cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antifungal benzimidazoles disrupt vasculature by targeting one of nine β-tubulins

ABSTRACT Thiabendazole (TBZ) is an FDA-approved benzimidazole widely used for its antifungal and antihelminthic properties. We showed previously that TBZ is also a potent vascular disrupting agent and inhibits angiogenesis at the tissue level by dissociating vascular endothelial cells in newly formed blood vessels. Here, we uncover TBZ’s molecular target and mechanism of action. Using human cell culture, molecular modeling, and humanized yeast, we find that TBZ selectively targets only 1 of 9 human β-tubulin isotypes (TUBB8) to specifically disrupt endothelial cell microtubules. By leveraging epidemiological pesticide resistance data and mining chemical features of commercially used benzimidazoles, we discover that a broader class of benzimidazole compounds, in extensive use for 50 years, also potently disrupt immature blood vessels and inhibit angiogenesis. Thus, besides identifying the molecular mechanism of benzimidazole-mediated vascular disruption, this study presents evidence relevant to the widespread use of these compounds while offering potential new clinical applications.
Motivation in Youth Sport and Physical Activity: Developmental Perspectives

Abstract Millions of children and youth participate in sports and physical activities, such as organized after-school programs, school physical education, and community classes. We review the developmental sport psychology literature on two major determinants of motivational orientations and behaviors in physical activity settings – perceived competence and social influence by parents, coaches, and peers. Studies reveal robust processes and mechanisms of influence that suggest interventions for optimizing self-determined motivation and participation in physical activity. A physically active lifestyle, in turn, strongly contributes to positive developmental and health-related outcomes among youth.
Evaluation of Case Volumes of a Heart Transplant Program and Short-term Outcomes After Changes in the United Network for Organ Sharing Donor Heart Allocation System.

Importance Institution-level strategic changes may be associated with heart transplant volume and outcomes. Objective To describe changes in practice that markedly increased heart transplant volume at a single center, as well as associated patient characteristics and outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants A pre-post cohort study was conducted of 107 patients who underwent heart transplant between September 1, 2014, and August 31, 2019, at Yale New Haven Hospital before (September 1, 2014, to August 31, 2018; prechange era) and after (September 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019; postchange era) a strategic change in patient selection by the heart transplant program. Exposure Strategic change in donor and recipient selection at Yale New Haven Hospital that occurred in August 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcome measures were transplant case volume, donor and recipient characteristics, and 180-day survival. Results A total of 49 patients (12.3 per year; 20 women [40.8%]; median age, 57 years [interquartile range {IQR}, 50-63 years]) received heart transplants in the 4 years of the prechange era and 58 patients (58 per year; 19 women [32.8%]; median age, 57 years [IQR, 52-64 years]) received heart transplants in the 1 year of the postchange era. Organ offers were more readily accepted in the postchange era, with an offer acceptance rate of 20.5% (58 of 283) compared with 6.4% (49 of 768) in the prechange era(P Conclusions and Relevance This study suggests that strategic changes in donor heart and recipient selection may significantly increase the number of heart transplants while maintaining short-term outcomes comparable with more conservative patient selection. Such an approach may augment the allocation of currently unused donor hearts.
Modeling Brain Pathology of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C Using Patient-Derived Neurons.

Background Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a rare autosomal-recessive lysosomal storage disease that is also associated with progressive neurodegeneration. NPC shares many pathological features with Alzheimer's disease, including neurofibrillary tangles, axonal spheroids, β-amyloid deposition, and dystrophic neurites. Here, we examined if these pathological features could be detected in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons from NPC patients. Methods Brain tissues from 8 NPC patients and 5 controls were analyzed for histopathological and biochemical markers of pathology. To model disease in culture, iPSCs from NPC patients and controls were differentiated into cortical neurons. Results We found hyperphosphorylated tau, altered processing of amyloid precursor protein, and increased Aβ42 in NPC postmortem brains and in iPSC-derived cortical neurons from NPC patients. Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that the main pathogenic phenotypes typically found in NPC brains were also observed in patient-derived neurons, providing a useful model for further mechanistic and therapeutic studies of NPC. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
A General Approach for Predicting the Behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States

Building on developments in machine learning and prior work in the science of judicial prediction, we construct a model designed to predict the behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in a generalized, out-of-sample context. To do so, we develop a time-evolving random forest classifier that leverages unique feature engineering to predict more than 240,000 justice votes and 28,000 cases outcomes over nearly two centuries (1816-2015). Using only data available prior to decision, our model outperforms null (baseline) models at both the justice and case level under both parametric and non-parametric tests. Over nearly two centuries, we achieve 70.2% accuracy at the case outcome level and 71.9% at the justice vote level. More recently, over the past century, we outperform an in-sample optimized null model by nearly 5%. Our performance is consistent with, and improves on the general level of prediction demonstrated by prior work; however, our model is distinctive because it can be applied out-of-sample to the entire past and future of the Court, not a single term. Our results represent an important advance for the science of quantitative legal prediction and portend a range of other potential applications.
Channel profile control based on transient-enhanced-diffusion suppression by RTA for 0.18 μm single gate CMOS

