding for an Mr 56 684 protein. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence for the putative product shows significant similarity to the E. coli glycogen branching enzyme, and to several different glucan hydrolases and transferases. The regions of sequence similarity include residues which have been reported to be involved in substrate binding and catalysis by taka-amylase. This suggests that the proposed product may catalyze hydrolysis or glycosyltransferase reactions. The cloned region which follows glgA contains an incomplete ORF (1149 bp), glgY, which appears to encode 383 aa of the N terminus of glycogen phosphorylase, based upon sequence similarity with the enzyme from rabbit muscle (47% identical aa residues) and with maltodextrin phosphorylase from E. coli (37% identical aa residues). Results suggest that neither ORF is required for glycogen biosynthesis. The localization of glycogen biosynthetic and degradative genes together in a cluster may facilitate the regulation of these systems in vivo.
Expansion of tumor-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes using in vitro restimulation with tumor-specific transplantation antigen

Tumor-specific T lymphocytes (CTL) induced by in vivo immunization of C3H/HeJ mice with the syngeneic methylcholanthrene (MCA)-induced fibrosarcoma MCA-F were expanded in vitro by restimulation with 1-butanol-extracted, isoelectrophoretically purified, tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA) in combination with purified rat interleukin-2 (IL-2) and fresh, syngeneic, 2000-R-irradiated, adherent splenic antigen-presenting cells (APC). The cultured immune T-cell population, containing 40-55% Lyt 2+ and 40-60% L3T4+ cells, displayed TSTA-specific proliferative and cytotoxic activities in vitro. The expanded T cells appear to recognize butanol-extracted TSTA in association with specific H-2 class I antigens, as revealed by the benefit of syngeneic over allogeneic cells as APC and by the adverse effect of depletion using anti-H-2K, but not anti-Ia, monoclonal antibodies. In adoptive transfer assays in vitro, expanded T cells specifically neutralize homotypic, but not heterotypic, tumor growth in vivo. Based upon the effects of depletion of T-lymphocyte subpopulations using monoclonal antibodies, the Lyt 2+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) appear to display greater in vivo neutralizing activity than L3T4+ T cells. Thus in vitro stimulation of in vivo-immunized T cells, using butanol-extracted TSTA in combination with IL-2 and syngeneic APC, expands tumor-specific CTL.
THE ETIOLOGY OF EPIDEMIC POLIOMYELITIS

Streptococci have been isolated from the central nervous system of monkeys dead of poliomyelitis. Streptococci have also been isolated from the central nervous system of monkeys dead of other causes as well as from the brains of normal rabbits. Streptococci isolated from poliomyelitic monkeys do not differ from those isolated from monkeys and rabbits dead from other causes. An etiological relation has not been established between streptococci and poliomyelitis. We have at several times isolated an organism that was similar to the globoid bodies culturally, morphologically, and in staining reaction, but have not been able to carry it along for more than three generations. The pathogenicity of these organisms has therefore not been tested on monkeys. We have not been able to produce typical lesions of poliomyelitis in rabbits by the injection of either the poliomyelitic virus or streptococci.
Spatiotemporal Variation in Density of Larval Bighead Carp in the Lower Missouri River

Abstract Bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, an exotic planktivore, was introduced into Arkansas in 1973 and subsequently dispersed upstream through the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Early life history characteristics of bighead carp in North American rivers have not been documented. The objectives of this study were to examine the temporal and spatial variation in the density of larvae and to estimate the spawning date of bighead carp in the lower Missouri River. We sampled larval fish once per week at four sites between White Cloud, Kansas, and Lexington, Missouri, from May through July 1997 and 1998. Density of larval bighead carp varied spatially and temporally. Larval bighead carp were collected at all four sites (Lexington, Kansas City, and St. Joseph, Missouri, and White Cloud, Kansas) only on June 25, 1997; on July 2 and 9, 1998, they were collected only at Kansas City and Lexington, Missouri. Density was greatest (24.4 larvae/m3) at the most downstream site (Lexington, Missouri) and...
Coulometric and potentiometric evaluation of the redox components of cytochrome c oxidase in situ

