cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Racializing the commonplace landscape: an archaeology of urban renewal along the color line

In the 1960s Indianapolis, Indiana's near-Westside, was transformed by urban renewal projects that carved space for the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus out of a predominantly African-American neighborhood. Within two decades that longstanding community was totally displaced, and today the former neighborhood covering 300 acres is completely effaced and the community is largely forgotten. This paper examines how archaeology on the university campus provides a mechanism to illuminate the processes that remade the near-Westside. Archaeological research conducted along with the displaced community and its descendants provides a powerful tool to rethink the otherwise prosaic campus landscape as a space shaped by racial and class privilege.
Integration of structural health monitoring in life-cycle performance assessment of ship structures under uncertainty

In this paper, an approach for integrating the data obtained from structural health monitoring (SHM) in the life-cycle performance assessment of ship structures under uncertainty is presented. Life-cycle performance of the ship structure is quantified in terms of the reliability with respect to first and ultimate failures and the system redundancy. The performance assessment of the structure is enhanced by incorporating prior design code-based knowledge and information obtained by SHM using Bayesian updating concepts. Advanced modeling techniques are used for the hull strength computations needed for the life-cycle performance analysis. SHM data obtained by testing a scaled model of a Joint High-speed Sealift Ship is used to update its life-cycle performance.
US urban teachers’ perspectives of culturally competent professional development

Health disparities related to food choices, nutrition behaviours and smoking habits in urban communities in the United States signal the importance of health education (HE) in schools, yet educators in urban communities face unique cultural challenges often unaddressed in professional development (PD). The purpose of this study was to use a cultural competence framework to examine urban HE teachers’ perspectives of culturally competent PD. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted at PD planning and training sessions, and 23 HE teachers were observed teaching and interviewed over two school years as they experienced PD and implemented revised curriculum with their middle-school students. Four themes regarding issues of cultural competence in PD interventions emerged during the study. These included: the need for diverse and credible PD staff; culturally competent curricula; flexible implementation expectations; and follow-up support beyond PD workshops. The findings of this study highlight the teachers’ percep...
Military Expenditures Worldwide: Determinants and Trends, 1972–1988

This paper examines trends in world military expenditures and offers an econometric examination of their determinants in 125 countries from 1972 to 1988. A simultaneous equation framework based on a public choice model shows military expenditures as a ratio of GDP to be influenced by the level of GDP, central government expenditures, other financial indicators, the form of government, and geographical characteristics of countries. The study also examines the opportunity cost of military expenditures and analyzes the budgetary trade-off between military, social, and development expenditures. Although military expenditures may benefit a given country, they may also have a negative impact on the welfare of rival nations. Hence a coordinated reduction in military expenditures that does not alter the strategic balance will increase economic wellbeing in the world.
Heat and mass transfer in non-newtonian fluid flow with power function velocity profiles

Heat and mass transfer in laminar and turbulent non-Newtonian fluids is investigated in this work using the power function velocity profiles. Analytical solutions are presented for cases of mass transfer in laminar non-Newtonian fluid flows, namely for a flat velocity profile (plug flow), for the case of a constant velocity gradient at the solid boundary (Couette flow), and for the velocity distribution within a laminar boundary layer on a flat plate, and these are illustrated by rotating disks and cylinders in laminar Ostwald-de Waele fluids. Further, turbulent mass transfer processes (tubular flow, rotating disk, and rotating cylinder) in non-Newtonian fluids (Ostwald-de Waele fluid and drag-reducing fluid) at low and large Schmidt numbers are also discussed using the solutions of mass transfer in flows with power function velocity profiles. Reasonable agreement is found between the predictions of this work and the available experimental data and correlations. On etudie, dans le present travail, le transfert de chaleur et de matiere dans des ecoulements laminaires et turbulents de fluides non-newtoniens; on utilise, a cette fin, des profils de vitesse en loi de puissance. On presente des solutions analytiques pour le transfert de matiere dans trois cas d'ecoulement laminaire de fluides non-newtoniens: (a) un profil de vitesse plat (ecoulement piston), (b) un gradient de vitesse constant a la paroi solide (ecoulement de Couette) et (c) une distribution de vitesse a l'interieur d'une couche limite laminaire sur une plaque plane; ces cas sont illustres au moyen de disques et cylindres en rotation dans des fluides d'Ostwald-de-Waele en regime laminaire. On discute en outre des processus de transfert de matiere en regime turbulent (ecoulements tubulaires, disque et cylindre en rotation) dans des fluides non-newtoniens (fluide d'Ostwald-de-Waele et fluide reducteur de traǐnee) a des nombres de Schmidt faibles et eleves; on a employe pour cela, les solutions de transfert de matiere dans des ecoulements a profils de vitesse en loi de puissance. On a constate qu'il y avait une concordance raisonnable entre les previsions du present travail et les donnees experimentales et les correlations disponibles.
In Vivo homeostatic proliferation of purified CD4+ T cells, but not purified CD8+ T cells, is decreased early after burn injury