Significant effects of rapid thermal annealing treatment, which was inserted before the gate oxidation, on MOSFETs characteristics have been studied in detail. The reduction of the threshold voltage and the enhancement of the transconductance were achieved for NMOSFETs, whereas a shallow and high channel doping profile was obtained for PMOSFETs. These results, which are promising for constructing high-performance single gate CMOS devices, were interpreted in terms of the suppression of transient diffusion such as B outside diffusion and B segregation into thc gatc oxide, which were enhanced by residual damage induced by high energy ion implantation.
Varying drought stress induces morpho-physiological changes in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) genotypes inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Abstract Increased environmental fluctuations because of climate change have been forecasted in many agricultural regions to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of drought episodes, which threaten the sustainability of future crop production. Although cowpeas are drought-tolerant, recent evidence shows that soil water stress in the early stages of vegetative growth significantly impairs crop growth and development, with detrimental impacts on yields. Diversity in cowpeas has been extensively genotyped and sequenced to enhance drought stress tolerance based on genetic diversity, population structure, and phylogenetic relationships. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate whether cowpea genotypes with contrasting drought-tolerant status respond differently to varying moisture stress under a controlled environment. Three cowpea genotypes, including Arkansas Blackeye #1 (ARB), Top Pick Cream (TPC), and 17–111 were subjected to 28 days of three volumetric water content (VWC) treatments, which comprised of 0.270, 0.203, and 0.135 m3m−3, identified respectively as well-watered (WW), intermediate drought (ID), and drought-stressed (DS) conditions. After 28 days of VWC treatment (DAT), it was observed that the seedlings of all cowpea genotypes survived, showing different characteristics of the DS effect. The results showed that plant height (PH), leaf area (LA) and number (LN), fresh (FM) and total dry mass (TDM) of cowpea genotypes were significantly decreased under DS compared to WW and ID. Furthermore, cowpea genotypes subjected to DS showed significant reductions in their rate of photosynthesis (Pn) at 14 DAT when compared to 28 DAT. Thus, suggesting cowpeas tend to adapt to DS with time. Similar results were obtained for stomatal conductance (gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), and transpiration rate (E). However, the water use efficiency (WUE) increases linearly under DS. DS also resulted in the decline of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters except non-photochemical quenching (qN) which increased with decreasing VWC treatments. Overall, the ARB was observed to have significantly highest Pn, gs, E, Ci, LA, PH, Jmax, and Vcmax at DS, ID, and WW when compared to TPC and 17–111 cowpea genotypes, indicating its tolerance to DS. Cowpea breeders may use the contrasting drought-tolerant genotypes and identified morpho-physiological features to develop new genotypes that could tolerate DS during the vegetative stage in future climates.
Simulating Stablecoin Systems with Latent Market Confidence Index

There is a real demand for an alternative form of money, with intrinsic price stability in the system. In this paper, we examine a family of stablecoin that is intended to be used as a medium of exchange. We simulate an agent-based trading environment to study the stabilization mechanism of growth-collateralized stablecoin design with elastic money supply through bond auction and liquidation. Our model explicitly studies the endogenous demand dynamics for stablecoin when the system is subject to an exogenous price shock. In particular, we introduce a latent market confidence indicator that models the feedback loop between demand and price, where different agent types carry out different trading strategies and update their market beliefs as a function of market price and volatility. Through our simulation, we have found that the market confidence indicator responds to both a level effect and a variance effect of the stablecoin price movements. The increased variance in the excess demand ratio implies high market sensitivity, in which the system is reactive and beliefs are updated quickly to stabilize towards parity. Further, the demand for bonds as a derivative of the excess demand ratio for the stablecoin during the stabilization process has a strong impact on the variance of the bond queue. We believe by enacting the stabilization mechanism of bond auction or liquidation earlier on, the stability overall in the system can be improved.
Critical Historicism: A Lens for Theorizing Democracy and Virtue

Endemic to work in the history of political theory is the problem of how to relate history -- a story of deeds -- and theory -- a systematic critical discourse of words. Of late, this problem has been presumptively resolved in favor of (1) relatively strict contextualism or historicism (e.g., Skinner); (2) transcendental, normative standards of truth and value (e.g., by religionists, culturalists, or Straussians); or (3) dismissed as a problem because all narratives are contingently constructed (post-structuralists) or super-structural (realists). This state of affairs has been particularly troubling for anyone who seeks critical sources for democratic ethics and legitimating democracy in the past and present of political action. Yet it is in political action that the sources of such ethics and legitimation must be found. I argue for an approach, critical historicism, that addresses the limitations of the previously mentioned approaches and highlights how one might productively locate signs of warning and inspiration for the relationships of democracy and virtue in the history of political thought. The pivot for this approach is identifying levels of the logos-ergon relationship (and its equivalents) in sites of political conflict where the formation of democratic practice occurs. Emphasizing this relationship recalls the manner in which political thought and theory are contextually constrained as well as deliberative, normative, and speculative in nature when they interpret and involve democratic life. The aim of this interpretive approach is to facilitate critical understanding of the relationship of democracy and virtue in both theoretical and historical terms.
Formula SAE Design, Test, Tune, and Setup: A Design of Experiment Approach