A new coulometric-potentiometric titration cuvette is described which permits accurate measurements of oxidation-reduction components in membranous systems. This cuvette has been utilized to measure the properties of cytochrome c oxidase in intact membranes of pigeon breast muscle mitochondria. The reducing equivalents accepted and donated by the portion of the respiratory chain with half-reduction potentials greater than 200 mV are equal to those required for the known components (cytochrome a3 and the high-potential copper plus cytochrome a, 'visible copper', cytochrome c1, cytochrome c, and the Rieske iron-sulfur protein). Titrations in the presence of CO show that formation of the reduced cytochrome a3-CO complex requires two reducing equivalents per cytochrome a3 (coulometric titration). Potentiometric titrations indicate (Lindsay, J.G., Owen, C.S. and Wilson, D.F. (1975) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 169, 492--505) that both cytochromes a3 and the high-potential copper must be reduced in order to form the CO complex (n = 2.0 with a CO concentration-dependent half-reduction potential, Em). By contrast, titrations in the presence of azide show that the Em value of the high-potential copper is unchanged by the presence of azide and thus azide binds with nearly equal affinity whether the copper is reduced or oxidized.
OXYHEMOGLOBIN AFFINITY MODULATES CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW (CBF) IN PREMATURE BABIES

Low CBF is thought to cause periventricular leukomalacia in premature babies, but a normal outcome has also been observed. Low CBF found after exchange transfusion in lambs was explained by the lower oxygen affinity of adult as compared to fetal hemoglobin (HbF). We studied the influence of relative HbF concentration [HbF] and thus the oxygen affinity on CBF in 41 small premature infants: GA 29.1 ±2.0 wks, BW 1064 ±153 g (mean ±ISD). In cerebral ultrasonography 12 were found normal, 14 had subependymal or intraventricular hemorrhage (SEH/IVH), and 15 had intra-parenchymal anomalies (IPE). CBF was measured with the i.v. Xe-133 method at day 1,3 and 7, and [HbF] was obtained chromatographically. In normal babies a positive correlation between [HbF] and CBF was found: day 1 r= 0.62*, day 3 r=0.64*, day 7 r=0.63* (*=p<0.05). In those with SEH/IVH this correlation was significant only on day 3, in those with IPE only on day 7. Multiple regression analysis including all babies exept IPE showed a significant influence of [HbF] on CBF, independent of BP, pCO2 and Hct. We conclude that normal babies and to a lesser extent those with SEH/IVH or IPE can adapt their CBF to the actual oxygen affinity of blood.
Sensitivity and resolution enhancement of oriented solid-state NMR: Application to membrane proteins

Oriented solid-state NMR (O-ssNMR) spectroscopy is a major technique for the high-resolution analysis of the structure and topology of transmembrane proteins in native-like environments. Unlike magic angle spinning (MAS) techniques, O-ssNMR spectroscopy requires membrane protein preparations that are uniformly oriented (mechanically or magnetically) so that anisotropic NMR parameters, such as dipolar and chemical shift interactions, can be measured to determine structure and orientation of membrane proteins in lipid bilayers. Traditional sample preparations involving mechanically aligned lipids often result in short relaxation times which broaden the 15N resonances and encumber the manipulation of nuclear spin coherences. The introduction of lipid bicelles as membrane mimicking systems has changed this scenario, and the more favorable relaxation properties of membrane protein 15N and 13C resonances make it possible to develop new, more elaborate pulse sequences for higher spectral resolution and sensitivity. Here, we describe our recent progress in the optimization of O-ssNMR pulse sequences. We explain the theory behind these experiments, demonstrate their application to small and medium size proteins, and describe the technical details for setting up these new experiments on the new generation of NMR spectrometers.
The role of viruses in the etiology of cancer and leukemia in animals and in humans

In the first half of the current century, the etiology of malignant tumors was fully ignored, without any serious attempts of clarification. In general, cancer and leukemia were thought to be caused by “somatic mutation,” whatever this term means or represents.
SUSCEPTIBILITY OF SYRIAN HAMSTERS TO INDUCTION OF FIBROSARCOMAS WITH A SINGLE INJECTION OF 3,4,9,10-DIBENZPYRENE.

THE carcinogenic activity of polycyclic hydrocarbons administered subcutaneously to hamsters was first described by Gye and Foulds1. Later, Halberstaedter2, Crabb3, and Lutz et al.4 reported the sarcomagenic activity of other polycyclic hydrocarbons in hamsters. These investigators were primarily interested in the question of transplantability and metastases and used multiple injections for tumour production.
The phase retrieval problem in X-ray crystallography

The authors introduce several techniques which are used in the X-ray crystallography phase retrieval problem and several unique problems associated with it. Phase retrieval involves signal reconstruction from its Fourier transform magnitude, which in this case is related to the X-ray diffraction pattern intensity. The following techniques are discussed: the isomorphic addition technique, the isomorphic replacement technique, and the multiple anomalous dispersion technique. Finally, a simulation result for the X-ray crystallography problem is presented. >
Current ideas on central chemoreception by neurons and glial cells in the retrotrapezoid nucleus