Introduction: Homeostatic proliferation (HP) is increasingly recognized as essential for a prolonged, antigen-independent, adaptive immune response to insults such as injury or inflammation. While severe burn injury results in persistent and substantial immune dysfunction, the effect of burn injury on HP remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of burn injury on the in vivo homeostatic proliferation of purified CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets following irradiation and adoptive transfer. Methods: C57BL/6 female mice received 6 Gy (600 rads) of ionizing radiation and 48 hours later, either whole splenocytes (WS), or purified CD4+ T cells, or CD8+ T cells, all labeled with CFSE, were adoptively transferred via intraperitoneal injection. After an additional 48 hours, mice received a 20% contact burn or sham injury. An additional 72 hours later, (3 days post burn, 5 days post transfer, and 7 days post irradiation) mice were sacrificed and splenocyte proliferation was analyzed by flow cytometry. Proliferation was determined as percent CFSE+ cells having undergone at least one cell division and data were analyzed using Student’s t-test with significance defined as p < 0.05. Results: Purified CD4+ T cell HP (56.35%) was greater than whole spleen (WS) CD4+ T cell HP (38.34%) in sham mice. Burn injury however dramatically decreased purified CD4+ T cell HP (14.60%) compared to WS CD4+ T cell HP in burn (32.05%, p < 0.05), WS CD4+ T cell HP in sham (38.34%, p < 0.05), and purified CD4+ T cell HP in sham (56.35%, p < 0.05). This effect was not observed with purified CD8+ T cells, where purified CD8+ T cell HP (45.62%) in burn was not impaired compared to CD8+ T cell HP in sham (38.55%). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that burn selectively and dramatically impairs the homeostatic proliferation of adoptively transferred purified CD4+ T cells. This study emphasizes the differential effect of burn injury on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and suggests that a possible mechanism may be a specific, deleterious effect of burn injury on CD4+ T cells and/or a unique beneficial effect of CD8+ T cells or other cells on HP after burn injury.
Disruption of telomerase trafficking by TCAB1 mutation causes dyskeratosis congenita

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a genetic disorder of defective tissue maintenance and cancer predisposition caused by short telomeres and impaired stem cell function. Telomerase mutations are thought to precipitate DC by reducing either the catalytic activity or the overall levels of the telomerase complex. However, the underlying genetic mutations and the mechanisms of telomere shortening remain unknown for as many as 50% of DC patients, who lack mutations in genes controlling telomere homeostasis. Here, we show that disruption of telomerase trafficking accounts for unknown cases of DC. We identify DC patients with missense mutations in TCAB1, a telomerase holoenzyme protein that facilitates trafficking of telomerase to Cajal bodies. Compound heterozygous mutations in TCAB1 disrupt telomerase localization to Cajal bodies, resulting in misdirection of telomerase RNA to nucleoli, which prevents telomerase from elongating telomeres. Our findings establish telomerase mislocalization as a novel cause of DC, and suggest that telomerase trafficking defects may contribute more broadly to the pathogenesis of telomere-related disease.
Epidermal α6β4 integrin stimulates the influx of immunosuppressive cells during skin tumor promotion

Abstract Background Induction of α6β4 integrin in the differentiated epidermal cell layers in skin is a hallmark of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) pathogenesis and stimulates chemically induced SCC formation in Invα6β4 transgenic mice, which exhibit persistent expression of α6β4 in the suprabasal epidermal layers. However, the molecular basis for the support of SCC development by suprabasal α6β4 is not fully understood. Objective We examined the relevance for suprabasal α6β4 expression in the epidermis for the recruitment of immunosuppressive leukocytes during the early stages of tumor promotion. Methods In this study, we made use of the Invα6β4 transgenic mouse model, which exhibits expression of α6β4 integrin in the suprabasal layers of the epidermis driven by the involucrin promoter. First, we examined protein lysates from Invα6β4 transgenic skin using a pro-inflammatory cytokine array panel. Next, we immunofluorescence labeling of murine skin sections was employed to immunophenotype tumor promoter-treated Invα6β4 transgenic skin. Finally, a macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) neutralizing antibody strategy was administered to resolve Invα6β4 transgenic skin inflammation. Results Employing the Invα6β4 transgenic mouse model, we show that suprabasal α6β4 integrin expression selectively alters the profile of secreted pro-inflammatory molecules by epidermal cells, in particular CXCL5 and M-CSF, in response to acute tumor promoter treatment. The induction of CXCL5 and M-CSF in Invα6β4 transgenic epidermis was shortly followed by an exacerbated influx of CD200R + myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which co-expressed the M-CSF receptor, and FoxP3 + Treg cells compared to wild-type mice. As a result, the levels of activated CD4 + T lymphocytes were dramatically diminished in Invα6β4 transgenic compared to wild-type skin, whereas similar levels of lymphocyte activation were observed in the peripheral blood. Finally, 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced CD200R + infiltrative cells and epidermal proliferation were suppressed in Invα6β4 mice treated with M-CSF neutralizing antibodies. Conclusions We conclude that aberrant expression of α6β4 integrin in post-mitotic epidermal keratinocytes stimulates a pro-tumorigenic skin microenvironment by augmenting the influx of immunosuppressive granular cells during tumor promotion.
Review of cleveland clinic experience with penile fracture

