cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic variants of GSNOR and ADRB2 influence response to albuterol in African-American children with severe asthma.

African Americans are disproportionately affected by asthma. Social and economic factors play a role in this disparity, but there is evidence that genetic factors may also influence the development of asthma and response to therapy in African American children. Our hypothesis is that variations in asthma related genes contribute to the observed asthma disparities by influencing the response to asthma-specific therapy. In order to test this hypothesis, we characterized the clinical response to asthma-specific therapy in 107 African American children who presented to the emergency room in status asthmaticus, with a primary outcome indicator of length of time on continuous albuterol. Single locus analysis indicated that genotype variation in glutathione-dependent S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) is associated with a decreased response to asthma treatment in African American children. A post hoc multi-locus analysis revealed that a combination of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within GSNOR, adrenergic receptor beta 2, and carbamoyl phosphate synthetase-1 give a 70% predictive value for lack of response to therapy. This predictive model needs replication in other cohorts of patients with asthma, but suggests gene–gene interactions may have greater significance than that identified with single variants. Our findings also suggest that genetic variants may contribute to the observed population disparities in asthma. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:649–654. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Zinc eugenolate crystals: SEM detection and characterization

Abstract Zinc oxide eugenol-based dental cements are not employed routinely as permanent luting materials because the reaction-product matrix is not a stable, high-strength phase. Difficulty in identifying zinc eugenolate product has prevented determination of the structure-property relationships for the matrix. In the current work zinc eugenolate was synthesized and carefully characterized by SEM techniques. That information was used as the basis for examination of clinically recovered ZOE products. Zinc eugenolate crystals were characterized as parallelepiped shapes with 20:4:1 length-to-width-to-thickness geometries. The crystals were observed in post-operatively collected ZOE B&T and Temp Bond cements as highly oriented and well-packed plates. The poor mechanical strength of the cements seemed to be associated with weaknesses of individual crystals and not with inadequate product formation, discontinuity, or poor crystal-packing hypotheses.
Sintering and microstructure evolution in columnar thermal barrier coatings

Abstract Sintering of thermal barrier coatings changes their key properties, such as thermal conductivity and thermal shock resistance, thus adversely impacting their reliability. We present a novel modeling approach to study the evolution of coating structure during sintering. We model the sintering of individual columns using a thermodynamic principle, and incorporate the center-to-center approach rates for the columns calculated using this principle in a larger scale discrete dynamics model for the evolution of a large number of columns. Surface energies, grain boundary energies and strain energies associated with the deformation of the columns are all included in this framework, while sintering is assumed to occur by the concerted action of surface and grain boundary diffusion. Two sets of initial conditions corresponding to different extents of pre-sintering among neighboring columns are considered. When the extent of pre-sintering is small, we observe that small clusters containing 5–20 columns are formed. In contrast, where a larger amount of pre-sintering exists, we observe, especially at large column densities, that clusters containing 50–100 columns separated by large inter-cluster pores/channels that appear to organize themselves into a network are formed. These observations are in good agreement with recently published experimental observations. We also explain how these results can explain the development of a “mud-crack”-like pattern.
Amino acid substitutions in the Dictyostelium G alpha subunit G alpha 2 produce dominant negative phenotypes and inhibit the activation of adenylyl cyclase, guanylyl cyclase, and phospholipase C.

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated that the Dictyostelium G alpha subunit G alpha 2 is essential for the cAMP-activation of adenylyl cyclase and guanylyl cyclase and that g alpha 2 null mutants do not aggregate. In this manuscript, we extend the analysis of the function of G alpha 2 in regulating downstream effectors by examining the in vivo developmental and physiological phenotypes of both wild-type and g alpha 2 null cells carrying a series of mutant G alpha 2 subunits expressed from the cloned G alpha 2 promoter. Our results show that wild-type cells expressing G alpha 2 subunits carrying mutations G40V and Q208L in the highly conserved GAGESG (residues 38-43) and GGQRS (residues 206-210) domains, which are expected to reduce the intrinsic GTPase activity, are blocked in multicellular development. Analysis of down-stream effector pathways essential for mediating aggregation indicates that cAMP-mediated activation of guanylyl cyclase and phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C (PI-PLC) is almost completely inhibited and that there is a substantial reduction of cAMP-mediated activation of adenylyl cyclase. Moreover, neither mutant G alpha 2 subunit can complement g alpha 2 null mutants. Expression of G alpha 2(G43V) and G alpha 2(G207V) have little or no effect on the effector pathways and can partially complement g alpha 2 null cells. Our results suggest a model in which the dominant negative phenotypes resulting from the expression of G alpha 2(G40V) and G alpha 2(Q208L) are due to a constitutive adaptation of the effectors through a G alpha 2-mediated pathway. Analysis of PI-PLC in g alpha 2 null mutants and in cell lines expressing mutant G alpha 2 proteins also strongly suggests that G alpha 2 is the G alpha subunit that directly activates PI-PLC during aggregation. Moreover, overexpression of wild-type G alpha 2 results in the ability to precociously activate guanylyl cyclase by cAMP in vegetative cells, suggesting that G alpha 2 may be rate limiting in the developmental regulation of guanylyl cyclase activation. In agreement with previous results, the activation of adenylyl cyclase, while requiring G alpha 2 function in vivo, does not appear to be directly carried out by the G alpha 2 subunit. Our data are consistent with adenylyl cyclase being directly activated by either another G alpha subunit or by beta gamma subunits released on activation of the G protein containing G alpha 2.
Larval growth inhibitors from species of Prthenium (asteraceae)