Central chemoreception is the mechanism by which CO2/pH-sensitive neurons (i.e., chemoreceptors) regulate breathing in response to changes in tissue pH. A region of the brain stem called the retrot...
Solving fixed charge network problems with group theory‐based penalties

Many well-known transportation, communication, and facilities location problems in operations research can be formulated as fixed charge network problems, i.e. as minimum cost flow problems on a capacitated network in one commodity where some arcs have both fixed and variable costs. One approach to solving such problems is to use group theoretic concepts from the theory of integer programming to provide bounds for a branch-and-bound procedure. This paper presents such a group-theory based algorithm for exact solution of fixed charge network problems which exploits the special structures of network problems. Computational results are reported for problems with as many as 100 fixed charge arcs.
Probing Quantum Mechanics towards the Everyday World How Far Have We Come

I present the motivation for experiments which attempt to generate, and verify the existence of, quantum superpositions of two or more states which are by some reasonable criterion “macroscopically” distinct, and show that various a priori objections to this program made in the literature are flawed. I review the extent to which such experiments currently exist in the areas of free-space molecular diffraction, magnetic biomolecules, quantum optics and Josephson devices, and sketch possible future lines of development of the program.
Computer-aided design for microfluidic chips based on multilayer soft lithography

Microfluidic chips are emerging as a powerful platform for automating biology experiments. As it becomes possible to integrate tens of thousands of components on a single chip, researchers will require design automation tools to push the scale and complexity of their designs to match the capabilities of the substrate. However, to date such tools have focused only on droplet-based devices, leaving out the popular class of chips that are based on multilayer soft lithography. In this paper, we develop design automation techniques for microfluidic chips based on multilayer soft lithography. We focus our attention on the control layer, which is driven by pressure actuators to invoke the desired flows on chip. We present a language in which designers can specify the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) of a microfluidic device. Given an ISA, we automatically infer the locations of valves needed to implement the ISA. We also present novel algorithms for minimizing the number of control lines needed to drive the valves, as well as for routing valves to control ports while admitting sharing between the control lines. To the microfluidic community, we offer a free computer-aided design tool, Micado, which implements a subset of our algorithms as a practical plug-in to AutoCAD. Micado is being used successfully by microfluidic designers. We demonstrate its performance on three realistic chips.
An object-oriented approach to assessing changes in tree cover in the Colorado Front Range 1938–1999

In the wake of numerous catastrophic wildfires, forest management policies have been implemented in recent years in the United States with the goals of reducing fire risk, including the National Fire Plan and the Healthy Forest Restoration Act. A key premise underlying these policies is that fire suppression has resulted in denser forests than were present historically that now have higher fire risk. To evaluate this premise for the northern Front Range, Colorado, we used object-oriented image analysis to compare change in tree cover delineated from historical and modern imagery. Historical photographs from 1938 and 1940 were scanned, orthorectified, and overlaid on Digital Orthoimagry Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQs) from 1999. Using an object-oriented image analysis technique, the photos were then finely segmented and classified into two classes: tree and non-tree. Trees are heterogeneous in appearance in black and white aerial photography, so we employed separate membership functions to identify four visually distinct types: ‘interior forest’, ‘isolated trees’, ‘dark forest’, and ‘edge forest’. Our classification strategy employed spatial relationships between objects in addition to spectral information, so that our classification is fairly robust to variations in illumination. Based on the classification of fine objects, we then calculated the percent tree cover within a larger set of objects for the two time periods. We estimate that average tree density across the study area increased minimally (4%) during the 60-year period, with considerable spatial variation across the landscape. The results of the analysis illustrate that, consistent with independent tree-ring evidence, the highest increase in tree density is in areas characterized by low initial density, south-facing slopes, low elevations, and ponderosa pine dominance. In contrast, the highest elevation areas dominated by mixed conifer and lodgepole pine forests revealed no significant change in tree cover. Furthermore, there is no significant difference between objects dominated by low, medium, and high departure from historical conditions, as classified in the Landfire Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) data product. The results of the study can help managers prioritize forest treatments aimed at restoring pre-suppression forest structure.
Polybutadiene-modified clay and its polystyrene nanocomposites

