cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aldehyde Dehydrogenases as novel therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases and cancer stem cells

T aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) super family comprises NADP-dependent enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acids. To date, 19 ALDH genes have been identified in the human genome. In addition to aldehyde metabolizing capacity, ALDHs have additional catalytic (e.g. esterase and reductase) and non-catalytic activities. The latter include functioning as structural elements in the eye (crystallins) and as binding molecules to endobioticsand xenobiotics. Mutations in human ALDH genes are the molecular basis of several diseases, including gamma-hydroxybutyricaciduria, type II hyperprolinemia, Sjogren-Larsson syndrome, pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy as well as osteoporosis andgout. ALDH enzymes also play important roles in embryogenesis and development, neurotransmission, oxidative stress and cancer. One of the most exciting recent discoveries regarding ALDHs is their identification as markers of cancer stem cells and their involvement in cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thus, therapeutic targeting of ALDHs may represent a novel means of more effectively treating patients with cancer or metabolic disease and improving clinical outcomes. Vasilis Vasiliou, J Clinic Toxicol 2013, 3:5 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2161-0495.S1.008
The use of recovered plastic bags in nonwoven fabrics

Abstract: Polyethylene plastic bags are widely utilized throughout the world. Recovery of these bags is low, but there are several applications that recovered bags can be used for, such as power generation. These bags may be useful as a binder material in nonwoven fabrics. Various web forming and bonding methods involving shredded plastic bags have been carried out, with positive results: shredded plastic bag pieces can be utilized as a binder material for nonwoven fabrics. Possible end uses include thermal and sound insulation materials, but further research is required to fully understand the behavior of these materials in nonwoven fabrics.
Cool to Be Cruel: Mean-spiritedness in 21st Century Children's TV Sitcoms

So much has been written about the proven negative effects viewing television violence has on children (Black and Newman, 1995; DeGaetano, 2009; Derksen and Strasburger,1996; Lehman, 2004; and Murray, 2001), and yet there is another kind of "violence" embedded in an unlikely place: children's television sitcoms. This content analysis investigated 19 live-action children's half-hour sitcoms and discovered the presence of relational aggression and superiority humor, both of which rely on treating other humans as inferior for the sake of a canned laugh track. The television characters in this study seek revenge on each other, intentionally make others look bad or stupid, humiliate peers and parents, and are rarely punished for their mean-spiritedness and cruelty. The children's sitcoms are behavioral blueprints of lies and deceit, as the characters unashamedly cheat others, defraud parents and other adults, and attempt to make peers and teachers look stupid and in the vernacular of the culture, "clueless". Further, stereotypes are not only presented as acceptable, but are reinforced by frequent inclusion into the action. Stereotypes include: the brilliant but socially awkward geek (male or female), the blonde bimbo who isn't very intelligent, the unwanted nerdy girlfriend or boyfriend, and the rich teenager who is often female and is uncaring, cold and aloof. This study discovered a myriad examples of mean-spiritedness and cruelty on the part of characters in the programs, ranging in frequency from seven to 31.25 per half-hour episode, averaging 33.75 per hour for all programs viewed. This study includes recommendations for parents and educators to help offset the possible negative effects of these programs.
Organ Vouchers and Barter Markets: Saving Lives, Reducing Suffering, and Trading in Human Organs

The essays in this issue of The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy explore an innovative voucher program for encouraging kidney donation. Discussions cluster around a number of central moral and political/theoretical themes: (1) What are the direct and indirect health care costs and benefits of such a voucher system in human organs? (2) Do vouchers lead to more effective and efficient organ procurement and allocation or contribute to greater inequalities and inefficiencies in the transplantation system? (3) Do vouchers contribute to the inappropriate commodification of human body parts? (4) Is there a significant moral difference between such a voucher system and a market in human organs for transplantation? This paper argues that while kidney vouchers constitute a step in the right direction, fuller utilization of market-based incentives, including, but not limited to, barter exchanges (e.g., organ exchanges, organ chains, and organ vouchers), would save more lives and further reduce human suffering.
Novel Aspects of Murine B Cell Lymphomas

Introduction of ecotropic murine leukemia virus (MuLV) induction loci onto the low-lymphoma, ecotropic MuLV-negative strain, NFS, yielded strains of mice (NFS.V+) that develop a high incidence of hematopoietic neoplasms (1, 2) comprising primarily lymphomas of B cell origin. Histopathologic studies of 645 lymphomas yielded morphologic diagnoses compatible with synonyms provided by the Kiel (3) and REAL (4) classifications of human B lymphomas but applied to the mouse (Table 1). The “Bethesda/Kiel” terminology will be used here. The speculative “LIP/REAL” classification is based on studies suggesting uniting parallels with human neoplasms of these types (e.g., Siminovitch, this volume, for mouse MCL equivalent). MZL, diagnosed only once previously, in NZB (5), were unexpectedly most common in our series, at 36% (Hartley et al., manuscript in preparation)
A model of the possible role of gaseous neuromessenger nitric oxide in synaptic potentiation