The Design of Experiment (DOE) method is becoming an industry standard for testing procedures. Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) Formula SAE (FSAE) applied DOE to a FSAE racecar in an attempt to efficiently and effectively focus their time, money, and personnel. The testing resulted in an optimum setup for each FSAE dynamic event, the sensitivity of nine vehicle parameters on vehicle performance, and the responsive interconnected relationships between parameters. As a result, future designs are easily focused towards the areas with the biggest potential performance gains saving time, money, and personnel.
AR, MA, ARMAX, Lattice, Exponential, Wave ModelBased Processors

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction AR (All-Pole) MBP MA (All-Zero) MBP Lattice MBP ARMAX (Pole-Zero) MBP Order Estimation for MBP Case Study: Electromagnetic Signal Processing Exponential (Harmonic) MBP Wave MBP Summary MATLAB Notes References Problems
Esophageal electrocardiography. Selected clinical applications.

Abstract It would appear that more widespread use of the esophageal lead in patients with delayed intraventricular conduction may be fruitful in the recognition of unsuspected atrial arrhythmias. Use of the esophageal electrocardiogram may also be of value in the management of atrial arrhythmias associated with bundle branch block.
Effect of AVP and oxytocin on insulin release: involvement of V1b receptors

We used a number of receptor antagonists to determine which receptors mediate the effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) on insulin release. We found that OT (10(-7) M) and AVP (10(-8) M) increased insulin release from the perfused rat pancreas with similar magnitude. The antagonist with potent V1b receptor-blocking activity, dP[Tyr(Me)2]AVP (10(-7) M), abolished the effect of OT and AVP, whereas the highly selective OT receptor antagonist L-366,948 (10(-6) M) did not change the effect of OT, nor did a V1a receptor antagonist, d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2]AVP (10(-7) M), change the effect of AVP. The insulin-releasing potency of OT was estimated as 9-fold less than that of AVP in RINm5F cells. Selected AVP and OT antagonists were used to study their antagonism on AVP- and OT-induced insulin release from RINm5F cells, and the order of potencies of antagonists was estimated as dP[Tyr(Me)2]AVP > d(CH2)5[D-Phe2,Ile4]AVP > SR-49059 > d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2]AVP > desGly9d(CH2)5[Tyr(Et)2]VAVP (WK-3-6) approximately L-366,948. These results were consistent with the V1b receptor antagonistic activities of the antagonists. d[D-3-Pal]VP, a V1b receptor agonist, increased insulin release dose dependently (10(-9) to 10(-6) M), and this effect was antagonized by dP[Tyr(Me)2]AVP but not by WK-3-6 (10(-6) M). These results suggested that the stimulatory effect of both OT and AVP on insulin release from beta-cells may be mediated by V1b, but not by V1a or OT receptors.
Estimating the relative single stuck-at fault coverage of test sets for a combinational logic block from its functional description

When the gate-level description of a logic block is unknown, it may become necessary to estimate the gate-level stuck-at fault coverage of a test set for the block by using a fault coverage metric that does not require simulation of gate-level faults. We propose such a metric based on stuck-at faults on primary inputs of the block We show that the proposed metric is accurate in predicting the relative gate-level stuck-at fault coverage of different test sets.
SOLUBLE AND BOUND IRON EQUALLY EFFECT LIPID OXIDATION OF SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM

Iron over the range of 25–250 μM FeCl3 in the presence of ADP and histidine bound in increasing amounts to fish sarcoplasmic reticulum. Binding of iron was not reversed either by washing in water or after oxidation of the membrane lipid. There was no difference in the rate of lipid oxidation measured as TBA-reactive substances catalyzed by iron bound to the sarcoplasmic reticulum or by iron in the soluble phase of the assay medium when expressed on an iron basis. These results imply that for either bound or soluble iron there is a common rate-determining step. In addition, soluble and bound iron were similar with respect to both inhibition by thiourea of their ability to catalyze lipid oxidation and their generation of hydroxyl free radicals measured by production of methane sulfinic acid from dimethyl sulfoxide in the presence of hypoxanthine and xanthine oxidase.
A moral analysis of the ‘RIAA v. Verizon’ case