Vinylbenzyl chloride was allowed to react with a low-molecular-weight oligomer of butadiene in order to give a material that could then be used to alkylate an amine to form an ammonium salt. This ammonium salt was ion-exchanged onto a clay to give a new organically modified clay, which was used to prepare polystyrene-clay nanocomposites by solution and bulk polymerization and by melt blending. The nanocomposites were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, cone calorimetry, and the evaluation of mechanical properties. These systems show good nanodispersion and improvement in thermal and mechanical properties. J. Vinyl Addit. Technol. 10:44–51, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Integration of distance, direction and habitat into a predictive migratory movement model for blue-winged teal (Anas discors)

Abstract Historically, the migration of birds has been poorly understood in comparison to other life stages during the annual cycle. The goal of our research is to present a novel approach to predict the migratory movement of birds. Using a blue-winged teal case study, our process incorporates not only constraints on habitat (temperature, precipitation, elevation, and depth to water table), but also approximates the likely bearing and distance traveled from a starting location. The method allows for movement predictions to be made from unsampled areas across large spatial scales. We used USGS’ Bird Banding Laboratory database as the source of banding and recovery locations. We used recovery locations from banding sites with multiple within-30-day recoveries were used to build core maximum entropy models. Because the core models encompass information regarding likely habitat, distance, and bearing, we used core models to project (or forecast) probability of movement from starting locations that lacked sufficient data for independent predictions. The final model for an unsampled area was based on an inverse-distance weighted averaged prediction from the three nearest core models. To illustrate this approach, three unsampled locations were selected to probabilistically predict where migratory blue-wing teals would stopover. These locations, despite having little or none data, are assumed to have populations. For the blue-winged teal case study, 104 suitable locations were identified to generate core models. These locations ranged from 20 to 228 within-30-day recoveries, and all core models had AUC scores greater than 0.80. We can infer based on model performance assessment, that our novel approach to predicting migratory movement is well-grounded and provides a reasonable approximation of migratory movement.
Interaction between Brome Mosaic Virus Proteins and RNAs: Effects on RNA Replication, Protein Expression, and RNA Stability

Brome mosaic virus (BMV) RNA replication has been examined in a number of systems, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We developed an efficient T-DNA-based gene delivery system using Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transiently express BMV RNAs in Nicotiana benthamiana. The expressed RNAs can systemically infect plants and provide material to extract BMV replicase that can perform template-dependent RNA-dependent RNA synthesis in vitro. We also expressed the four BMV-encoded proteins from nonreplicating RNAs and analyzed their effects on BMV RNA accumulation. The capsid protein that coinfiltrated with constructs expressing RNA1 and RNA2 suppressed minus-strand levels but increased plus-strand RNA accumulation. The replication proteins 1a and 2a could function in trans to replicate and transcribe the BMV RNAs. None of the BMV proteins or RNA could efficiently suppress posttranscriptional silencing. However, 1a expressed in trans will suppress the production of a recombinant green fluorescent protein expressed from the nontranslated portions of BMV RNA1 and RNA2, suggesting that 1a may regulate translation from BMV RNAs. BMV replicase proteins 1a did not affect the accumulation of the BMV RNAs in the absence of RNA replication, unlike the situation reported for S. cerevisiae. This work demonstrates that the Agrobacterium-mediated gene delivery system can be used to study the cis- and trans-acting requirements for BMV RNA replication in plants and that significant differences can exist for BMV RNA replication in different hosts.
Mechanical Ottoman: How Robotic Furniture Offers and Withdraws Support

This paper describes our approach to designing, developing behaviors for, and exploring the use of, a robotic footstool, which we named the mechanical ottoman. By approaching unsuspecting participants and attempting to get them to place their feet on the footstool, and then later attempting to break the engagement and get people to take their feet down, we sought to understand whether and how motion can be used by non-anthropomorphic robots to engage people in joint action. In several embodied design improvisation sessions, we observed a tension between people perceiving the ottoman as a living being, such as a pet, and simultaneously as a functional object, which requests that they place their feet on it—something they would not ordinarily do with a pet. In a follow-up lab study (N=20), we found that most participants did make use of the footstool, although several chose not to place their feet on it for this reason. We also found that participants who rested their feet understood a brief lift and drop movement as a request to withdraw, and formed detailed notions about the footstool’s agenda, ascribing intentions based on its movement alone.
Non-model-based approach to damage localization