The experimental studies show that NO can both enhance glutamate release from the presynapse and inhibit Ca++ influx in the postsynapse. In this paper, a theoretical model is presented to study these roles of NO in synaptic potentiation. In the model, NO is assumed to be produced in the postsynapse and diffuse into the extracellular space and then to the presynapse. Two kinds of excitatory receptor channels, NMDA and non-NMDA channels, are considered in the postsynaptic membrane. NO mediated glutamate release in the presynapse is expressed as the increase of the open channels in the postsynapse, and NO also decreases NMDA current since NMDA channel modulates Ca++ influx. Our simulations show that at low concentration of NO (0.5 uM), NO depresses the synaptic potentiation when a tetanus stimulation is delivered, but at high concentration ( l0uM), NO facilitates the synaptic potentiation. The membrane permeability, and the diffusion coefficient of NO are significant factors in determining the integrated function of NO in synaptic potentiation because they determine the concentration difference between the pre-and postsynaptic cells. Although accurate experimental measurements of all these parameters are not available, the model presented predicts that only at relatively high NO concentration levels, does NO facilitate production of LTP.
Acute Otologic Infections in Pediatric Patients

This article summarizes significant acute infections involving the pediatric temporal bone. First, the management of acute otitis media (AOM) is discussed, including the medical and surgical management of invasive intracranial and extracranial complications associated with advanced disease. The clinical and radiographic findings, microbiology, and management of acute mastoiditis are discussed in greater detail, followed by the presentation and treatment of acute otitis externa (AOE). Finally, we discuss infectious considerations in auditory implants. The indications and use of both cochlear implants (CI) and bone conduction hearing implants have rapidly expanded in children, requiring greater understanding of managing infections in the context of these devices.
Teachers' Perceptions of Word Callers and Related Literacy Concepts

Despite research supporting the utility of curriculum-based measurement in reading (CBM; Deno, 1985), some teachers have expressed concern that the use of CBM oral reading probes may overlook children for whom comprehension is the primary concern (Hamilton & Shinn, 2003; Shapiro, 2004). CBM oral reading fluency probes are utilized for a wide range of educational decisions including screening, progress monitoring, goal setting, instructional planning, predicting performance on high-stakes test, and even remedial and special education eligibility (Deno, 2003; Hintze & Silberglitt, 2005). Therefore, reading fluency is often utilized as a general indicator of reading competence due to its close relation with reading comprehension in early elementary school (Fuchs, Fuchs, Hosp, & Jenkins, 2001; Jenkins, Fuchs, van den Broek, Epsin, & Deno, 2003; Schwanenflugel, Meisinger, Wisenbaker, Kuhn, Strauss, & Morris, 2006; Shinn, Knutson, Good, Tilly, & Collins 1992). Word callers are children who efficiently decode words but do so without commensurate comprehension taking place (Stanovich, 1986), in other words they “call out” the words in a text without understanding the meaning of the text as a whole. It is a somewhat commonly used term among teachers and educational publications (e.g., Walczyk & Griffin-Ross, 2007). However, some researchers have questioned the validity of the word caller construct (Hamilton & Shinn, 2003; Nathan & Stanovich, 1991; Stanovich, 1986, 2000) and have called it one of the “red herrings” (Nathan & Stanovich, 1991, p.177) of the reading literature. Although commonly used, there is almost no research to indicate how teachers conceptualize the term word caller or how it influences their instructional practices.
'Mini' extravesical reimplant with 'mini' tapering for infants younger than 6 months.

Summary Introduction Some infants with obstructed megaureters or ectopic ureters requiring surgery undergo a cutaneous ureterostomy followed by definitive repair after 12 months of age. Since 2013, a ‘mini’ extravesical reimplant with or without ‘mini’ tapering (MER) was performed instead of cutaneous ureterostomy in such infants. Objective To describe the technique and outcomes for MER. Study Design This is a retrospective review of infants younger than 6 months who underwent MER. MER consists of a 2- to 3-cm extravesical tunnel, regardless of the ureter diameter. ‘Mini’ tapering consisted of an adventitial sparing technique involving only the distal 2–3 cm of the ureter. Details of the technique are included in the video. The main outcomes were postoperative symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTI's) and reoperations. Voiding function was assessed at the last contact with the family. Results Nine consecutive infants underwent MER from July 2013 to March 2018. Four patients had ectopic ureters and five had primary obstructed megaureters. The median ureteral diameter was 1.5 cm. Indications for surgery were as per the British Association of Pediatric Urologists guidelines on megaureters. All patients had 3-month postoperative renal ultrasound, and seven of the nine patients had postoperative voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG). One patient with a normal postoperative VCUG and MAG 3, as well as resolved hydroureteronephrosis had a few postoperative febrile UTIs but no more for >1 year at the last follow-up. At a median time from surgery of 44 months, there have been no reoperations (except cystoscopy with stent removal). With regard to voiding function, six patients were successfully potty trained, one has bowel and bladder incontinence at the age of 4 years – with stable renal ulstraound –, and two are younger than 2 years. Discussion MER has been the only surgery needed for the cohort of nine infants younger than 6 months with distal ureteral obstruction at a median time from surgery of 44 months. Voiding function does not appear to be affected by the operation. Download : Download high-res image (269KB) Download : Download full-size image Conclusions For babies younger than 6 months of age in need of surgery for obstructed distal ureter, MER appears to be a feasible and effective option, associated with reduced morbidity and reoperation rate compared to the alternatives.
Evolutionary Heuristic A* Search: Pathfinding Algorithm with Self-Designed and Optimized Heuristic Function