Abstract Natural products isolated from various species of Parthenium were fed (in artificial diets) to the herbivorous insects Heliothis zea and Spodoptera exigua to assess the ability of the compounds to inhibit larval growth. Sesquiterpene esters and triterpenes from guayule ( P.argentatum ) were relatively non-inhibitory over a range of concentrations reflecting those in the plant. A quercetagetin-based methylated flavonoid from guayule was equitoxic to quercetin, whereas a kaempferol-based methylated flavonoid was stimulatory to both insect species. Sesquiterpene lactones from Parthenium were consistently inhibitory to H. zea ; those oxygenated at C-14 and/or C-15 (parthenolides) were more inhibitory than their unsubstituted ambrosanolide analogues. At a dietary concentration of 3.0 mM/kg fr. wt, tetraneurin-A (a parthenolide) reduced larval growth of H. zea by 88 % relative to controls in a chronic feeding bioassay.
Electrostatics dominate quadruplex stability

Stabilization of nucleic acid structures results from a balance of multiple interactions, including electrostatics, base stacking, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, etc. Nucleic acid quadruplexes are unusual structures in that their formation is driven by specific binding of metal ions. This unique mode of metal binding, which is tightly coupled to oligonucleotide folding, can engender correspondingly unique solution behavior. In particular, we show that addition of many cosolvents, such as primary aliphatic alcohols, increases the thermal stability of quadruplexes, as determined by melting temperature, Tm, in direct contrast to the response of duplexes to the same admixture of solvents. Thermal stability is observed to increase as the dielectric constant of the composite solvent decreases. This behavior suggests a dominant role for electrostatics in quadruplex formation and stability. Additional studies done with other cosolvents and solutes suggest that, in some cases, other forces may come into play, including the possibility of direct interaction with the quadruplex structure. Nonetheless, many cosolvents and small molecules, such as ethanol, dimethylformamide, and betaine, stabilize the quadruplex conformation in sharp distinction to their destabilization of DNA duplexes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 85: 91–101, 2007. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com
Culture and Self-Determination: A Synthesis of the Literature and Directions for Future Research and Practice

Self-determination has received significant attention in the special education field, but scholars’ knowledge of how culturally and linguistically diverse learners and their families perceive inter...
New dithiocarbamate compounds of manganese carbonyl and a zinc polymer

Abstract The reaction of [EtO2CN=CS2C {N (H) CO2Et} {S2CN (H) CO2Et} ] , 1 with Mn2 (CO) 9NCMe yielded the dithiocarbamate complex Mn (CO) 4 [S2CN (H) CO2Et] , 2 which was characterized structurally in the form of its phosphine derivative Mn (CO) 3 (PMe2Ph) [S2CN (H) CO2Et] , 3. Compound 3 was found to contain a chelating dithiocarbamato ligand with a cis-positioned phosphine ligand. Compound 1 also reacts with zinc acetylacetonate to yield the zinc dithiocarbamate complex Zn (μ-S,S-S2CN (H) CO2Et) (μ-O,S-S2CN (H) CO2Et) , 4. Compound 4 forms a helical polymer in the solid state with the zinc ions linked by bridging dithiocarbamate ligands. Compound 1 appears to be a good source of the ethoxycarbonylthiocarbamate ligand.
Chlorine and chlorine dioxide treatment to reduce or remove EBDCs and ETU residues in a solution.