A limiting factor for many current structural health monitoring methods is that in order to locate damage, modeling of the structural response is required. The structural model itself can introduce significant errors, in addition to sensor noise, both through limitations in the assumptions applied and manufacturing variations. This work presents a method of localizing damage that eliminates the requirement for an independent structural model. The method is based on the flexibility parameters of the structure in pre- and post- damage states. An technique has been developed that allows the required information to be constructed from only sensor and actuator data. From the sensor data, a set of damage location vectors are determined. These vectors are shown to localize damage via two methods: The first analysis reapplies each set damage location vector as applied forces to the structure. The second, more applicable to real-time health monitoring, locates lowest values of the damage location vectors themselves. Simulations on a plate are performed for two sensor meshes (eight and thirty-two locations). The results demonstrate excellent damage localization, and some indication of damage severity. Finally an experimental demonstration of the method utilizing eight sensors surface mounted to an aluminum plate is presented.
Building reusable simulators using hierarchical event graphs

Hierarchical event graphs are an easy way to build special purpose simulators. At the lowest level, event graphs are created to represent particular components of the system being simulated; steps in a process flow, or hyper-events. These low-level graphs can then be viewed as different classes of vertices that make up the next higher level graph. A special purpose simulation toolkit is thus developed. Three very different types of hierarchical event-graph simulation toolkits are discussed in this article: a Petri net simulator that is used to teach the activity-scanning approach to simulation modeling; SIMAN and GPSS network simulators that are used to teach process interaction modeling and introduce these languages; and an industrial process simulator called QUALPLAN that is used for planning quality inspection systems.
1/f noise in hot-carrier damaged MOSFET's: effects of oxide charge and interface traps

The 1/f noise in the drain current of hot-carrier damaged MOSFETs biased in weak inversion has been studied. By the use of a biased annealing treatment to simultaneously decrease the density of oxide trapped charge (N/sub ot/) and increase the density of interface traps (D/sub it/), the authors have separated the contributions of these two kinds of defects. The results clearly indicate that, while the low-frequency 1/f noise is correlated with N/sub ot/, the high-frequency 1/f noise is correlated with D/sub it/. >
On the reliability of grammaticality judgement tests in second language acquisition research

The use of grammaticality and metalinguistic judgement tests in second language acquisition (SLA) research has been the subject of considerable scrutiny over the past decade (see, for example, Chaudron, 1983; Birdsong, 1989; Ellis, 1991; Cowan and Hatasa, 1994; Gass, 1994; Davies and Kaplan, 1998).Grammaticality judgement (GJ) test data in research design are used to make inferences about the syntactic structures and rules that constitute learners’ linguistic competence, in the Chomskian sense of the word. One criticism levelled at the use of this type of test, however, is that they are not reliable measures of linguistic competence.The present study compared GJ test data with dehydrated sentence (DS) test data, an assessment tool commonly used in the L2 (second language) classroom. Data were collected from three levels (second, fourth and sixth semester) of adult L2 learners of Spanish about verb movement (Vmovement). The results from the comparison of the two tests indicated that GJ data are reliable me...
Immuno-surface fabrication for biosensor optimization

Experimental exploration and model development is being pursued for analytical determination of the best configuration and composition of immuno-surfaces for capturing target antigen. This study begins to investigate the influence of immuno-surface characteristics. Various surface chemistry fabrication techniques are compared for control of uniform-oriented antibody attachment to glass surfaces. Random orientation and non-specific attachment of antibody to the glass surface must be prevented to minimize surface heterogeneity and to maximize light-chain availability. Protein A is a binding protein that associates readily with IgG2a type antibody at the F/sub c/ region. Protein A is often used to attach antibodies and results in a surface-bound antibody that is oriented and functional with light chains free to bind antigen. This work has compared two surface chemistries, an aminosilane chemistry and a common heterobifunctional cross-linker (GMBS) technique, to evaluate their ability to covalently bind Protein A. In addition, various techniques for removing non-covalently bound protein from the glass surface were investigated and compared for effectiveness. In this manner, the present study demonstrated that GMBS covalently bound Protein A at higher densities than the aminophase technique.
Establishing value mappings using statistical models and user feedback

In this paper, we present a "value mapping" algorithm that does not rely on syntactic similarity or semantic interpretation of the values. The algorithm first constructs a statistical model (e.g., co-occurrence frequency or entropy vector) that captures the unique characteristics of values and their co-occurrence. It then finds the matching values by computing the distances between the models while refining the models using user feedback through iterations. Our experimental results suggest that our approach successfully establishes value mappings even in the presence of opaque data values and thus can be a useful addition to the existing data integration techniques.
"Our daughters inherit our land, but our sons use their wives' fields": matrilineal-matrilocal land tenure and the New Land Policy in Malawi.