The RIAA v. Verizon case offers an opportunity to analyze the scope of an Internet service provider’s responsibility to help deter copyright infringement. In this case, the RIAA served Verizon with a subpoena requesting the identity of two users who were making available copyrighted recordings for downloading on peer‐to‐peer networks. The main axis of discussion is whether or not Verizon has a moral obligation to reveal the names of these individuals. Should Verizon cooperate with the RIAA or should it seek to shield the identity of these users in order to protect their anonymity and privacy? A secondary theme concerns Verizon’s prospective responsibility to curtail infringement. We will argue that Verizon and other ISPs have a limited obligation to assist copyright holders by disclosing the identity of infringers, but we contend that any prospective responsibility is constrained by law and technological capability.
Isolating LacZ-expressing Cells from Mouse Inner Ear Tissues using Flow Cytometry

Isolation of specific cell types allows one to analyze rare cell populations such as stem/progenitor cells. Such an approach to studying inner ear tissues presents a unique challenge because of the paucity of cells of interest and few transgenic reporter mouse models. Here, we describe a protocol using fluorescence-conjugated probes to selectively label LacZ-positive cells from the neonatal cochleae. The most common underlying pathology of sensorineural hearing loss is the irreversible damage and loss of cochlear sensory hair cells, which are required to transduce sound waves to neural impulses. Recent evidence suggests that the murine auditory and vestibular organs harbor stem/progenitor cells that may have regenerative potential. These findings warrant further investigation, including identifying specific cell types with stem/progenitor cell characteristics. The Wnt signaling pathway has been demonstrated to play a critical role in maintaining stem/progenitor cell populations in several organ systems. We have recently identified Wnt-responsive Axin2-expressing cells in the neonatal cochlea, but their function is largely unknown. To better understand the behavior of these Wnt-responsive cells in vitro, we have developed a method of isolating Axin2-expressing cells from cochleae of Axin2-LacZ reporter mice. Using flow cytometry to isolate Axin2-LacZ positive cells from the neonatal cochleae, we could in turn execute a variety of experiments on live cells to interrogate their behavior as stem/progenitor cells. Here, we describe in detail the steps for the microdissection of neonatal cochlea, dissociation of these tissues, labeling of the LacZ-positive cells using a fluorogenic substrate, and cell sorting. Techniques for dissociating cochleae into single cells and isolating cochlear cells via flow cytometry have been described. We have made modifications to these techniques to establish a novel protocol to isolate LacZ-expressing cells from the neonatal cochlea.
Double‐blind, randomized, vehicle‐controlled clinical trial of once‐daily benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin topical gel in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe rosacea

Background Systemic antibiotics such as tetracycline are well accepted as effective in treating the inflammatory papular/pustular phase of rosacea but may be associated with systemic side-effects. Few controlled data on the use of topical antibiotics in rosacea are available. Objective We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of a fixed combination of 5% benzoyl peroxide and 1% clindamycin in a topical gel for the treatment of rosacea. Methods This was a 12-week, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, randomized, prospective, parallel-group study in 53 patients with moderate to severe rosacea. Results The mean percentage reduction in papules and pustules from baseline to the end of treatment was 71.3% in the benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin group (n = 26) and 19.3% in the vehicle group (n = 26; P = 0.0056). A significant (P = 0.0141) difference in favor of benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin was evident by the third week of treatment. Severity scores for erythema, papules/pustules, and flushing/blushing decreased more with benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin than with vehicle. Overall rosacea severity, Physician Global Assessment, and Patient's Global Assessment at the end of treatment were all significantly improved with benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin compared with vehicle (P = 0.0101, 0.0026, and 0.0002, respectively). Application site reactions were reported in four patients (14.8%) in the benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin group. Conclusion A once-daily topical application of a combination of 5% benzoyl peroxide and 1% clindamycin is effective and well tolerated in patients with moderate to severe rosacea.
Avoidance of timeout from response-independent reinforcement

Responses on a lever by rats postponed scheduled timeouts, or periods during which the delivery of response-independent food was withheld. The effects of a number of experimental variables were examined and the conclusions drawn are that the functional relations describing free-operant avoidance of timeout from response-independent reinforcement are similar to those for avoidance of electric shock and that both phenomena are sensitive to the same parametric manipulations. Results suggest that high frequency of food delivery in timein maintains a higher rate of timeout avoidance than low frequency. The evidence argues against an interpretation in terms of adventitious food-reinforcement of the timeout avoidance response. Finally, the effects of scheduling timeouts independently of responding and of omitting timeouts confirm the view that timeouts can be aversive and may act as punishment for responding.
Longitudinal linkages among parent-child acculturation discrepancy, parenting, parent-child sense of alienation, and adolescent adjustment in Chinese immigrant families