Calcium hypochlorite (Ca(OCl)2) and chlorine dioxide (ClO2), common disinfecting and bleaching chemicals used in the food industry, are potent oxidizing agents. In this paper, the degradation effects of chlorine dioxide on mancozeb and ethylenethiourea (ETU) residues were investigated in a model system and compared with those of liquid chlorine, under various conditions such as differing concentration, pH, reaction time, and temperature. All samples were analyzed for residues by GLC and HPLC. Rate of mancozeb degradation was dependent on pH, with pH 4.6 being the most effective. Mancozeb residues decreased 40−100% with chlorine and chlorine dioxide treatments. ETU residue concentrations in mancozeb solutions were monitored over 60 min. Under controlled conditions, the ETU residue concentrations increased up to 15 min reaction time and then decreased in all three pH ranges. Treatment with both chlorine and chlorine dioxide at pH 4.6, yielded no ETU residues at both 10 and 21 °C. The results show that chlor...
Response patterns of single units in the olfactory bulb of the rat to odor.

Abstract Neural spike activity was recorded from 56 single neurons in the olfactory bulb of the unanesthetized, curarized rat. Odor stimulation was provided by puffs from a squeeze bottle or by a dilution-type olfactometer. Each neuron of the group of 33 which responded to odors possessed a unique set of stimuli to which it responded. The neurons showed ‘generalist’ odor sensitivity rather than strict odor specialization. The classification of odor sensitivity is best described by a matrix which shows the responses to the odorants across units. The units in the matrix can be divided into 3 sets; those which responded only with facilitation, only with inhibition, and those which responded with facilitation to some odors and with inhibition to others. The rate of rise of the facilitory response may be rapid, moderate or slow and and the decline during inhibition either rapid or moderate. The responses to each odorant possessed a unique distribution of rise and fall times. The temporal patterns, seen in multi-unit recordings, were observed at the single unit level. A model for odor quality discrimination is provided by the patterning of responses across units and by the temporal patterning across the responses to a particular odorant.
The academic labor market for economists: 1995–96

This paper provides a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of the job market for economists using new survey data on job search and employment experiences for a recent cohort of market participants. Several empirical facts are established about the labor market for economists based on separate surveys of job market applicants and chairs of programs advertising job openings in economics. In addition to providing descriptive statistics, this paper examines methods to reduce the costs of job search and recruiting and describes how market outcomes differ by department rank. Such information is of interest to current and future market participants, to advisors of job candidates, and to search committees.
Modeling the evolution of religious institutions

Alam, S.J., Geller, A., Meyer, R., & Werth, B. (2011). Modelling contextualized reasoning in complex societies with ‘‘endorsements.’’ Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 13(4). Retrieved from http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/13/4/6.html Axtell, R. (2000). Why agents? On the varied motivations for agent computing in the social sciences. Center on Social and Economic Dynamics (Working Paper No. 17). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. Axtell, R.L., & Epstein, J.M. (1994). Agent-based models: Understanding our creations. Bulletin of the Santa Fe Institute, 28!32. Bonabeau, E. (2002). Agent-based modeling: Methods and techniques for simulating human systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99(3), 7280!7287. Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (1990). Grounded theory research: Procedures, canons, and evaluative criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13(1), 3!21. Danzig, R. (2011). Driving in the dark: Ten propositions about prediction and national security. Washington, DC: Center for a New American Security. Geller, A., Latek, M.M., Mussavi Rizi, S.M., Fink, C., MacKerrow, E., Bos, N.D., & Thies, C. (2012). Data acquisition protocols for modeling and simulation of human emergency: A proposal for a workshop. Unpublished document. Latek, M.M., & Mussavi Rizi, S.J. (2011). Robust decision making under strategic uncertainty in multiagent environments. In Proceedings ofWorkshop on Applied Adversarial Reasoning and Risk Modeling (pp. 34!41) Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Merton, R.K. (1949). On sociological theories of the middle range. In R.K. Merton (Ed.), On theoretical sociology: Five essays, old and new (pp. 39!53). New York: Free Press. Moss, S. (2002). Policy analysis from first principles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99(3), 7267!7274. Moss, S., & Edmonds, B. (2005). Towards good social science. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 8(4). Retrieved from http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/8/4/13.html Newell, A., & Simon, H. (1961). Computer simulation of human thinking. Science, 124(3495), 2011!2017. Polhill, J.G., Parker, D., Brown, D., & Grimm, V. (2008). Using the ODD protocol for describing three agent-based social simulation models of land-use change. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 11(2). Retrieved from http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/11/2/3.html Popper, S.W., Lempert, R.J., & Bankes, S.C. (2005). Shaping the future. Scientific American, April, 66!71. Sun, R. (2008). Prolegomena to integrating cognitive modeling and social simulation. In R. Sun (Ed.), Cognition and multi-agent interaction (pp. 1!26). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Procedure of rectal temperature measurement affects brain, muscle, skin, and body temperatures and modulates the effects of intravenous cocaine.