Abstract Renewed efforts in recent years to reform land tenure policy in Sub-Saharan African countries have – in some cases – included provisions aimed at improving women's land rights. The premise of such provisions is that women's land rights under customary tenure are fragile, threatened, and/or in the process of being undermined. The matrilineal-matrilocal areas in Southern Malawi described here present a counter case. Only daughters are the heirs of their matrilineage's land, while sons use their wives' land or, in special circumstances, have temporary use of fields belonging to their female matrikin. This pattern has prevailed in the face of a long and continuing history of prejudice against matriliny. Now, a new land policy, not yet passed into law, includes an explicit aim to protect and improve land rights for women. Yet the means selected by the policy – land inheritance by both sons and daughters and extension of greater authority to traditional leaders in the administration of land – will be l...
Changes in REDD1, REDD2, and atrogene mRNA expression are prevented in skeletal muscle fixed in a stretched position during hindlimb immobilization

Immobilized skeletal muscle fixed in a shortened position displays disuse atrophy, whereas when fixed in a stretched position it does not (Goldspink, D. F. (1977) J Physiol 264, 267–282). Although significant advances have been made in our understanding of mechanisms involved in development of atrophy in muscle fixed in a shortened position, little is known about why mass is maintained when muscle is immobilized in a stretched position. In the present study, we hypothesized that skeletal muscle immobilized in a stretched position would be protected from gene expression changes known to be associated with disuse atrophy. To test the hypothesis, male Sprague‐Dawley rats were anesthetized using isoflurane and subjected to unilateral hindlimb immobilization for 3 days with the soleus fixed in either a shortened or stretched position. All comparisons were made to the contralateral nonimmobilized muscle. Soleus immobilized in a shortened position exhibited disuse atrophy, attenuated rates of protein synthesis, attenuated mTORC1 signaling, and induced expression of genes for REDD1, REDD2, MAFbx, and MuRF1. In contrast, immobilization of the soleus in a stretched position prevented these changes as it exhibited no difference in muscle mass, rates of protein synthesis, mTORC1 signaling, or expression of genes encoding REDD1, MAFbx or MuRF1, with REDD2 expression being reduced compared to control. In conclusion, fixed muscle length plays a major role in immobilization‐induced skeletal muscle atrophy whereby placing muscle in a shortened position leads to induction of gene expression for REDD1, REDD2, and atrogenes.
Tree-Structured Compressive Sensing With Variational Bayesian Analysis

In compressive sensing (CS) the known structure in the transform coefficients may be leveraged to improve reconstruction accuracy. We here develop a hierarchical statistical model applicable to both wavelet and JPEG-based DCT bases, in which the tree structure in the sparseness pattern is exploited explicitly. The analysis is performed efficiently via variational Bayesian (VB) analysis, and comparisons are made with MCMC-based inference, and with many of the CS algorithms in the literature. Performance is assessed for both noise-free and noisy CS measurements, based on both JPEG-DCT and wavelet representations.
Optimal mechanical design of a rotary inverted pendulum

Motivated by the ever increasing demand for higher performance and lower cost, there have been growing efforts to conduct mechanical and control system designs concurrently rather than sequentially. Indeed, the area of mechatronics has sprung forth largely motivated by the desire to consider the mechanical control system design as an integrated process rather than disjointed pieces. In this paper, we present a case study of the optimal mechanical design of a rotary inverted pendulum by incorporating the control objectives involving disturbance tolerance and domain of attraction. These objectives are converted to two related metrics, controllability and unstable pole location of the open-loop system, which can be computed efficiently and do not depend on the chosen control algorithm. Since the optimization is multi-objective, and does not possess a unique optimum, a family of Pareto designs is generated. The original objectives in terms of disturbance rejection and domain of attraction are then evaluated in simulation and experimentation along the Pareto optimal solutions to provide the quantitative trade-offs of different designs.
Digital microwave system for monitoring intracranial pressure in hydrocephalic and traumatic brain injury patients

The monitoring of acute and later stages of changes of intracranial pressure (ICP) is of great importance in studies of the effects of hydrocephalus and traumatic brain injury. It also aids in determining the outcome of treatment. A digital prototype for wireless ICP measurement based on Texas Instrument's CC2500 2.4 GHz transceiver and MSP430 ultra-low-power microcontroller has been designed, investigated, and tested. In-vitro evaluations under different circumstances are described to demonstrate the repeatability, stability, and reliability of the device.
Evidence of the limitations of water as a freely diffusible tracer in brain of the rhesus monkey.