The performance and efficiency of A* search algorithm heavily depends on the quality of the heuristic function. Therefore, designing an optimal heuristic function becomes the primary goal of develo...
Determining water requirements for young peach trees in a humid subtropical climate

Abstract In the southern USA, low soil water holding capacity and erratic rainfall patterns create scenarios where plant water stress may occur, reducing early peach tree growth. Therefore, irrigation management is a key component to ensure adequate water supply during early tree growth stages. The objective of this study was to determine water requirements and crop coefficient (Kc) of young peach trees grown in a subtropical climate. A study was conducted in central Florida using young peach trees ‘TropicBeauty’ grafted onto ‘Flordaguard’. Daily actual evapotranspiration (ETA) was determined using weighing lysimeters. The highest daily peach water demand was recorded during the shoot development stage (23.7 L) between August and October, whereas the lowest daily ETA was 0.71 L, during dormancy in December and January. Year-round Kc values for young peach trees were obtained and ranged from 0.20 to 0.68. There was a significant correlation between plant water consumption with trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) and projected canopy area (PCA), which can be used to estimate ETA. Peach irrigation water demand for 1–3 years old trees, expressed as daily ETA, can be estimated using daily reference evapotranspiration and PCA. The accurate determination of crop water demand allows the seasonal adjustment of irrigation scheduling avoiding water stress, or over-irrigation of young peach trees.
Co-optimizing DFM enhancements and their impact on layout-induced circuit performance for analog designs

A symmetry-aware DFM layout insertion flow for matched circuits is developed for enhancing analog and mixed-signal designs. Pattern capture is used to categorize the matched circuits to unique groups of layout patterns and store them in a pattern database, in which each pattern has an associated group identification, a match location, a region of extent, and a symmetry constraint. Using the stored information in the pattern database, DFM layout insertions are applied to the base pattern and replicated for the symmetric patterns to generate an optimized layout, thus preserving the original symmetry. The impact of the DFM insertions on analog circuit performance was quantified using electronic simulators. The application of symmetry-aware DFM enhancements to analog designs achieves nearly 100% DFM compliance with negligible 0.1-0.2% impact to analog electrical parameters.
Weak Spots in Business Ethics: A Psycho-Analytic Study of Competition and Memory in Death of a Salesman

The field of business ethics has shown little attention to the dynamics of memory in maintaining moral character. Yet memory is a complex process that involves the repression of some experiences in order to protect the moral integrity of the personality. Without the capacity to repress what one's moral conscience would not accept, the mind can be overtaken by neurotic ambivalence and moral confusion. In the context of business competition, where the pressures for potential gains and losses can be immense, long repressed desires can receive renewed strength resulting in a weakening of moral constraint.
Grilling Clams and Roasting Tubers: Andean Maritime Foodways in the Second Millennium B.C.

This research explores the significance of marine and valley crops processed and consumed at Gramalote, a fishing community in the Moche Valley, North Coast of Peru occupied 300 years and dated to 1500–1200 cal. BC. It was an organized settlement with a permanent occupation. Its inhabitants were also part-time artisans producing a number of local products such as basketry, matting, carved bones and shells, and processing red pigment using a nearby iron oxide mine. Marine resources have received serious attention in the literature but little efforts have been made to understand their density and diversity in early Andean prehistory. This research contextualizes the importance of marine resources in a fishing community and the way people obtained, processed, and prepared these products. This research also uses accounts of ethnographic studies of contemporary maritime communities to determine how the inhabitants prepared and consumed marine foods. Finally, the presence of abundant macrobotanical remains at Gramalote suggests that the inhabitants had access to plant resources that were cultivated in the vicinity of the site and in the nearby valleys. In a broad perspective, the data presented enhance our understanding of the social dynamics and economic interactions of the early civilizations of the Central Andean region.
Design for now, but with the future in mind: a "cognitive flexibility theory" perspective on online learning through the lens of MOOCs.