Rectal probe thermometry is commonly used to measure body core temperature in rodents because of its ease of use. Although previous studies suggest that rectal measurement is stressful and results in long-lasting elevations in body temperatures, we evaluated how this procedure affects brain, muscle, skin and core temperatures measured with chronically implanted thermocouple electrodes in rats. Our data suggest that the procedure of rectal measurement results in powerful locomotor activation, rapid and strong increases in brain, muscle, and deep body temperatures, as well as a biphasic, down-up fluctuation in skin temperature, matching the response pattern observed during tail-pinch, a representative stressful procedure. This response, moreover, did not habituate after repeated day-to-day testing. Repeated rectal probe insertions also modified temperature responses induced by intravenous cocaine. Under quiet resting conditions, cocaine moderately increased brain, muscle and deep body temperatures. However, during repeated rectal measurements, which increased temperatures, cocaine induced both hyperthermic and hypothermic responses. Direct comparisons revealed that body temperatures measured by a rectal probe are typically lower (∼0.6°C) and more variable than body temperatures recorded by chronically implanted electrodes; the difference is smaller at low and greater at high basal temperatures. Because of this difference and temperature increases induced by the rectal probe per se, cocaine had no significant effect on rectal temperatures compared to control animals exposed to repeated rectal probes. Therefore, although rectal temperature measurements provide a decent correlation with directly measured deep body temperatures, the arousing influence of this procedure may drastically modulate the effects of other arousing stimuli and drugs.
A Wnt- and β-catenin-dependent pathway for mammalian cardiac myogenesis

Acquisition of a cardiac fate by embryonic mesodermal cells is a fundamental step in heart formation. Heart development in frogs and avians requires positive signals from adjacent endoderm, including bone morphogenic proteins, and is antagonized by a second secreted signal, Wnt proteins, from neural tube. By contrast, mechanisms of mesodermal commitment to create heart muscle in mammals are largely unknown. In addition, Wnt-dependent signals can involve either a canonical β-catenin pathway or other, alternative mediators. Here, we tested the involvement of Wnts and β-catenin in mammalian cardiac myogenesis by using a pluripotent mouse cell line (P19CL6) that recapitulates early steps for cardiac specification. In this system, early and late cardiac genes are up-regulated by 1% DMSO, and spontaneous beating occurs. Notably, Wnt3A and Wnt8A were induced days before even the earliest cardiogenic transcription factors. DMSO induced biochemical mediators of Wnt signaling (decreased phosphorylation and increased levels of β-catenin), which were suppressed by Frizzled-8/Fc, a soluble Wnt antagonist. DMSO provoked T cell factor-dependent transcriptional activity; thus, induction of Wnt proteins by DMSO was functionally coupled. Frizzled-8/Fc inhibited the induction of cardiogenic transcription factors, cardiogenic growth factors, and sarcomeric myosin heavy chains. Likewise, differentiation was blocked by constitutively active glycogen synthase kinase 3β, an intracellular inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Conversely, lithium chloride, which inhibits glycogen synthase kinase 3β, and Wnt3A-conditioned medium up-regulated early cardiac markers and the proportion of differentiated cells. Thus, Wnt/β-catenin signaling is activated at the inception of mammalian cardiac myogenesis and is indispensable for cardiac differentiation, at least in this pluripotent model system.
Growing fat graphs

We present an algorithm for growing fat graphs. Traditionally, graph drawing algorithms represent vertices as circles and edges as closed curves connecting the vertices. The thickness of an edge is often used as a visualization cue, to indicate importance, or to convey some additional information. We show how to grow fat graphs with edges of variable thickness. For the purpose of the demonstration we focus on a restricted class of graphs that occur in VLSI wire routing. This class corresponds to planar, max-degree-1 graphs. The underlying algorithm also extends to general planar graphs as shown in [2]. In VLSI wire routing it is often desirable to maximize the distance between different wires. Maximizing the distance between wires is equivalent to finding the drawing in which the edges are drawn as thick as possible, i.e., allowing the graph to grow as fat as possible. The continuous homotopic routing problem [1, 3, 5] is a classic VLSI problem. The input is an initial sketch of the wiring (i.e., each wire is given a specified homotopy class), where the wires have fixed terminals. The goal is to route the wires with maximal separation between the wires, while preserving the homotopy. It is easy to see that this problem can be rephrased as the following fat-graph problem: find a planar drawing in which all the edges are drawn as fat as possible. Note that if the wiring sketch is not given or the terminals are not fixed, the problem is NP-hard [6]. The video shows the main steps of our algorithm: (1) an arbitrary wire routing is converted to a homotopic equivalent routing such that the distance between any two wires is maximized and the routing uses the wire lengths are minimized; (2) the wires are let to grow and (3) after the growth process terminates, the medial axis of each fat edge is used to route the corresponding wire. The running time of our algorithm is O(kn+ n) and the space required is O(k + n) where n is the number of wires and k is the maximum of the input and output complexities. Note that k can be much larger than n. Even after shortest paths have been computed for each wire, k can be as large as k = Ω(2) [2]. We are now ready to outline the general technique for
Imaging Techniques in the Evaluation of Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas

Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas is a highly malignant neoplasm that presents late and carries a dismal prognosis. Despite technical advances, the various imaging modalities used to evaluate and stage a
The affordable care act's coverage expansions will reduce differences in uninsurance rates by race and ethnicity

There are large differences in US health insurance coverage by racial and ethnic groups, yet there have been no estimates to date on how implementation of the Affordable Care Act will affect the distribution of coverage by race and ethnicity. We used a microsimulation model to show that racial and ethnic differentials in coverage could be greatly reduced, potentially cutting the eight-percentage-point black-white differential in uninsurance rates by more than half and the nineteen-percentage-point Hispanic-white differential by just under one-quarter. However, blacks and Hispanics are still projected to remain more likely to be uninsured than whites. Achieving low uninsurance under the Affordable Care Act will depend on effective state policies to attain high enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the new insurance exchanges. Coverage gains among Hispanics will probably depend on adoption of strategies that address language and related barriers to enrollment and retention i...
Deconstructing Discourses of Drought

A debate on Haughton G 1998 Private profits - public drought: the creation of a crisis in water management for West Yorkshire Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 23 4 419–33
Reactions of [CH3]+ and [CD3]+ with alcohols

The reactions of [CH3]+ and [CD3]+ with a number of C1 to C5 alcohols were studied at approximately thermal energies (0.1 eV) using a tandem Dempster ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. Branching ratios obtained under single collision conditions are reported for [CH3]+ and [CD3]+ with methanol, perdeutero methanol, ethanol, allyl alcohol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, perdeutero-2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, t-butanol, cyclopentanol and 1-pentanol. The results are examined in terms of the mechanism of reactions and indicate that upon progression to larger alcohols, the formation of a long-lived adduct becomes less important in determining the reaction products.
Study of the K + Decay

Some properties of the various decay modes of K+ mesons have been studied with hodoscope scintillation counters. 122 Kμ3 events were identified in the high-energy end of the muon energy spectrum from 115±3 MeV to 134 MeV which yielded (0.42±0.10)% as the relative branching ratio. The result, together with the Ke3 branching ratio and the low-energy end of the Kμ3 muon energy spectrum, is found to satisfy a constant form factor V−A interaction. The muon longitudinal polarization for the Kμ3 events was found to be +0.8−0.8+0.2 which is two standard deviations from the calculated value -0.81 using the constant form factors which best fit the spectrum. A lifetime analysis of the decay modes gave T(Kμ3)=(1.06±0.16)×18−8 sec, T(Kπ2)=(1.197±0.032)×10−8 sec, and T(Kμ2)=(1.259±0.018)×10−8 sec which are consistent with a single total lifetime, as expected. The total lifetime was found to be T(K+)=(1.231±0.011)×10−8 sec in agreement with previous values. The relative Kμ2Kπ2 branching ratio was measured as 2.98±0.25. A search for the occurrence of an intermediate-mass lepton in the decay K→χ+ν established 3×10−4 as the upper limit for the branching ratio with me<mχ<75 MeV.
Achieving bipedal locomotion on rough terrain through human-inspired control

This paper presents a method for achieving robotic walking on rough terrain through Human-Inspired Control. This control methodology uses human data to achieve human like walking in robots by considering outputs that appear to be indicative of walking, and using nonlinear control methods to track a set of functions called Canonical Walking Functions (CWF). While this method has proven successful on a specific well-defined terrain, rough terrain walking is achieved by dynamically changing the CWF that the robot outputs should track at every step. To make the computation more tractable Extended Canonical Walking Functions (ECWF) are used to generate these desired functions instead of CWF. The state of the robot, after every non-stance foot strike, is actively sensed and a new CWF is constructed to ensure Hybrid Zero Dynamics is respected for the next step. Finally, the technique developed is implemented on different terrains in simulation. The same technique is adopted experimentally on the bipedal robot AMBER and tested on sinusoidal terrain. Experimental results show how the walking gait morphs based upon the terrain, thereby justifying the theory applied.
Balantidiasis in infancy