Abstract Objectives. Fracture of the penis is an uncommon injury that results from trauma to the erect penis, usually during sexual intercourse. In some cases, the urethra is injured as well. To determine the outcome of immediate surgical management, we reviewed the cases of 8 patients with fracture of the penis who presented to the Cleveland Clinic from 1992 to 1998. Methods. Trauma was encountered during intercourse in all our patients. A concomitant urethral injury was found in 3 cases (38%); 1 was a complete disruption, and the other 2 were partial injuries. Patients were treated with immediate surgical exploration and repair, with preoperative urethrography in patients suspected of having a urethral injury. Results. All patients had a successful outcome, with preservation of sexual function and without significant penile curvature. Patients with urethral injuries reported normal voiding without the need for additional procedures. Conclusions. Immediate surgical repair offers complete recovery for patients with penile fracture in most cases, even in the presence of urethral injury. We present our recommendations for treatment of this condition.
Epidemiology of the Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome

The prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies in normals and SLE patients is reviewed. The frequency of complications of antiphospholipid antibodies (thrombosis, pregnancy morbidity) in the literature and in the Hopkins Lupus Cohort is summarized.
Ethical Issues in Dialysis Alan Spital, Series Editor: The Ethics of Organ Transplantation for Prisoners

Organ transplantation for prisoners raises numerous ethical issues. Questions immediately emerge about how to justify the use of scarce organs for prisoners when law-abiding citizens are waiting. The answer to whether and why we ought to perform organ transplants for prisoners lies in how we understand society's commitments to prisoners' health and health care, and whether being incarcerated changes the priority of a patient waiting for a transplant. While prisoners forfeit many freedoms, access to and the provision of adequate health care are guaranteed to them, and ought to include access to organ transplants.
Modeled evidence of force reduction at the extensor carpi radialis brevis origin with the forearm support band

Abstract Purpose: Although the forearm support band has been hypothesized to reduce force and thus inflammation and degeneration at the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) origin, little evidence exists to support an actual effect. We present both a cadaveric and clinical model that show the effect and principles of the forearm support band. Method: The cadaver model measured forces at the ECRB origin as various pressures were applied to the forearm support band and while the ECRB tendon was loaded distally. For clinical correlation support band pressure during rest and activity was measured in healthy individuals. Results: Our results revealed an increased forearm support band effect with increased band pressure and a decreased relative effect with increased force applied distally. For clinical correlation the support band pressure during activity was measured in 21 healthy volunteers while controlling for the application pressure in 2 common support band designs. This resulted in activity pressures ranging from 43 to 192 mm Hg dependent on the starting pressure of application. Conclusions: Although further clinical evaluation is necessary to determine the most appropriate clinical indications and application pressures for the forearm support band these combined results suggest that the forearm support band may be most effective when applied to 30 to 50 mm Hg at rest, resulting in up to 120 mm Hg pressure during activity. According to our model this would result in a force reduction at the ECRB origin of approximately 13% to 15% throughout a range of activity levels. (J Hand Surg 2003;28A:279-287. Copyright © 2003 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.)
A penalty method for numerically handling dispersive equations with incompatible initial and boundary data

This article is the numerical counterpart of a theoretical work in progress Qin and Teman, Applicable Anal (2011), 1–19, related to the approximation of evolution hyperbolic equations with incompatible data. The Korteweg-de Vries and Schrodinger equations with incompatible initial and boundary data are considered here. For hyperbolic equations, the lack of regularity (compatibility) is known to produce large numerical errors which propagate throughout the spatial domain, destroying convergence. In this article, we numerically test the effectiveness of the penalty-based method proposed in Qin and Teman, Applicable Anal (2011), 1–19, which replaces the hyperbolic equations with incompatible data by a system with compatible data. We observe that convergence is increased. As explained in the text, in the case of the Schrodinger equation, the impact of incompatible (nonregular) data is most severe, and the authors are not aware of any other method that can handle such severe incompatible data. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2011
Quantitation of scleral tobramycin levels.