This paper is in response to the manuscript entitled “MOOCocracy: the learning culture of massive open online courses” (Loizzo and Ertmer in Educ Tech Res Dev 64:1013–1032, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9444-7 ) from the perspectives of cognitive flexibility theory (CFT), in the context of pandemic-induced emergency remote teaching. Our response focuses on one of the questions raised in the call for this special issue on the latter topic: what are the implications of current, urgent work being done in digital learning for the future of online learning? We argue that much of what is important for a better future of online learning can also be done well now. However, building now with the future in mind involves a fundamental reorientation of the epistemic standpoint of online learning. The need for such a reframing is a tenet of CFT. Therefore, we use CFT as a lens to reflect on the proposal by Loizzo and Ertmer (Educ Tech Res Dev 64:1013–1032, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9444-7 ) to combine c-MOOC and xMOOC designs to “foster a flexible, learner-centered culture” (p. 1027). Acknowledging the value of diverse perspectives afforded by the MOOCocracy culture, we also discuss how a CFT-based epistemic stance may further inform the future design and practice of MOOCs and, in a similar manner, online learning in general. We present some examples of ways application of learning and instruction principles of CFT can benefit online learning for the development of adaptive worldviews and the resultant development of adaptive skill that is becoming increasingly essential for life and work. Having this framework in mind as a principled overlay while urgently preparing for current schooling can help us build better, for now, and even more so for the needs that will remain in the longer term as education increasingly incorporates “twenty-first century skills.”
Wind energy's bycatch: Offshore wind deployment impacts on hydropower operation and migratory fish

Abstract Hydropower plays a key role in maintaining grid reliability, but there is uncertainty regarding the ecological implications of using hydropower to balance variability from high penetration of intermittent renewable resources, such as solar and wind. Hydropower can offer advantages at the macro-ecological level (e.g., reduced greenhouse gas emissions), however it may have significant environmental impact on a local level (e.g., increased risk to fish species during migration and breeding periods). Using the New England region as a case study, we use an electricity model to estimate how hydropower operation changes as offshore wind capacity increases at a system level. We then tie alterations in hydropower energy production to local impacts on riverine ecosystems and the lifecycle of migratory fish. We find that increasing offshore wind capacity from 1600 to 10,000 MW more than doubles the average hourly hydropower ramping need and the associated river flowrate during April. This increased flowrate aligns with the migration timing of the lone endangered fish species on the Connecticut River, the shortnose sturgeon. Alternatively, the majority of months in which hydropower operation is most strongly impacted by the addition of offshore wind capacity do not coincide with key fish lifecycle events. Other sustainability benefits, including reduced air pollution and water consumption, can be achieved through deployments of offshore wind. Our results suggest that in order to balance global (i.e., CO2 mitigation) and local (i.e., fish migration) environmental issues, a portfolio of solutions is needed to address grid integration of renewables.
From Scandinavian Missionary Activity to an African local Church: A History of the Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya (1955 to 2018)

This article reconstructs the history of a Pentecostal denomination in Kenya that was established by Scandinavian missionaries from two missionary agencies, namely the Norwegian Pentecostal Mission (NPM) and Swedish Free Mission (SFM), during the early 1950s. It relies on oral narratives by early African clerics, missionaries and church leaders as well as archival materials such as minutes, correspondence and reports to argue that the 60-year history of the Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya (FPFK) may be periodised into three major epochs: the period of beginnings (1955â€“1984); the period of collaboration (1984â€“1996); and the period of nationalisation (1997â€“2018). It further contests that the present challenges for the church, such as the schism between Swedish and Norwegian sections, financial instability and the collapse of its national institutions, as well as an over emphasis on rural evangelism and a failure to penetrate the Kenyan urban life, are directly linked to its Scandinavian heritage.
An Object implementation of Network Centric Business Service Applications (NCBSAs)

The Internet stretches traditional strict transaction processing concepts in several directions. First, transactions spanning multiple independent organizations may need to address enforcement of pairwise legal agreements rather than global data consistency. Second, a new transaction processing paradigm is required that supports different views of unit of business for all participants, i.e., service providers as well as end consumers. There may be several related interactions between any two interacting parties dispersed in time creating a long running conversation. Hence, persistent records of business actions need to be kept. Additionally, some actions and groups of actions may be cancellable (however, this may not mean that all effects are undone, e.g., non refondable payments). Finally, the greater variability in response time for network computing creates a need for asynchronous and event driven processing, in which correct handling of reissued and cancelled requests is critical. This paper presents a framework for development of NCBSA using CORBA services while satisfying the above requirements.
Giant angular-dependent Nernst effect in the quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor (TMTSF)2PF6

We present a detailed study of the Nernst effect Szx in TMTSF2PF6 as a function of temperature, magnetic field magnitude, direction, and pressure. As previously reported there is a large resonantlike structure as the magnetic field is rotated through crystallographic directions, the Lebed magic angles. These Nernst effect resonances strongly suggest that the transport of the system is effectively “coherent” only in crystallographic planes along or close to the applied field direction. We also present analytical and numerical calculations of the conductivity and thermoelectric tensors for TMTSF2PF6, based on a Boltzmann transport model within the semiclassical approximation. The Boltzmann transport calculation fails to describe the experimental data. We suggest that the answer may lie in the field induced decoupling of the strongly correlated chains.
Effect of canavanine on murine retrovirus polypeptide formation.