Parent-child acculturation discrepancy is a risk factor in the development of children in immigrant families. Using a longitudinal sample of Chinese immigrant families, the authors of the current study examined how unsupportive parenting and parent-child sense of alienation sequentially mediate the relationship between parent-child acculturation discrepancy and child adjustment during early and middle adolescence. Acculturation discrepancy scores were created using multilevel modeling to take into account the interdependence among family members. Structural equation models showed that during early adolescence, parent-child American orientation discrepancy is related to parents' use of unsupportive parenting practices; parents' use of unsupportive parenting is related to increased sense of alienation between parents and children, which in turn is related to more depressive symptoms and lower academic performance in Chinese American adolescents. These patterns of negative adjustment established in early adolescence persist into middle adolescence. This mediating effect is more apparent among father-adolescent dyads than among mother-adolescent dyads. In contrast, parent-child Chinese orientation discrepancy does not demonstrate a significant direct or indirect effect on adolescent adjustment, either concurrently or longitudinally. The current findings suggest that during early adolescence, children are more susceptible to the negative effects of parent-child acculturation discrepancy; they also underscore the importance of fathering in Chinese immigrant families.
Discontinuing anticoagulation following successful atrial fibrillation ablation in patients with prior strokes

Purpose This study was conducted to examine the outcomes in patients with prior stroke/transient ischemic attack (CVA/TIA) after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and the feasibility of discontinuing oral anticoagulation (OAC).
Consistency and confidence: A dual metric for verifying 3D object detections in multiple LiDAR scans

We introduce a dual, physically meaningful metric for verifying whether a 3D model occupies a hypothesized location in LiDAR scans of a real world scene. We propose two complementary measures: consistency and confidence. The consistency measure uses a free space model along each scanner ray to determine whether the observations are consistent with the hypothesized model location. The confidence measure collects information from the model vertices to determine how much of the model was visible. The metrics do not require training data and are more easily interpretable to a user than typical registration objective function values. We demonstrate the behavior of the dual measures in both synthetic and real world examples.
Soil organic matter as a nanoporous sorbent of organic pollutants

Abstract The organic matter fraction of soils is the principal sorbent of sparingly soluble organic compounds and thus plays a fundamental role in the transport, reactivity and bioavailability of organic pollutants in the soil column. The prevailing physical concept of SOM is that of a flexible polymer phase which acts as a dissolution medium for hydrophobic molecules expelled from the polar aqueous environment. This article summarizes recent research concluding that SOM also has an internal nanopore structure that provides specific sorption sites for organic compounds, regardless of their polarity. Thus, a new concept of SOM as a dual-mode (dissolution–hole-filling) sorbent has emerged. The nanoporous structure of SOM is revealed by carbon dioxide adsorption at 273 K. The nanoporosity determined by the Dubinin–Radushkevich transform of the CO2 isotherm correlates with the degree of non-linearity in single-solute organic isotherms and the magnitude of the competitive effect in organic bisolute systems. Evidence links sorption in the hole-filling domain with slow desorption rates, a principal cause of reduced bioavailability of contaminants and a major factor limiting the remediation of contaminated sites.
Review of the genus Fontidessus Miller & Spangler, 2008 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Hydroporinae, Bidessini) with description of four new species

The genus Fontidessus Miller & Spangler, 2008 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae: Bidessini) is reviewed. The genus now includes seven species with three previously described, and four new species described here: F. microphthalmus Miller & Montano, sp. n.; F. bettae Miller & Montano, sp. n.; F. christineae Miller & Montano, sp. n., and F. aquarupe Miller & Montano, sp. n. Each species is diagnosed and described, including the previously known species, based on new specimens and new information. Habitus, male genitalia and other diagnostic features are illustrated for each species. A key to the seven species is provided. Fontidessus species are unique to hygropetric habitats in the Guiana Shield craton of northern South American.
STRUCTURAL DIFFERENTIATION OF STACKED AND UNSTACKED CHLOROPLAST MEMBRANES: Freeze-Etch Electron Microscopy of Wild-Type and Mutant Strains of Chlamydomonas

Wild-type chloroplast membranes from Chlamydomonas reinhardi exhibit four faces in freeze-etchreplicas: the complementary Bs and Cs faces are found where the membranes are stacked together; the complementary Bu and Cu faces are found in unstacked membranes. The Bs face carries a dense population of regularly spaced particles containing the large, 160 ± 10 A particles that appear to be unique to chloroplast membranes. Under certain growth conditions, membrane stacking does not occur in the ac-5 strain. When isolated, these membranes remain unstacked, exhibit only Bu and Cu faces, and retain the ability to carry out normal photosynthesis. Membrane stacking is also absent in the ac-31 strain, and, when isolated in a low-salt medium, these membranes remain unstacked and exhibit only Bu and Cu faces. When isolated in a high-salt medium, however, they stack normally, and Bs and Cs faces are produced by this in vitro stacking process. We conclude that certain particle distributions in the chloroplast membrane are created as a consequence of the stacking process, and that the ability of membranes to stack can be modified both by gene mutation and by the ionic environment in which the membranes are found.
Giant Axon of Myxicola: Some Membrane Properties as Observed under Voltage Clamp

A new space-voltage clamped giant ( 500 to 900 microns ) axon preparation is described (Myxicola infundibulum). Normal value for resting and action potentials are 71 and 89 millivolts, respectively. This preparation under voltage clamp exhibits relations between current and voltage like those described for the squid axon. The early inward current component is reduced in a solution with low sodium concentration. This preparation, then, acts in all its essential features like the squid giant axon. Myxicola, however, can be made available the year around and should prove to be an extremely useful preparation for the study of excitable membranes.
Heat Transfer and Thermal Stress in a Lithium-Ion Battery