ABSTRACT We have devised a new method to solubilize sciera in order to permit quantitative determination of tobramycin by commercially available and widely utilized means. The sciera, containing tobramycin, was digested with Alcalase (Subtilisn A, NOVO Enzymes) and the tobramycin level was guantitated by TDX autoflourophotometry. This technique is accurate and sensitive. The tissue digestion and antibiotic assay are relatively simple to perform and should be applicable to a variety of antibiotics and possibly other therapeutic agents.
Calcium-induced associations of the caseins: A thermodynamic linkage approach to precipitation and resolubilization

Calcium-induced changes in protein solubility play a role in a variety of important biological processes including the deposition of bone and dentin and the secretion of milk. The phenomena of salt-induced (calcium) precipitation of proteins (salting-out), and the resolubilization of these proteins at higher salt concentrations (salting-in) have been studied and quantitated using an approach based on the concepts of Wyman's thermodynamic linkage. Salting-out has been described by a salt-binding constant, k1, the number of moles of salt bound per mole of protein, n, and S1, the fraction soluble at saturation of n; salting-in has been described by corresponding constants k2, m, and S2. Analysis of salt-induced solubility profiles was performed using nonlinear regression analysis. Results of calcium-induced solubility profiles of two genetic variants of alpha s1-casein (alpha s1-A), (alpha s1-B), and beta-casein C (beta-C) at 37 degrees C, where hydrophobic interactions are maximized, showed no salting-in behavior and for salting-out, yielded k1 values of 157, 186, and 156 liters.mol-1 and n values of 8, 8, and 4, respectively. The values of k1 can be correlated with the apparent association constant for calcium binding to casein, while the values of n can be correlated with the number of calcium binding sites of the respective caseins. At 1 degree C, where hydrophobic interactions are minimized, nominally only hydrophilic and electrostatic interactions can be linked to the salt-induced solubility profiles; here beta-C is totally soluble at all calcium concentrations and alpha s1-B and alpha s1-A were now found to have salting-in parameters, k2 and m, of 2.5 liters.mol-1 and 4, and 11 liters.mol-1 and 8, respectively. alpha s1-A is more readily salted-in and studies on the variation of S1 with added KCl for this protein at 1 degree C indicated that salting-in is also mainly electrostatic in nature and may result from competition between K+ and Ca2+ for binding sites rather than from solute-solvent interactions as previously proposed. Comparison of k1 and k2 values between the two genetic variants, coupled with the known sequence differences (the A variant is a linear deletion of 13 amino acids) suggest the existence of a hydrophobically stabilized ion pair in alpha s1-B which is deleted in alpha s1-A; it is speculated that such bonds may play a role in other calcium-induced changes in protein solubility.
Epigenetics, Evolution, Endocrine Disruption, Health, and Disease

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the environment have been linked to human health and disease. This is particularly evident in compounds that mimic the effects of estrogens. Exposure to EDCs early in life can increase risk levels of compromised physical and mental health. Epigenetic mechanisms have been implicated in this process. Transgenerational consequences of EDC exposure is also discussed in both a proximate (mechanism) and ultimate (evolution) context as well as recent work suggesting how such transmission might become incorporated into the genome and subject to selection. We suggest a perspective for exploring and ultimately coming to understand diseases that may have environmental or endocrine origins.
Run-control and service element code simulation for the S/390 microprocessor

In recent years the importance of time to market for new computer systems has grown. Very little time can be spent in hardware bring-up and the system integration phase when new hardware and new code (several megabytes) come together for the first time on the test floor. This paper describes some of the measures that were taken to achieve this goal on the S/390® Parallel Enterprise Server Generation 4.
Online-SVR for short-term traffic flow prediction under typical and atypical traffic conditions

Most literature on short-term traffic flow forecasting focused mainly on normal, or non-incident, conditions and, hence, limited their applicability when traffic flow forecasting is most needed, i.e., incident and atypical conditions. Accurate prediction of short-term traffic flow under atypical conditions, such as vehicular crashes, inclement weather, work zone, and holidays, is crucial to effective and proactive traffic management systems in the context of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and, more specifically, dynamic traffic assignment (DTA). To this end, this paper presents an application of a supervised statistical learning technique called Online Support Vector machine for Regression, or OL-SVR, for the prediction of short-term freeway traffic flow under both typical and atypical conditions. The OL-SVR model is compared with three well-known prediction models including Gaussian maximum likelihood (GML), Holt exponential smoothing, and artificial neural net models. The resultant performance comparisons suggest that GML, which relies heavily on the recurring characteristics of day-to-day traffic, performs slightly better than other models under typical traffic conditions, as demonstrated by previous studies. Yet OL-SVR is the best performer under non-recurring atypical traffic conditions. It appears that for deployed ITS systems that gear toward timely response to real-world atypical and incident situations, OL-SVR may be a better tool than GML.
Arsenic transfer and biotransformation in a fully characterized freshwater food web