Abstract Canavanine is an arginine analog which is widely used to inhibit proteolytic processing of viral polyproteins. Certain results obtained with canavanine have suggested that it may have other effects. Therefore, we examined the effects of canavanine on the cell-free synthesis of murine retrovirus proteins. It was found that the electrophoretic mobility of the major gag-related cell-free product of both Rauscher murine leukemia virus (R-MuLV) and Moloney murine sarcoma virus 124 (Mo-MuSV-124) RNA was dependent on the concentration of canavanine used during translation. As the canavanine concentration was increased up to 4 mM, the apparent size of the major gag-related polypeptide also increased from 65,000 (R-MuLV RNA) or 63,000 (Mo-MuSV-124 RNA) to approximately 80,000 daltons. Additional increases in the canavanine concentration up to 12 mM did not increase the size of the gag gene product beyond 80,000 daltons. This change in electrophoretic mobility appeared to be due to a substitution of canavanine for arginine residues in the polypeptides, not to a change in their actual size. If amber suppressor tRNA and canavanine were used together during translation of Mo-MuSV-124 RNA and Mo-MuLV RNA, the results were also in agreement with this proposal. Translation experiments done with ovalbumin mRNA and mengovirus 35S RNA indicated that canavanine incorporation caused a shift in the electrophoretic mobility of ovalbumin from 43,000 to 45,000 daltons and caused the appearance of two slightly larger polypeptides in the 155,000- and 115,000- dalton regions of the mengovirus RNA cell-free product.
Evidence from the Pacific troposphere for large global sources of oxygenated organic compounds

The presence of oxygenated organic compounds in the troposphere strongly influences key atmospheric processes. Such oxygenated species are, for example, carriers of reactive nitrogen and are easily photolysed, producing free radicals1,2,3—and so influence the oxidizing capacity and the ozone-forming potential of the atmosphere4,5,6—and may also contribute significantly to the organic component of aerosols7,8. But knowledge of the distribution and sources of oxygenated organic compounds, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, is limited. Here we characterize the tropospheric composition of oxygenated organic species, using data from a recent airborne survey9 conducted over the tropical Pacific Ocean (30° N to 30° S). Measurements of a dozen oxygenated chemicals (carbonyls, alcohols, organic nitrates, organic pernitrates and peroxides), along with several C2–C8 hydrocarbons, reveal that abundances of oxygenated species are extremely high, and collectively, oxygenated species are nearly five times more abundant than non-methane hydrocarbons in the Southern Hemisphere. Current atmospheric models are unable to correctly simulate these findings, suggesting that large, diffuse, and hitherto-unknown sources of oxygenated organic compounds must therefore exist. Although the origin of these sources is still unclear, we suggest that oxygenated species could be formed via the oxidation of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere, the photochemical degradation of organic matter in the oceans, and direct emissions from terrestrial vegetation.
Blood serotonin in nontropical sprue.

Summary In 8 patients with nontropical sprue, blood or platelet serotonin levels, or both, were elevated during the active phase of the disease. In 2 of 3 patients the values reverted to normal during a remission induced by a gluten-free diet. There was no apparent correlation between the degree of steatorrhea and the serotonin abnormalities.
State based factors affecting inward FDI employment

This empirical research investigates state based factors affecting the inward FDI employment among fifty states of the United States, uses annual data for the period of time from 1997 to 2007 and identifies several state-specific determinants of FDI employment. The results indicate that the major factors exerting positive impact on inward US FDI employment are: real wages, infrastructure, unionization level, educational attainment, FDI stock and manufacturing density. In addition, the results show that gross state product growth rate, real per capita taxes and share of scientists and engineers have negative impact on FDI employment. Our findings indicate the importance of selected variables in evaluating the effects of FDI flow. Keywords: FDI, Growth, Employment, State, Economy
Rapid Assays for Lectin Toxicity and Binding Changes that Reflect Altered Glycosylation in Mammalian Cells