This paper presents a finite element based multi-scale model for a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cell. The model considers multi-physics including battery kinetics, diffusion, thermal and stress analysis. In battery thermal analysis, the heat source is critical. In this model, both resistive and entropic heating were considered. Simulations were carried out for a LiC6 /LiPF6 /Liy Mn2 O4 cell under a discharge-charge cycle. The heat generations due to these two heat sources were compared. The thermal stress was computed and compared with the intercalation stress for individual battery components. Within the electrode particles, the thermal induced stress was negligible. In the separator, however, the thermal induced stress was comparable or even higher than the stress caused by intercalation deformation of the electrode particles.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Spatial Decomposition of Climate Feedbacks in the Community Earth System Model

AbstractAn ensemble of simulations from different versions of the Community Atmosphere Model in the Community Earth System Model (CESM) is used to investigate the processes responsible for the intermodel spread in climate sensitivity. In the CESM simulations, the climate sensitivity spread is primarily explained by shortwave cloud feedbacks on the equatorward flank of the midlatitude storm tracks. Shortwave cloud feedbacks have been found to explain climate sensitivity spread in previous studies, but the location of feedback differences was in the subtropics rather than in the storm tracks as identified in CESM. The cloud-feedback relationships are slightly stronger in the winter hemisphere. The spread in climate sensitivity in this study is related both to the cloud-base state and to the cloud feedbacks. Simulated climate sensitivity is correlated with cloud-fraction changes on the equatorward side of the storm tracks, cloud condensate in the storm tracks, and cloud microphysical state on the poleward si...
Thermal stabilities of membrane-bound, solubilized, and artificially immobilized hydrogenase from Chromatium vinosum.

Abstract Thermal inactivation (at 65 °C) of both membrane-bound and solubilized hydrogenase from Chromatium vinosum has been studied. Membrane binding greatly increases thermostability relative to the solubilized enzyme. Covalent attachment (but not simple adsorption) of the solubilized enzyme to ω-NH 2 -alkyl-agaroses sharply increases thermal stability, which almost attains that of membrane-bound hydrogenase. It appears that there are at least two requirements for such stabilization—the enzyme should be in a hydrophobic medium and should be firmly bound to a hydrophobic support.
Issues in the genetics of social behavior: revisited.

Though social behavior has not been overlooked by behavior geneticists, the number of studies is small when compared to those on individual traits. One reason for the neglect may be the difficulty of making connections between genes and social behaviors, which by definition involve the interaction of two or more organisms. Fuller and Hahn (1976) addressed this issue and described three means of establishing social groups that would facilitate genetic analysis. We survey the literature on agonistic behavior in mice from 1976 through 1994 and describe interesting uses of those three methods. One of those methods (the standard tester design) often employs a “noninteractive” social partner. We present data showing that the standard tester design may be more valuable when using an evocative and interactive standard tester.
Management of pain in addicted/illicit and legal substance abusing patients.

: Approximately one-third of the American population experiences chronic pain. This varies in origin and severity. It also has been documented that billions of dollars are lost yearly because of health care expenses and missed workdays for chronic pain. Addiction is a primary, chronic, neurobiological disease with genetic, psychological and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. Addictive disorders occur in 3% to 26% of the general population, 19% to 255 of hospitalized patients and 40% to 60% in patients who sustained major trauma. More specifically 13.9 million of people living in USA over the age of 12 years are currently using illicit drugs. Although patients with chronic pain may be at an increased risk for addiction, the general population has demonstrated similar addiction rates. Unfortunately, patients who have chronic pain and addition will only have one of these aspects addressed. The purpose of this article is to clarify specific definition of substance use, abuse and addiction. As well as examining the role of pain physicians in evaluating and treating the chronic pain patients who have a history of substance abuse, and lastly outline strategy for assessing patients at risks and evaluating the most practical way of dealing with their chronic pain issues.
Effects of Victim's and Defendant's Physical Attractiveness on the Perception of Responsibility in an Ambiguous Domestic Violence Case

A 2 × 4 × 4 factorial design was used to assess the effects of physical attractiveness in a domestic violence case. The attractiveness of both the defendant and victim were varied along four levels. Subjects were asked to read a domestic violence scenario where pictures of the defendant and victim were varied according their physical attractiveness. Results showed no significant effect of physical attractiveness in a juridic decision-making process in domestic violence. However, there were significant differences between male and female subjects in the sentencing of the defendant. This difference did not hold true for finding the defendant guilty or not guilty.
The thermal expansion of particles and their secular orbital evolution as they circle a planet