Abstract X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) was combined with ICP-MS to understand arsenic transfer and transformation within the freshwater Montezuma Well (central Arizona, USA) food web. Montezuma Well water contains 110 μg L −1 arsenic (100% H 3 AsO 4 ), which was shown previously to originate from ore deposits approximately 30 km to the west, and transported underground to enter Montezuma Well through vents in the bottom of this collapsed travertine spring. The Montezuma Well food web contains three trophic levels with only five organisms in the top two levels, making it possible to account for the arsenic in >90% of the biomass of the food web. Arsenic diminution generally occurs between trophic levels, with 702 mg kg −1 As in the primary producers, 3.4 mg kg −1 As in the second trophic level, and −1 As for the top-tier of the littoral zone food web. A notable exception to the biodiminution trend is the very high total arsenic content (2810 mg kg −1 ) of Motobdella montezuma , an endemic leech and top predator. The biotransformed (sulfur-coordinated) arsenic in M. montezuma appears to be present almost entirely on the surface of the organism, possibly suggesting a detoxification mechanism. XANES sample spectra were fit by a linear combination of model arsenic compound spectra and indicated that arsenic enters the food web from the Well water entirely as inorganic As(V) and is transformed within the food web into more reduced and organic arsenic species, including sulfur-coordinated and methylated compounds.
A ‘fertilization membrane’ in the ascidianHerdmania momus and its relation to self- and cross-fertilization

Im Ei der AscidieHerdmania momus hebt sich nach der Besamung die Befruchtungsmembran von der ausseren Haut ab. Die Korrelationen, die bestehen zwischen Membranabhebung und Befruchtung, sowie ihrem Unterbleiben und der Sterilitat, stutzen wiederum die Chorionblocktheorie der Autosterilitat.
Tax-Aware Equity Manager Allocation: A Practitioner's Perspective

This article is based on the view that tax-efficiency requires a broader and different focus when compared to typical tax-oblivious practices. Starting with the premise that tax-aware equity manager allocation is the next logical step “after tax-efficient asset allocation” in the consultative process to enhance wealth, the author looks into a variety of manners in which a domestic equity market can be segmented. His first conclusion is that the traditional segmentation offering as many as nine sub-groups based on size and style is too complex and tax-inefficient. Investigating different alternatives, he concludes that an “optimal” tax-aware equity allocation model should be based on a “core/satellite” or “hub-and-spoke” approach, in order to employ managers in a manner to potentially achieve optimal or superior after-tax returns.
Catalase and estradiol inhibit mitochondrial protein S-glutathionylation.

Regulation and downstream effects of mitochondrial protein S-glutathionylation in response to oxidative stress are poorly understood. The study aim was to determine whether anti-oxidants such as catalase and estradiol alter mitochondrial protein S-glutathionylation and in turn affect apoptosis following ultraviolet B (UV-B) light irradiation. HeLa cells were transduced with increasing amounts of adenovirus encoding catalase (Ad-Cat) and β-galactosidase (Ad-Lac Z) or pre-incubated with estradiol before induction of apoptosis by UV-B light exposure. Inhibition of mitochondrial protein S-glutathionylation was assessed using autoantibodies specific for the non-S-glutathionylated form of PDC-E2. The percentage of apoptotic cells following UV-B irradiation were not significantly different between mock cells (cells with no virus infection) and Ad-Cat and Ad-Lac Z infected cells at all viral doses (all p > 0.050). Autoantibody staining of non-S-glutathionylated PDC-E2 in apoptotic cells was three times greater in only Ad-Cat infected cells compared to only Ad-Lac Z infected cells (81.3 ± 16.7 vs 26 ± 7.2 %, respectively, p = 0.030). Similarly estradiol treatment (33 and 100 nM) also significantly increased PDC-E2 staining in apoptotic cells compared to non-treated cells (both p 0.100). The observed procaspase 12 cleavage following UV-B irradiation suggests that a mitochondrial-independent apoptotic pathway was activated. In conclusion, following an apoptotic stimulus, estradiol may inhibit mitochondrial protein S-glutathionylation without inhibiting apoptosis. This effect may play a role in ninefold greater prevalence of autoantibodies against PDC-E2 in women with primary biliary cirrhosis.
Induction of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in cultured cerebral endothelial cells by a product released by astrocytes

gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma GTP) is an enzyme found in cerebral capillary endothelial cells, the presumed site of the blood-brain barrier, but not in endothelial cells lining blood vessels in other parts of the body. Using a line of mouse cerebral microvessel endothelial cells (ME-ly cells) and a sensitive colorimetric assay to measure gamma GTP levels we demonstrated that primary cultures of mouse astrocytes and a line of rat C6 glioma cells released a soluble product(s) that induced the production of gamma GTP in cultured endothelial cells by 34% and 39%, respectively, over control levels. Cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells had no significant effect on gamma GTP levels in ME-ly cells, and the astrocyte product(s) had no effect on rabbit aortic endothelial cells. The induction of gamma GTP levels in ME-ly cells was apparent after one day of exposure to the astrocyte product(s) and increased in magnitude with increasing time of exposure of the ME-ly cells to the product(s). Removal of the product(s) from the ME-ly cells resulted in a return to control levels of gamma GTP in the ME-ly cells within 2 days. The presence of a protein synthesis inhibitor during incubation with the product(s) blocked the induction of gamma GTP in ME-ly cells, and treatment of the product(s) with 200 U/ml TPCK-trypsin destroyed its inductive properties.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Lineage versus environment in embryonic retina: a revisionist perspective

Abstract The idea that microenvironmental cues act alone late in development to determine a cell's phenotype has dominated recent discussion of retinal development, and has successfully displaced the notion of any role for cell lineage in the process of cell determination. We argue that there is, in fact, evidence favoring a degree of lineage restriction during the development of the vertebrate retina. We propose that environmental factors modulate a process of progressive lineage restriction. In this model, progenitor cells are viewed as having unequal potential, and their progeny are viewed as being committed to one of the major retinal cell classes before the stage at which they become postmitotic.
Polyethersulfone Membrane Filters for Sampling Soil Water from In Situ Soils and Intact Soil Columns for Phosphate Analysis

Abstract Porous plates or cups are commonly used to collect soil solution samples in field studies or from intact soil columns. Some commonly used materials for porous plates may adsorb soil solution constituents such as phosphorus (P). An alternative to using a porous plate is to use a membrane filter with a known pore size and bubble point. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of polyethersulfone membranes (pore size 0.45 µm and bubble point >200 kPa) to extract soil solution from in situ soils and intact soil columns for phosphate analysis. In situ soil solution samplers were constructed from modified reusable polysulfone membrane filter holders equipped with polyethersulfone membranes (47 mm diameter). A −10 kPa vacuum was maintained in the samplers, which enabled soil solution collection at soil water potentials of 0 to −4 kPa in loamy sand, 0 to −10 kPa in sandy loam, and 0 to −12 kPa in sandy clay loam soils. In a laboratory study, soil solution samplers continued to hold a vacuu...
Computational prediction of type III and IV secreted effectors in gram-negative bacteria.

ABSTRACT In this review, we provide an overview of the methods employed in four recent studies that described novel methods for computational prediction of secreted effectors from type III and IV secretion systems in Gram-negative bacteria. We present the results of these studies in terms of performance at accurately predicting secreted effectors and similarities found between secretion signals that may reflect biologically relevant features for recognition. We discuss the Web-based tools for secreted effector prediction described in these studies and announce the availability of our tool, the SIEVE server (http://www.sysbep.org/sieve). Finally, we assess the accuracies of the three type III effector prediction methods on a small set of proteins not known prior to the development of these tools that we recently discovered and validated using both experimental and computational approaches. Our comparison shows that all methods use similar approaches and, in general, arrive at similar conclusions. We discuss the possibility of an order-dependent motif in the secretion signal, which was a point of disagreement in the studies. Our results show that there may be classes of effectors in which the signal has a loosely defined motif and others in which secretion is dependent only on compositional biases. Computational prediction of secreted effectors from protein sequences represents an important step toward better understanding the interaction between pathogens and hosts.
A tangible interface for organizing information using a grid

The task of organizing information is typically performed either by physically manipulating note cards or sticky notes or by arranging icons on a computer with a graphical user interface. We present a new tangible interface platform for manipulating discrete pieces of abstract information, which attempts to combine the benefits of each of these two alternatives into a single system. We developed interaction techniques and an example application for organizing conference papers. We assessed the effectiveness of our system by experimentally comparing it to both graphical and paper interfaces. The results suggest that our tangible interface can provide a more effective means of organizing, grouping, and manipulating data than either physical operations or graphical computer interaction alone
Using Debates to Teach the Psychology of Women

I summarize my experiences using debates as a teaching tool for a course on the psychology of women. Although formal debates are typically thought of as competitive and adversarial, the debate form...
Modeling and analysis of N-port DC-DC converters using the cyclic average current