The extraction of 15 O-labeled water by the brain during a single capillary transit was studied in vivo in 20 adult rhesus monkeys by external detection of the time course of the tracer subsequent to the internal carotid injection of 0.2 ml of whole blood labeled with H 2 15 O. The data showed that labeled water does not freely equilibrate with the exchangeable water in the brain when the mean cerebral blood flow exceeds 30 ml/100 g min -1 . At the normal cerebral blood flow in the rhesus monkey (∼50 ml/100 g min -1 ), only 90% of the H 2 15 O is extracted during a single capillary transit. In addition, cerebral blood flow was determined with H 2 15 O and 133 Xe in these monkeys using residue detection and employing the central volume principle. The data supported the hypothesis that a diffusible tracer, H 2 15 O, need not be in complete equilibrium between the phases of a system for the application of the central volume principle to be valid. Finally, the brain capillary permeability-surface area product was computed from these data; it was approximately 0.023 cm 3 /sec g -1 .
High CO2 alters the hypoxia response of the Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) transcriptome including known and novel hemocyanin isoforms

Acclimation to low O2 in many organisms involves changes at the level of the transcriptome. Here we used high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to explore the global transcriptomic response and specific involvement of a suite of hemocyanin (Hc) subunits to low O2 alone and in combination with high CO2, which naturally co-occurs with low O2. Hepatopancreas mRNA of juvenile L. vannamei exposed to air-saturated water, low O2, or low O2/high CO2 for 4 or 24 h was pooled, sequenced (HiSeq 2500) and assembled (Trinity: 52,190 contigs) to create a deep strand-specific reference transcriptome. Annotation of the assembly revealed sequences encoding the previously described small Hc subunit (HcS), and three full-length isoforms of the large subunit (HcL1-3). In addition to this, a previously unidentified full-length Hc subunit was discovered. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the subunit to be a β-type Hc subunit (denoted HcB), making this the first report of a β-type hemocyanin subunit in the Penaeoidea. RNAs of individual shrimp were sequenced; regulated genes identified from pairwise comparisons demonstrated a distinct pattern of regulation between prolonged low O2 and low O2/high CO2 treatments by GO term enrichment analysis (Roff-Bentzen, P < 0.0001), showcasing the stabilization of energetically costly translational machinery, mobilization of energy stores, and downregulation of the ubiquitin/proteasomal degradation machinery. Exposure to hypoxia for 24 h resulted in an increase in all of the full-length hemocyanin subunits (HcS, HcL1, HcL2, HcL3, and HcB). The addition of CO2 to hypoxia muted the transcriptomic response of all the Hc subunits to low O2, except for the β-type subunit.
Computational Insights into the Role of Metal and Acid Sites in Bifunctional Metal/Zeolite Catalysts: A Case Study of Acetone Hydrogenation to 2-Propanol and Subsequent Dehydration to Propene

We employ electronic structure calculations to elucidate the catalytic pathways on bifunctional metal/zeolite catalysts by modeling a HZSM-5-supported nickel tetramer cluster (Ni4-ZSM-5). Hydrogenation of acetone to 2-propanol followed by dehydration to propene have been investigated as model reactions. In Ni4-ZSM-5, we observe reverse hydrogen spillover, whereby the Bronsted hydrogen migrates from the zeolite active site to the metal cluster. Consequently, the zeolite-supported metal cluster becomes electron-deficient, facilitating the hydrogenation reaction. In contrast, studies conducted on the dehydration reaction pathways indicate that the Bronsted acid catalysis in HZSM-5 is preferred over the metal catalyzed pathway in the Ni4-ZSM-5 system, again as a result of the electron-deficient nature of the metal species.
Ethylene Oxide Fumigation of Tobacco at Various Pressures For Control of the Cigarette Beetle

Ethylene oxide 12% with dichlorodifluoromethane 88% at 18.1 kg/28.3 m3 under sustained vacuum for 4 h killed all stages of Lasioderma serricorne (F.) exposed in hogsheads of tobacco to depths of 30 cm. Neither air washing the hogsheads prior to fumigation to loosen the tobacco nor breaking the vacuum with air to improve penetration increased the mortality of insects deeper in the hogsheads. Also, extending the exposure period to 6 or 8 h did not increase effectiveness of the fumigation. The minimum concentration of ETO needed to kill any stage of the insect was ca. 7 mg/liter.
Monitoring Dynamic Glycosylation in Vivo Using Supersensitive Click Chemistry