Glycosylation engineering is used to generate glycoproteins, glycolipids, or proteoglycans with a more defined complement of glycans on their glycoconjugates. For example, a mammalian cell glycosylation mutant lacking a specific glycosyltransferase generates glycoproteins, and/or glycolipids, and/or proteoglycans with truncated glycans missing the sugar transferred by that glycosyltransferase, as well as those sugars that would be added subsequently. In some cases, an alternative glycosyltransferase may then use the truncated glycans as acceptors, thereby generating a new or different glycan subset in the mutant cell. Another type of glycosylation mutant arises from gain-of-function mutations that, for example, activate a silent glycosyltransferase gene. In this case, glycoconjugates will have glycans with additional sugar(s) that are more elaborate than the glycans of wild type cells. Mutations in other genes that affect glycosylation, such as nucleotide sugar synthases or transporters, will alter the glycan complement in more general ways that usually affect several types of glycoconjugates. There are now many strategies for generating a precise mutation in a glycosylation gene in a mammalian cell. Large-volume cultures of mammalian cells may also generate spontaneous mutants in glycosylation pathways. This article will focus on how to rapidly characterize mammalian cells with an altered glycosylation activity. The key reagents for the protocols described are plant lectins that bind mammalian glycans with varying avidities, depending on the specific structure of those glycans. Cells with altered glycosylation generally become resistant or hypersensitive to lectin toxicity, and have reduced or increased lectin or antibody binding. Here we describe rapid assays to compare the cytotoxicity of lectins in a lectin resistance test, and the binding of lectins or antibodies by flow cytometry in a glycan-binding assay. Based on these tests, glycosylation changes expressed by a cell can be revealed, and glycosylation mutants classified into phenotypic groups that may reflect a loss-of-function or gain-of-function mutation in a specific gene involved in glycan synthesis.
Locally optimal risk-sensitive controllers for strict-feedback nonlinear systems

For a class of risk-sensitive nonlinear stochastic control problems with dynamics in strict-feedback form, we obtain through a constructive derivation, state-feedback controllers which: (i) are locally optimal, (ii) are globally inverse optimal, and (iii) lead to closed-loop system trajectories that are bounded in probability. The first feature implies that a linearized version of these controllers solve a LEQG problem, and the second feature says that there exists an appropriate cost function according to which these controllers are optimal.
Concurrent engineering approach to the development of the TM6000

The Personal Productivity Products (PPP) division of Texas Instruments invested a tremendous effort in setting up "World Class" processes and strategies that could strategically position PPP as a leader in the laptop industry. The focus was on improving the entire design process, stressing the importance of several key areas: concurrent engineering; reverse engineering; producibility engineering; and continuous flow manufacturing. By setting up a concurrent engineering design team early in the conceptual design of the TM6000, the design team was able to partition the unit into easily replaceable modular sub-assemblies. The use of modularity enabled PPP to achieve the assembly time goals, and design to cost goals. Concurrent engineering, reverse engineering, and design for assembly have proven to be very powerful tools in achieving the goals and focused needed attention on the overall manufacturability of the systems.
Automated measurement system for dynamic mechanical properties of viscoelastic materials

A method and automated system for measurements of complex dynamic shear compliance and modulus from 2 to 10,000 Hz, at temperatures between −50 and 150°C is described. Representative results for several materials at room temperatures and for a polyurethane rubber from 0 to 50° are presented to demonstrate the success of the measurement system in providing quantitative descriptions of dynamic mechanical behavior for viscoelastic materials.
Effect of ovariectomy and estrogen replacement on hypothalamic, pituitary and peripheral blood β-endorphin levels in the rat

Abstract This study was initiated to detect possible changes in β-endorphin (β-EP) levels of the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland, and peripheral blood of rats after ovariectomy and estrogen administration. Attempts were also made to determine the correlation between peripheral and central levels of β-EP. Twenty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were decapitated. Nine had intact ovaries (Gr. INT), and 17 were ovariectomized 3 weeks before they were killed. Nine of the ovariectomized rats received estradiol benzoate (EB) (Gr. EB) and the other 8 received peanut oil (Gr. OVX) prior to the decapitation. A β-EP radioimmunoassay was used to analyze homogenates of the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary, and peripheral blood. In the hypothalamus, β-EP levels were significantly lower in Gr. INT and Gr. EB than in Gr. OVX. In the pituitary gland and peripheral blood, β-EP levels were significantly higher in Gr. INT than in Gr. OVX. Pituitary β-EP levels did not vary between Gr. OVX and Gr. EB, although β-EP levels in peripheral blood were significantly higher in Gr. EB than in Gr. OVX. No significant correlations were noted in β-EP levels between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and peripheral blood in either Gr. INT, Gr. OVX, or Gr. EB. It appears that EB exerts different effects on β-EP levels in the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland, and peripheral blood, and that β-EP levels in these regions may be independent of one another.
Torque-related changes in mechanomyographic intensity patterns for the superficial quadriceps femoris muscles

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in mechanomyographic (MMG) intensity patterns for the vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF) and vastus medialis (VM) during submaximal to maximal concentric isokinetic, eccentric isokinetic and isometric muscle actions of the leg extensors. Eleven men (mean ± SD age = 20.1 ± 1.1 years) performed concentric, eccentric and isometric muscle actions of the dominant leg extensors on 3 separate days. Surface MMG signals were detected from the VL, RF and VM, processed with a wavelet analysis and examined with a trend plot. The results indicated that the trend plot was capable of tracking systematic changes in MMG amplitude and frequency with an increase in torque. However, these changes were statistically significant in only 26% of the cases. There were also no consistent differences between muscles or contraction types for the significance of the trend plots.
The behavioral actions of diazepam and oxazepam are similar.