Multi-port DC-DC converters are very attractive because they have the potential to combine different energy sources and management strategies. Their utilization is not only reducing the cost and size of the conventional energy sources but also facilitating the entrance of alternative energy sources on the market. In this paper, the modeling and analysis of such power electronic devices with N ports are discussed. A new representation of the average current flowing in and out of the terminals of an N-port converter is presented. This new average current, named as the cyclic average current (CAC), has shown advantages for the modeling, optimization, and control of the N-port converter. The large-signal model (LSM) and small-signal state-space model (SSM) of an N-port converter are derived using CAC and compared to the LSM and SSM derived using the average current (OAC) in the literature. The modeling procedure is demonstrated for a 5-port DC-DC converter. Simulation is then used to compare the LSM and SSM models and observe their performance with respect to a detailed model (DM).
Interactions between waves, sediment, and turbulence on a shallow estuarine mudflat

Measurements were collected on a shallow estuarine mudflat in northern San Francisco Bay to examine the physical processes controlling waves, turbulence, sediment resuspension, and their interactions. Tides alone forced weak to moderate currents of 10–30 cm s−1 in depths of 0–3 m, and maintained a background suspension of 30–50 mg L−1 of fine sediment. In the presence of wind waves, bottom orbital velocities spanned 20–30 cm s−1, suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) at 15 and 30 cm above the bed (cmab) increased by 1–2 orders of magnitude, and vertical gradients in SSC were strong enough to produce turbulence-limiting stratification, with gradient Richardson numbers exceeding 0.25. Simultaneously, turbulent stresses (decomposed from wave motions) increased by an order of magnitude. The apparent contradiction of energetic turbulence in the presence of strong stratification was reconciled by considering the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget: in general, dissipation and buoyancy flux were balanced by local shear production, and each of these terms increased during wave events. The classic wave-current boundary layer model represented the observations qualitatively, but not quantitatively since the velocity profile could not be approximated as logarithmic. Rather, the mean shear was elevated by the Stokes drift return flow and wind-generated surface stress, which diffused sediment upward and limited stratification. Our findings highlight a pathway for waves to supply energy to both the production and destruction of turbulence, and demonstrate that in such shallow depths, TKE and SSC can be elevated over more of the water column than predicted by traditional models.
The Role of the Monopoly Product in the Cost of Universal Service

In analyzing the costs of the universal service obligation (USO) for postal administrations, research has proceeded simultaneously along two dimensions: alternative definitions of what is universal service and alternative methods for calculating the cost of that universal service. While it is always hazardous to attempt to summarize a complex body of analysis along a few dimensions, it can provide insight into a developing body of literature.
The Encyclopedia of Life v2: Providing Global Access to Knowledge About Life on Earth

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL, http://eol.org) aims to provide unprecedented global access to a broad range of information about life on Earth. It currently contains 3.5 million distinct pages for taxa and provides content for 1.3 million of those pages. The content is primarily contributed by EOL content partners (providers) that have a more limited geographic, taxonomic or topical scope. EOL aggregates these data and automatically integrates them based on associated scientific names and other classification information. EOL also provides interfaces for curation and direct content addition. All materials in EOL are either in the public domain or licensed under a Creative Commons license. In addition to the web interface, EOL is also accessible through an Application Programming Interface. In this paper, we review recent developments added for Version 2 of the web site and subsequent releases through Version 2.2, which have made EOL more engaging, personal, accessible and internationalizable. We outline the core features and technical architecture of the system. We summarize milestones achieved so far by EOL to present results of the current system implementation and establish benchmarks upon which to judge future improvements.
Televised movies: Directors win audience

This is the third in a series of articles exploring various factors contributing to success of motion picture films in televison showings—the first dealt with repeat audiences for films and the second focused on the role of movie awards and TV viewing audience size (see note 7 for citations). Here, the author reports that a film director's reputation plays a significant part in building or diminishing TV audience size. Dr. Taylor is a member of the economics faculty of Northern Illinois University at DeKalb.
Rapid parameterized model checking of snoopy cache coherence protocols

A new method is proposed for parameterized reasoning about snoopy cache coherence protocols. The method is distinctive for being exact (sound and complete), fully automatic (algorithmic), and tractably efficient. The states of most cache coherence protocols can be organized into a hierarchy reflecting how tightly a memory block in a given cache state is bound to the processor. A broad framework encompassing snoopy cache coherence protocols is proposed where the hierarchy implicit in the design of protocols is captured as a pre-order. This yields a new solution technique that hinges on the construction of an abstract history graph where a global concrete state is represented by an abstract state reflecting the occupied local states. The abstract graph also takes into account the history of local transitions of the protocol that were fired along the computation to get to the global state. This permits the abstract history graph to exactly capture the behaviour of systems with an arbitrary number of homogeneous processes. Although the worst case size of the abstract history graph can be exponential in the size of the transition diagram describing the protocol, the actual size of the abstract history graph is small for standard cache protocols. The method is applicable to all 8 of the most common snoopy cache protocols described in Handy's book [19] from Illinois-MESI to Dragon. The experimental results for parameterized verification of each of those 8 protocols document the efficiency of this new method in practice, with each protocol being verified in just a fraction of a second. It is emphasized that this is parameterized verification.
Methods of Supporting Students' Critical Reflection in Courses Incorporating Service Learning.