Abstract The thermal expansion and contraction of particles orbiting a planet can cause secular orbit evolution. This effect, called here the thermal expansion effect, depends on particles entering and exiting the shadow of the body they orbit. A particle cools off in the shadow and heats up again in the sunshine, suffering thermal contraction and expansion. The changing cross-section that the particle presents to solar radiation pressure, plus a time lag due to thermal inertia, lead to a net along-track force. The effect causes outward drift for rocky particles in circular orbits. For particles in the size range ∼0.002–0.02 m orbiting the inner planets, particle orbits can outwardly evolve at the rate of ∼0.1 R Plan per million years for Mars to ∼1 R Plan per million years for Mercury for distances ∼2 R Plan from the body, where R Plan is the planet’s radius. Poynting–Robertson dominates thermal expansion beyond a few R Plan for the inner planets. Hence there are distances from a planet where the effects balance, depending on particle size. Orbits evolving outward from the thermal expansion effect would stop there, as well as those inwardly evolving from Poynting–Robertson. Thus particles would accumulate in these places, assuming the absence of other forces. Mars appears to be the best candidate for the operation of the thermal expansion effect. Particles in the size range considered here and orbiting in the Phobos–Deimos region would tend to be collected by the moons, sweeping the particles up and perhaps helping keep the region free of dust. The thermal expansion effect is overwhelmed by Poynting–Robertson for rocky particles orbiting Jupiter and Saturn and thus is unimportant; these planets are not considered here. For particles orbiting small asteroids, the thermal expansion effect is much larger than the Poynting–Robertson effect, but both are overwhelmed by ordinary solar radiation pressure, which increases orbital eccentricities rapidly. Meteoroids in eccentric orbits about the Sun also suffer the thermal expansion effect, but with only ∼0.0003 e 2 AU change in semimajor axis over a million years for a 2 m meteoroid orbiting between Mercury and Earth.
Variance of focal-plane centroids

The variance of the unbiased focal-plane estimates of image centroids from a point source is derived for arbitrary strength of scattering by using path-integral methods. The Markov approximation and narrow angular scattering are assumed. Results are presented for an ideal focusing telescope with an aperture transmission that produces no phase errors. Calculations of the leading term are performed for a circular telescope aperture and the case of homogeneous atmospheric turbulence described by the Hill spectrum [ J. Fluid Mech.88, 541– 562 ( 1978)]. When there are irradiance fluctuations, the variance of the unbiased estimate of image centroids depends on the choice of the origin of the weighting vector. The variance of the centroid of a single image depends on three physical parameters related to the Fresnel scale, the inner scale, and the strength of scattering. The variance of the separation between two images from two separated telescope apertures depends on the same parameters in addition to the normalized separation of the apertures. The important contributions from propagation distance and spectral wave number are identified for the different parameter regimes. The magnitude of centroid motion compared to the average image size is also discussed.
Summary Of The DARPA Image Understanding Research Program

The DARPA Image Understanding Program provides support for a variety of fundamental research efforts aimed,at the derivation of information from images. This paper highlights the research and describes the approach used to develop synergism between researchers engaged in complementary sciences contributing to computer vision. Possible applications of Image Understanding to the Department of Defense are discussed.
What is Our Development Progress for the Treatment Outcome of Newborn with Intestinal Atresia and Stenosis in a Period of 28 Years

Intestinal atresia is a well-recognized cause of bowel obstruction in the newborn. The aim of this study was to examine the serial regarding the intestinal atresia and stenosis patients in a period of 28 years in a developing country and to display our progress in treatment and survival rates today. In this study, a total of 141 intestinal atresia and stenosis cases were retrospectively evaluated. The cases were categorized in two groups as 45 cases before the 1990 (group 1) when it was impossible for total parenteral nutrition (TPN) solutions to be used regularly, without complication and for a long time and 96 cases after 1990 (group 2) when this was possible. While the survival rate before 1990 was 55%, after 1990 it was 94%. As a result, long-term regular TPN usage significantly improved survival in newborns with intestinal atresia and stenosis in a developing country.
Review and status of sonic boom penetration into the ocean

Since the 1970 Sonic Boom Symposium, held at the ASA’s 80th meeting in Houston, TX, substantial progress has been made in understanding the penetration of sonic boom noise into the ocean. The state of the art at that time was documented by J. C. Cook, T. Goforth, and R. K. Cook [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 51, 729–741 (1972)]. Since then, additional experiments have been performed which corroborate R. K. Cook’s and K. Sawyers’ theory for sonic boom penetration into a flat ocean surface. In addition, computational simulations have validated that theory and extended the work to include arbitrarily shaped waveforms penetrating flat ocean surfaces. Further numerical studies have investigated realistic ocean surfaces including both large‐scale ocean swell and small‐scale surface roughness. Research has also been performed on the effects of ocean inhomogeneities due to bubble plumes. This paper will provide a brief overview of these developments.
Inhibitory effect of curcumin on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced increase in ornithine decarboxylase mRNA in mouse epidermis