Summary Balantidium coli infection in a malnourished 5-month-old infant was treated with carbarsone, resulting in eradication of the parasite. She is believed to be the youngest patient with this condition on record. The disease may be encountered in all parts of the world. Air travel may increase opportunities for exposure. Unless considered, it can be overlooked as a cause of diarrhea. Immediate, proper examination of fresh stools should easily reveal the trophozoites in acute cases. At present, treatment with tetracyclines appears to be the preferred method. The epidemiology of balantidiasis is still obscure.
Evidence that bacterial contact with the plant cell is necessary for the hypersensitive reaction but not the susceptible reaction

Abstract The hypersensitive reaction (HR) and susceptible reaction (SR) can be distinguished in leaves of pepper containing cells of Xanthomonas vesicatoria by plotting leakage of electrolytes with time. HR is prevented in leaves kept watersoaked after inoculation but SR is not. Cells of a pathotype that initiated HR in leaves permitted to dry after inoculation initiated SR in leaves kept watersoaked after inoculation. Bacteria immobilized in water-agar in intercellular spaces of leaves did not cause HR, but did induce SR. Re-watersoaking leaves permitted to dry after inoculation did not prevent HR. These experiments provided evidence that bacteria that came into contact with pepper cells upon dissipation of water introduced at inoculation initiated HR, and the lack of bacterial cell contact with plant cells precluded HR, but not SR.
A HIGH-PERFORMANCE MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR FOR CONTINUOUS FERMENTATION OF LACTOSE TO ETHANOL

Productivity of the fermentation of lactose to ethanol byKluyveromyces fragilis has been significantly improved by coupling a cross-flow membrane module to the primary fermentor in a semi-closed loop configuration. At a cell concentration of 90g/L in the bioreactor and inlet lactose concentration of 150g/L, productivity was 240gETOH/L/hr at dilution rate of 6 hr-1. This was 80 times better than batch fermentation.
Elevated carbon dioxide and irrigation effects on water stable aggregates in a Sorghum field: a possible role for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

While soil biota and processes are becoming increasingly appreciated as important parameters for consideration in global change studies, the fundamental characteristic of soil structure is a neglected area of research. In a sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] field experiment in which CO2 [supplied using free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) technology] was crossed factorially with an irrigation treatment, soil aggregate (1‐2 mm) water stability increased in response to elevated CO2. Aggregate water stability was increased by 40% and 20% in response to CO2, at ample and limited water supply treatments, respectively. Soil hyphal lengths of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) increased strongly (with a threefold increase in the dry treatment) in response to CO2, and the concentrations of one fraction (easily extractable glomalin, EEG) of the AMF-produced protein glomalin were also increased. Two fractions of glomalin, and AMF hyphal lengths were all positively correlated with soil aggregate water stability. The present results further support the hypothesis that AMF can become important in global change scenarios. Although in this field study a causal relationship between hyphal length, glomalin and aggregate stability cannot be demonstrated, the present data do suggest that AMF could mediate changes in soil structure under elevated CO2. This could be of great importance in agricultural systems threatened by erosional soil loss.
RADICAL CATION PRODUCTION IN THE PHOTOLYSIS OF 5‐M‐ETHOXY‐1‐M‐ETHYLINDOLE

— The flash photolysis of 5-m-ethoxy-1-m-ethylindole in aqueous media was studied for the purpose of assigning the absorption spectrum of the radical cation. Transients produced in this study were analogous to those formed in the photolysis of 5-m-ethoxyindole. The major transient observed with an absorption maximum of 460 nm was O2-s-ensitive and had a lifetime of 20 μs in nitrogen saturated solutions. One radical species is produced with absorption maxima at 445 and 530 nm. Ionic strength effects on the reaction of this species with I− confirms that it is the radical cation of 5-m-ethoxy-l-methylindole. The effect of H+ and Br− on the fluorescence, radical cation and triplet yields is discussed in relation to the mechanism of transient formation.
Self-assembled high aspect ratio gold nanostar/graphene oxide hybrid nanorolls

Owing to their unique properties and potential applications in nanoelectronics, graphene and its derivatives have received extensive attention over the last decade. Noble metal nanostructures, on the other hand, enable the confinement and manipulation of light at the nanoscale. Integration of nanocarbons and plasmonic nanostructures is expected to result in synergistic optoelectronic properties that can potentially revolutionize the design and fabrication of optoelectronic devices. In this letter, we demonstrate a simple self-assembly approach to achieve synergistic ensemble of plasmonic gold nanostars and graphene oxide. Gold nanostars are directly nucleated and grown on the surface of graphene oxide by in situ reduction method producing differential surface charged hybrid macroanionic sheets, which are then kinetically rolled and simultaneously assembled into high aspect ratio hybrid nanorolls by means of the interplay of kinetics and graphene–gold interactions.
First Ladies: Constitutional and Job Description Problems?