In a double-blind and randomized study, we assessed the comparative pharmacodynamic profiles and behavioral effects of diazepam and oxazepam administered to young healthy volunteers. Diazepm 0.3 mg/kg or oxazepam 1.2 mg/kg or placebo were each administered orally to 13 subjects who were tested with tasks which measured learning and memory, cognition, psychomotor performance and mood before and for 9 h after treatment. The two drugs had similar actions, although subjective effects were milder after oxazepam, which also had a slower onset of action. There was no evidence of rebound behavioral impairment.
Development and Applications of a Stage Stacking Procedure

The preliminary design of multistage axial compressors in gas turbine engines is typically accomplished with mean-line methods. These methods, which rely on empirical correlations, estimate compressor performance well near the design point, but may become less reliable off-design. For land-based applications of gas turbine engines, off-design performance estimates are becoming increasingly important, as turbine plant operators desire peaking or load-following capabilities and hot-day operability. The current work develops a one-dimensional stage stacking procedure, including a newly defined blockage term, which is used to estimate the off-design performance and operability range of a 13-stage axial compressor used in a power generating gas turbine engine. The new blockage term is defined to give mathematical closure on static pressure, and values of blockage are shown to collapse to curves as a function of stage inlet flow coefficient and corrected shaft speed. In addition to these blockage curves, the stage stacking procedure utilizes stage characteristics of ideal work coefficient and adiabatic efficiency. These curves are constructed using flow information extracted from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of groups of stages within the compressor. Performance estimates resulting from the stage stacking procedure are shown to match the results of CFD simulations of the entire compressor to within 1.6% in overall total pressure ratio and within 0.3 points in overall adiabatic efficiency. Utility of the stage stacking procedure is demonstrated by estimation of the minimum corrected speed which allows stable operation of the compressor. Further utility of the stage stacking procedure is demonstrated with a bleed sensitivity study, which estimates a bleed schedule to expand the compressors operating range.
Fabrication and applications of large aperture diffractive optics

Large aperture diffractive optics are needed in high power laser applications to protect against laser damage during operation and in space applications to increase the light gathering power and consequently the signal to noise. We describe the facilities we have built for fabricating meter scale diffractive optics and discuss several examples of these.
Results from low-energy, intranuclear-cascade calculation

Abstract A large quantity of calculated data is available on nuclear reactions resulting from the inelastic interaction of nucleons and π-mesons on complex nuclei at energies of the order of 200 MeV. This memorandum describes the type of data available. A separate document that contains complete instructions for obtaining both the data and the computer programs used to generate the data is available upon request.
Some Applications and Properties of One- and Two-Dimensional Position-Sensitive Proportional Counters

A new method was developed for determining the position of ionizing events by measuring the risetime of output pulses from detectors having high resistance collectors. Basically, these detectors are distributed RC lines; information about the location of an ionizing event is obtained from the analysis of the frequency spectrum of the detector output pulse, and the energy loss of this event in the detector is measured by analyzing the amplitude of the same output pulse. Three typical prototype detectors were constructed and tested in a series of imaging and diffraction experiments using ionizing radiation. The spatial uncertainty for collimated 210Po alpha particles was 0.15 mm fwhm for a 200-mm-long proportional detector. The spatial uncertainty for collimated 20-kev x rays was 0.5 mm fwhm for a 400-mm-long detector. A two-dimensional system using parallel wires was developed and evaluated. With only four preamplifiers and relatively simple shaping and timing circuitry, 24,000 resolution elements (measured at fwhm) were obtained with a 30-wire counter having a sensitive area of 75 × 120 mm2. These position-sensitive detectors are well suited for application in the life sciences for the localization of radioactive tracers in medical studies or in the structure determination of large organic molecules, with x-ray or neutron diffraction; in fluorescent x-ray or neutron spectroscopy; small-angle scattering experiments with x rays or neutrons.; magnetic spectroscopy of protons and other charged particles; two-dimensional chromatography; x-ray astronomy; and fission physics experiments.
On the one loop corrections to inflation and the CMB anisotropies

Abstract We investigate the one loop effective potential of inflation in a standard model of chaotic inflation. The leading one loop corrections to the effective inflaton potential are evaluated in the quasi de Sitter background, and we estimate the one loop correction to the two-point function of the inflaton perturbations in the Hartree approximation. In this approximation, the one loop corrections depends on the total number of e-foldings of inflation and the maximal effect is estimated to be a correction to the power spectrum of a few percent. However, such a correction may be difficult to disentangle from the background in the simplest scenario.
A New Hybrid Aerogel Approach to Modification of Bioderived Polymers for Materials Applications