Application of 5 nmol 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to the skin of female CD-1 mice led to a rapid increase in the concentration of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) mRNA from an undetectable level in control mice to a high maximum level at 4-5 h after TPA administration. The concentration of epidermal ODC mRNA then decreased rapidly during the next 5 h. The time course for TPA-induced increases in epidermal ODC enzyme activity paralleled very closely the time course for TPA-induced increases in ODC mRNA. Topical administration of 1, 3 or 10 mumol curcumin together with 5 nmol TPA inhibited by 66, 81 and 91% respectively TPA-induced increases in epidermal ODC enzyme activity measured 5 h later. In a parallel study, TPA-induced increases in the concentration of epidermal ODC mRNA was inhibited by 54, 85 and 82% respectively. Intraperitoneal injection of 10 or 30 mumol curcumin 1h before topical application of 5 nmol TPA inhibited TPA-induced increases in epidermal ODC enzyme activity by 75 or 89% respectively. In a parallel study, the induction of epidermal ODC mRNA was inhibited by 53 and 65% respectively. The results indicate that curcumin inhibits TPA-induced increases in epidermal ODC enzyme activity by inhibiting the synthesis and/or enhancing the breakdown of ODC mRNA.
Constituents' Evaluations of U.S. House Members

Legislative representation entails a degree of bonding between representatives and represented, demonstrated when constituents evaluate the performance of their representative favorably. Why are some constituents more favorable toward their representative than others? This analysis draws on previous research to construct and test a model of constituent evaluation. The data come from interviews conducted in 1988 with 1,013 Ohioans, who were asked to evaluate their member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The analysis relies on ordinary least squares regression. The results underscore the powerful role of partisanship in the nexus of constituents and their representatives.
Chemosensory transduction in eukaryotic microorganisms: trends for neuroscience?

Abstract It might appear curious to read about yeast, slime molds and protozoa in a journal dedicated to neuroscience. However, despite their distinct lack of synapses, eukaryotic microorganisms hold a wealth of information relevant to the signal-transduction pathways that underly activity in neuronal receptor cells, particularly those subserving the chemical senses. Microorganisms are sensitive to chemical stimuli from their environment and thus have similarities to receptor neurons of the olfactory system and the taste bud. Here, we introduce receptors, second messengers and effectors responsible for chemosensory signal transduction in yeast mating, sea-urchin spermatozoan chemolaxis, slime-mold aggregation and development, and ciliate chemoresponses.
Hybrid selection with cDNA-silica.

Abstract A partial length ovalbumin cDNA-silica was produced using primer extension of (dT)18-silica with annealed partial ovalbumin RNA and reverse transcriptase. This cDNA-silica was used to test whether full-length ovalbumin RNA could be selectively purified in the presence of a large excess of other (mouse muscle) RNA. The cDNA-silica synthesized had minimally 60 pmol cDNA per gram silica and had a capacity for full-length ovalbumin RNA of minimally 38 μg/g. Even when other RNA was present in greater than 1000-fold excess, ovalbumin RNA was selectively retained by the cDNA-silica and was eluted in yields of 43% with an enrichment which varied over the range of 29–162-fold in various experiments. These results show that even rare RNAs can be selectively purified in high yield using cDNA-silica. The importance of these results to hybrid selection and subtractive library preparation is discussed.
Reinventing the railroad suburb: community conflict in the new suburbia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which suburban governments contend with market and citizen pressures to influence land use policy.Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes a comparative case study approach by analyzing primary documents and conducting open‐ended interviews.Findings – It can be argued that the historical context of suburban development, the cultural conceptions of suburbia, and the extent of civil society's participation in decision making are important factors in understanding how suburbs are dealing with growth challenges.Practical implications – The cases studied here likely have attributes that are typical of other suburbs in North America.Originality/value – The paper emphasizes the importance of cultural conceptions of the landscape in influencing stakeholder attitudes – an element often neglected in public policy analysis.
Potassium inhibition of DMH-induced small intestinal tumors in rats.

Abstract This is a preliminary report that shows that supplemental potassium partially prevents 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induction of tumors of the small intestine in Sprague‐Dawley rats. Male rats were injected weekly with 20 mg DMH/kg body wt for 20 weeks. Potassium chloride was provided in the drinking water one week before the first DMH treatment and was continued until sacrifice 14 weeks after the last DMH treatment. There were four groups of rats and they were identified as follows: DMH, DMH + K, K, and untreated control. Based on 24‐hour food and water consumption data and food and water compositions, rats provided 0.5% potassium (from KCl in the drinking water) were ingesting 287.5 ± 9.2 mg potassium per 24 hours (K/Na = 4.18) and the unsupplemented groups were ingesting 180.3 ± 18.4 mg potassium per 24 hours (K/Na = 2.62). At sacrifice, the incidence of DMH‐induced small intestinal tumors was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced from 46% (6/13) in the DMH group to 6% (1/17) in the DMH + K group (p...
An evaluation of precision shaft angle encoders

Shaft misalignment effect on accuracy of precision digital shaft angle encoders, using test fixture and optical methods