A first lady's power and influence is conditioned by many complicated administrative and environmental variables. These variables can present problems for first ladies. However, two often cited problems, the nonconstitutional nature of the first lady's job and the first lady's management of the public-private divide are either nonexistent or receding in nature respectively. To further mitigate these so-called problems, we argue that the president should be required to appoint the first lady as a presidential aide or advisor. As a result the first lady would be subject to the same laws and regulations which cover other presidential aides. We believe this will enhance democratic accountability.
Rocket engine diagnostics using neural networks

Two problems in applying neural networks to fault detection and identification are (1) the complexity of the sensor data to fault mapping and (2) the lack of sufficient training data. Here, methods are derived and tested in an architecture which addresses these two problems. First, the sensor data to fault mapping is decomposed into three simpler mappings which perform sensor data compression, hypothesis generation, and sensor fusion. Efficient training is performed for each mapping separately. Second, the neural network which performs sensor fusion is structured to detect new unknown faults for which training examples were not presented. These methods were tested on a task of fault detection and identification in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). Results indicate that the decomposed neural network architecture can be trained efficiently, can identify faults for which it has been trained, and can detect the occurrence of faults for which it has not been trained.
Cooperative structure direction in the synthesis of microporous materials : Preparation and crystal structure of TREN-GaPO

A unique, large-pore gallium oxyfluorophosphates has been synthesized by using a combination of two structure-directing amines: tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TREN) and pyridine. TREN−GaPO has two parallel channel systems delineated by 12- and 8-membered rings, and the organic amines are found to be ordered in these two channels.
Identification of Metabolic Changes in Genetically Unstable Stem Cells by Using Model Analysis of Gene Expression

Stem-cell research seeks to address many different questions related to fundamental stem-cell function with the ultimate goal of being able to control and utilize stem cells for a broad range of therapeutic needs. While a large amount of work is focused on discovering and controlling differentiation mechanisms in stem cells, an equally interesting and important area of work is to understand the basics of stem-cell propagation and self-renewal. With high-throughput genomics and transcriptomic information on hand, it is becoming possible to address some of the detailed mechanistic processes occurring in stem cells, though interpretation of these data is often difficult. In this work, stem cells with genetic abnormalities were compared to genetically normal stem cells using gene-expression array data integrated with a large-scale metabolic model to help interpret changes in metabolism resulting in the identification of several metabolic pathways that were different in the normal and abnormal cells.
Theory of heat transfer-irreversible power plants. II: The optimal allocation of heat exchange equipment

Abstract This paper shows that the power output of various power plant configurations can be maximized by properly dividing the fixed inventory of heat exchange equipment among the heat transfer components of each plant. This conclusion is built over a sequence of fundamental power-maximization problems: the solar power plant with total area constraint, the solar power plant with storage by melting, the power plant with two heat exchangers and total area constraint, the combined-cycle power plant, the power plant viewed as an insulation between its heat source and heat sink, and the power plant with by-pass heat leak to the ambient. New diagrams are reported for the power plant at maximum power, and the refrigeration plant at maximum refrigeration load.
Automation techniques for intelligent environments

This work involves learning the use schedule of an academic building in order to intelligently control various aspects of the environment. Motion sensors are used to monitor and record the activity of each of the rooms in the building. After a basic preprocessing of the data, a Cyclic Genetic Algorithm (CGA) is used to pick out the patterns of use of the rooms. The CGA is seen as ideal for such a problem because of its ability to find repetitive cyclic patterns in the data. Our results show that a CGA has the ability to pick out such patterns and construct a schedule of use for a room.
An Exploratory Study of the Use of the Wechsler Digit–Symbol Incidental Learning Procedure with the WAIS-IV

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) does not include the optional Incidental Learning procedure for the Digit-Symbol subtest (now simply called Coding) that had been available in the WAIS-Third Edition (WAIS-III). However, the procedure itself has been shown to have some utility in assessment of incidental memory processes. The current study of a mixed clinical outpatient sample (n = 75) sought to identify salient characteristics of the Incidental Learning tasks as applied to WAIS-IV Coding. Findings showed that the Pairing procedure, when applied to the WAIS-IV, has different characteristics than it did with the WAIS-III; it is more difficult overall, and different items tend to be more prominently recalled than others. The Free Recall procedure for the WAIS-IV is comparable to the WAIS-III version in overall difficulty. Implications and implementation of the current findings are discussed.
Burmese Monks in Bangkok: Opening an Abhidhamma School and Creating a Lineage