To monitor the kinetics of biological processes that take place within the minute time scale, simple and fast analytical methods are required. In this article, we present our discovery of an azide with an internal Cu(I)-chelating motif that enabled the development of the fastest protocol for Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) to date, and its application toward following the dynamic process of glycan biosynthesis. We discovered that an electron-donating picolyl azide boosted the efficiency of the ligand-accelerated CuAAC 20–38-fold in living systems with no apparent toxicity. With a combination of this azide and BTTPS, a tris(triazolylmethyl)amine-based ligand for Cu(I), we were able to detect newly synthesized cell-surface glycans by flow cytometry using as low as 1 nM of a metabolic precursor. This supersensitive chemistry enabled us to monitor the dynamic glycan biosynthesis in mammalian cells and in early zebrafish embryogenesis. In live mammalian cells, we discovered that it takes app...
Slave, Settler, and Preacher: The Life History of Boston King

This paper investigates the life of Boston King, born a slave in South Carolina around 1760, to a mother who was an herbalist and a father who had been “stolen away from Africa.” During the American War of Independence, King joined English forces against the American revolutionaries. Afterwards, he became part of the contingent of ex-American slaves who moved to Nova Scotia and who then, with the support of English abolitionists, went to Sierra Leone to establish a settler colony, the “Province of Freedom.” Boston King’s “Memoirs” were published in serial form in The Methodist Magazine over the course of four months in 1798. Each installment focuses on a different stage of King’s life, the last one describes his efforts in Sierra Leone to convert “poor Africans.” Many historians have relied on conversion narratives collected by missionaries to uncover new perspectives on slavery and on African history. But those analyses often pay scant attention to the religious context in which those narratives were produced (Sandra Greene’s recent book is a significant exception). This paper will demonstrate that King’s evolving Christian faith is critical to understanding his transformation from slave to settler, and his migration from South Carolina to Sierra Leone.
Inclusivity in the Classroom and International Achievement in Mathematics and Science: An Exploratory Study:

Purpose: Few studies have examined the role of inclusivity in international assessments of student achievement, such as the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). The curren...
Community Design Impacts on Health Habits in Low-income Southern Nevadans.

OBJECTIVES The purposes of this exploratory study were to: (1) characterize selected community design features; and (2) determine the relationship between select features and physical activity (PA) levels and nutrition habits for a small sample of low-income southern Nevadans. METHODS Secondary analysis was conducted on data from selected participants of the Nevada Healthy Homes Partnership program; self-report data on PA and diet habits were compared to national guidelines. Community design features were identified via GIS within a one-mile radius of participants' homes. Descriptive statistics characterized these features and chi-square analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between select features and habits. RESULTS Data from 71 participants were analyzed; the majority failed to reach either PA or fruit and vegetable guidelines (81.7% and 93.0%, respectively). Many neighborhoods were absent of parks (71.8%), trailheads (36.6%), or pay-for-use PA facilities (47.9%). The mean number of grocery stores was 3.4 ± 2.3 per neighborhood. Chi-square analyses were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Findings were insufficient to make meaningful conclusions, but support the need for health promotion to meet guidelines. More research is needed to assess the impact of health-promoting community design and healthy behaviors, particularly in vulnerable populations.
Regulation of human interleukin 8 gene expression and binding of several other members of the intercrine family to receptors for interleukin-8.

Recruitment of leukocytes into tissues presumeably involves the local release of leukocyte activating and chemotactic mediators in response to injury-induced inflammatory reactions. We have recently purified major neutrophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte chemotactic factors to homogeneity from the conditioned media of human PBMC or monocytic cell line stimulated with mitogens and have shown that these chemotactic factors are structurally distinct from known cytokines, including IL-1 or TNF (1,2,3). Neutrophil chemotactic factor was structurally identical to T lymphocyte chemotactic factor and has been renamed IL-8 (3). IL-8 is distinct from the monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF) (2). cDNA cloning of IL-8 has been performed and the cDNA encodes a 99 amino acid precursor form of IL-8 (4). There is a typical signal peptide at the amino terminal end of the IL-8 precursor molecule and the mature processed soluble extracellular form of IL-8 consists of 72 amino acids. IL-8 shows considerable amino acid sequence homology to several human cytokines, such as β-thromboglobulin, platelet factor 4, gamma-IP 10 and GRO/MGSA. For ease of communication we will identify these cytokines as members of the intercrine family in this article. Such a generic term may provide useful in providing a name for members of this cytokine family based on their chromosomal location when they are precisely determined over the next few years. For example, cytokines such as IL-8 that are located on chromosome 4 can therefore be assigned a number in the intercrine α subfamily, whereas MCAF and the others on chromosome 17 can be assigned a number in the intercrine β subfamily.