Service Laming seeks to provide students with real-life, community based experiences related to the content offered in the classroom. In this article, I discuss methods that I use to support students as they reflect orally and in writing on their service learning experiences. The value of reflection journals and course p u p discussions is considered.
A simple agent-based model of malaria transmission investigating intervention methods and acquired immunity

Malaria, an infectious disease prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, and ordinary differential equation models have often been used to describe the spread of the disease. A basic agent-based model (ABM) of malaria transmission is established and compared to an ODE model of the disease in order to ascertain the similarity of the ABM to typical modeling approaches. Additionally, the ABM is described using protocol from current literature. In order to illustrate the flexibility of the ABM, the basic ABM is modified to incorporate the use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) and the effect of acquired immunity. The simulations incorporating acquired immunity and the use of ITNs show a decrease in the prevalence of the disease due to these factors. Additionally, the ABM can easily be modified to account for other complicated issues affecting malaria spread.
Stress (Heat Shock) Proteins: Molecular Chaperones in Cardiovascular Biology and Disease

How a cell responds to stress is a central problem in cardiovascular biology. Diverse physiological stresses (eg, heat, hemodynamics, mutant proteins, and oxidative injury) produce multiple changes in a cell that ultimately affect protein structures and function. Cells from different phyla initiate a cascade of events that engage essential proteins, the molecular chaperones, in decisions to repair or degrade damaged proteins as a defense strategy to ensure survival. Accumulative evidence indicates that molecular chaperones such as the heat shock family of stress proteins (HSPs) actively participate in an array of cellular processes, including cytoprotection. The versatility of the ubiquitous HSP family is further enhanced by stress-inducible regulatory networks, both at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. In the present review, we discuss the regulation and function of HSP chaperones and their clinical significance in conditions such as cardiac hypertrophy, vascular wall injury, cardiac surgery, ischemic preconditioning, aging, and, conceivably, mutations in genes encoding contractile proteins and ion channels.
Atmospheric pressure glow discharge micro-plasma jet

Summary form only given, as follows. Atmospheric pressure microhollow cathode discharges (MHCDs) offer the possibility to generate non-thermal plasma by relatively simple means. When operated in rare gases or rare gas-halide mixtures it emits excimer radiation with high efficiency. Operating the discharges in atmospheric pressure air has been shown to allow their use as plasma cathodes for stable large volume atmospheric pressure air plasmas. The plasma results from a direct current discharge between two molybdenum electrodes (0.25 mm thick) that are separated by an alumina insulator of the same thickness.
Slum dwellers response to flooding events in the megacities of India

Megacities in developing countries are rapidly transforming places. Under the impetus of global change processes and consequent transformations at the environmental, social, cultural, political and economical scales; factors causing disasters and losses are changing every day. These changes are also altering society’s ability to respond to hazard events. This paper examines the response of slum dwellers who are the most vulnerable and marginal section of urban population and often located in places with high hazard risk with less or no means to reduce the impact of flood events. Marginal population groups in megacities suffer the negative consequences of large scale global change processes and do not benefit from the risk mitigation strategies adopted by city authorities. The paper therefore argues that people living in informal settlements instead have to employ a combination of structural means and complex networks of assistance to recover from floods. Based on the results deduced from data collected with the help of household surveys in the slums of Mumbai, the study demonstrates the types of coping strategies used by slum dwellers and the changing characteristics of these mechanisms under the influence of global change processes in megacities. Furthermore, results show that capacity to respond is not equally distributed among slum dwellers due to underlying socio cultural divisions and emerging economic and political constraints. The paper concludes that to address existing discrepancies in urban societies and within slum settlements, flood mitigation strategies will have to be (1) more inclusive of marginal population (2) sensitive to the limitations and scope of old and new social structures and (3) incorporate innovative networks of support to deal with the consequences of global change.
Practice Makes Perfect? When Does Massed Learning Improve Product Usage Proficiency?

Previous research has shown that spacing of information (over time) leads to better learning of product information. We develop a theoretical framework to describe how massed or spaced learning schedules interact with different learning styles to influence product usage proficiency. The core finding is that with experiential learning, proficiency in a product usage task is better under massed conditions, whereas with verbal learning, spacing works better. This effect is demonstrated for usage proficiency assessed via speed as well as quality of use. Further, massed learning also results in better usage proficiency on transfer tasks, for both experiential and verbal learning. We also find that massed learning in experiential learning conditions leads not only to better usage proficiency but also to positive perceptions of the product. Overall, the pattern of results is consistent with a conceptual mapping account, with massed experiences leading to a superior mental model of usage and thus to better usage proficiency.