Novel hybrid aerogels consisting of the bioderived polymers chitosan, pectic acid or alginic acid and silica have been synthesized as clear monoliths from clear gels by supercritical fluid extraction. These renewable resource polymers, which are soluble and typically unassociated in aqueous systems, are separately arranged in aerogel scaffolding. This makes them exposed and available for reactions that in some cases would not be possible in aqueous systems. Thus, it is possible to react the amine groups of chitosan, a polymer derived from chitin, with isocyanate-terminated prepolymers to form urea linkages and to form new linked chitosan materials. Following the reactions, the scaffold can be dissolved and the new material isolated. Variations lead to hydrophobic or hydrophilic materials. The reactions of aerogel scaffolded bioderived polymers to form urethane-or amide-group linked materials also will be presented and the properties of newly formed materials will be described. Further reactions enabled by the approach, including ones leading to radiation curable polymeric systems will be presented.
Analytical applications of near-infrared fluorescent probes

By combining near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores and commercially available laser diodes, a promising technique emerges where visible probes are less effective due to background interference. The application of NIR fluorophores in fiber-optic probes for the determination of metal ions in the environment and for biological assays will be discussed. The spectral behavior of a new NIR fluorophore TG-170 in the presence of metal ions and the first synthesis and spectral characterization of a NIR dye KVA-22 substituted with a crown ether, a metal complexing functionality, will be presented.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effects of small changes in initial conditions on mixing layer three-dimensionality

An experimental study which shows the effects of relatively small changes in the initial conditions on the development of the three-dimensional structure of a plane mixing layer originating from laminar boundary layers has been completed. It was shown that while the exact shapes and positions of the streamwise vortex structures are not the same for the two initial conditions, their overall distribution, reorganization and decay are very similar. The present results imply that while some of the specific details of the streamwise vortex structure may be facility dependent, a relatively strong structure, which produces significant three-dimensionality, should form in all mixing layers originating from laminar boundary layers. After some initial readjustments, the structure will appear in the form of counter-rotating pairs of streamwise vortices which, in the mean, grow with the mixing layer and decay in strength.
FACULTY RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY: INSTITUTIONAL AND PERSONAL DETERMINANTS OF FACULTY PUBLICATIONS

A good deal has been written about faculty productivity, usually measured by the number of publications in refereed journals, books, and/or the number of citations of those publications by discipline, by type of educational institution, and at various stages of the life cycle. A number of generalizations can be made that are applicable across a wide range of studies: 1) a small share of scholars account for the great majority of publications; 2) publication productivity differs across disciplines and types of institutions; 3) personal characteristics such as gender and race matter; 4) institutional characteristics matter; and 5) publication productivity varies over the life cycle. According to a U.S. Department of Education report, there were about 75,000 undergraduate students and 3,200 graduate students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in 1953–54 prior to the Brown v. Board decision. Black colleges awarded nearly 12,000 bachelor’s degrees and first-professional degrees and 1,300 master’s degrees. In the aftermath of the decision, black enrollment grew at both HBCUs and Historically White Colleges and Universities (HWCUs). Indeed, a 1961 study showed that only 17 percent of public higher education institutions in the South had admitted Black students. By 1965, HWCUs enrolled about one-quarter of Black students in the South and this increased to 40 percent by 1970. Enrollment in HBCUs continued to increase throughout the 1970s, peaking at 222,000 students in 1980. Some of the decline in Black enrollments at some HBCUs was counterbalanced by increased enrollment of students who were white and of other races. White students were concentrated in graduate and first-professional programs, and more often enrolled part-time.
Isolation and preparative purification of microcystin variants

Preparative reversed-phase liquid chromatography was successfully used to purify two microcystins (microcystin LR and microcystin LA) from a cyanobacterial process waste. The separation protocol involved extraction of lyophilized cells by methanol, isolation and concentration by solid-phase extraction, and purification by reversed-phase HPLC. Milligram-level loading of microcystins was obtained on a solid-phase extraction cartridge packed with 0.5 g of C18 stationary phase. The separations were first carried out on an analytical column and then scaled-up to a preparative column. The microcystins were quantified by HPLC and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A method to remove microcystins rapidly and economically from the cyanobacterial process waste is also described.
Essential oils as antimicrobials in food systems – A review

Many consumers are demanding foods without what they perceive as artificial and harmful chemicals, including many used as antimicrobials and preservatives in food. Consequently, interest in more natural, non-synthesized, antimicrobials as potential alternatives to conventional antimicrobials to extend shelf life and combat foodborne pathogens has heightened. Aromatic plants and their components have been examined as potential inhibitors of bacterial growth and most of their properties have been linked to essential oils and other secondary plant metabolites. Historically, essential oils from different sources have been widely promoted for their potential antimicrobial capabilities. In this review, mechanisms of antimicrobial action, and the antimicrobial properties of plant essential oils are discussed, including their mode of action, effectiveness, synergistic effects, major components and use in foods.