In 1951, a small group of Thai monks went to explore the propagation of Buddhism in Burma. After being inspired by the Burmese methods of teaching Buddhist dhamma, the Abhidhamma-Jotika College was founded by Venerable Sayadaw Saddhammajotika Dhamm?c?riya, a Burmese monk commissioned to initiate Abhidhamma education in Bangkok. In fact, according to the college's history, prior to the founding of the Abhidhamma-Jotika College, Thailand lacked any formal training institution specifically dedicated to the study of the Abhidhamma, and thus for the means, materials, and teachers to enable the study of this ‘basket’ of the Tipiṭaka, Thais looked to the Burmese. It is common to hear about the negative history of warfare and animosity between the Thai and Burmese. However, in order to fully understand the relationships between the two, particularly regarding Buddhist practice and study in Thailand, it is crucial to understand the very positive respect given by Thai Buddhists to the Burmese. This paper will look at the Abhidhamma-Jotika College as an exemplifier of how, through Phra Saddhammajotika, a unique lineage was born in Thailand. Through this lineage the students of the Abhidhamma-Jotika College continue to identify with the ethnicity of their Burmese founder and, moreover, believe they are participating in ‘something Burmese’.
Gastrointestinal problems in pregnancy

Abstract Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is common but only 5% of women develop hyperemesis gravidarum. They will lose weight and will need admission, intravenous rehydration, anti-emetics and vitamin supplementation. Peptic ulceration is less common in pregnancy. It may be diagnosed by endoscopy and treated with H2 antagonists if simple treatments fail. Constipation is common and if increased fluid intake and increased physical activity are not sufficient there are a number of suitable laxatives that can be used. Haemorrhoids are consequently also common and usually respond to treatment of constipation and local measures. Irritable bowel syndrome is not more common in pregnancy but its symptomatology may be more pronounced. Although antispasmodics and anticholinergics are contraindicated, peppermint oil is safe and effective. Dietary modification and supplementation of the diet with fibre is often helpful, although opiates and loperamide may be more helpful if diarrhoea predominates. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) may increase the incidence of miscarriage and relapse is more common in the first trimester and in the puerperium. In general, the risks of untreated disease are greater than the risks of the common medications used to treat IBS. Women must be encouraged to stay on effective medication. There is no identifiable adverse effects of steroid therapy, sulphasalazine or 5-ASA (e.g. mesalazine) in pregnancy. Folate supplementation is necessary with sulphasalazine therapy. New perianal disease is common after episiotomy, however Caesarean section is associated with recurrent disease and fistula formation, therefore Caesarean section is reserved for obstetric indications.
Crystallization and thermal behavior of microcellular injection‐molded polyamide‐6 nanocomposites

This article presents the effects of nanoclay and supercritical nitrogen on the crystallization and thermal behavior of microcellular injection-molded polyamide-6 (PA6) nanocomposites with 5 and 7.5 wt% nanoclay. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and polarized optical microscopy (POM) were used to characterize the thermal behavior and crystalline structure. The isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of neat resin and its corresponding nanocomposite samples were analyzed using the Avrami and Ozawa equations, respectively. The activation energies determined using the Arrhenius equation for isothermal crystallization and the Kissinger equation for nonisothermal crystallization were comparable. The specimen thickness had a significant influence on the nonisothermal crystallization especially at high scanning rates. Nanocomposites with an optimal amount of nanoclay possessed the highest crystallization rate and a higher level of nucleation activity. The nanoclay increased the magnitude of the activation energy but decreased the overall crystallinity. The dissolved SCF did not alter the crystalline structure significantly. In contrast with conventionally injection-molded solid counterparts, microcellular neat resin parts and microcellular nanocomposite parts were found to have lower crystallinity in the core and higher crystallinity near the skin.
The proteasome regulates receptor-mediated endocytosis of interleukin-2.

Recent studies have increasingly implicated the proteasome in the regulation of cell surface receptors. In the present study, we investigated the role of the proteasome for ligand-dependent endocytosis and degradation of the interleukin-2 (IL-2)-interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) complex. Proteasome inhibitors impaired internalization of IL-2·IL-2R and prevented the lysosomal degradation of this cytokine. Based on time-course studies, proteasome activity is primarily required after initial endocytosis of the IL-2·IL-2R. Proteasome function was also necessary for the lysosomal degradation of IL-2 internalized by IL-2R that were comprised of cytoplasmic tailless β- or γc-subunits, suggesting that the target protein for the proteasome is independent of either the cytoplasmic tail of the IL-2R β- or γc-subunits and their associated signaling components. Therefore, a functional proteasome is required for optimal endocytosis of the IL-2R/ligand complex and is essential for the subsequent lysosomal degradation of IL-2, possibly by regulating trafficking to the lysosome.
Changes in vaginal cellular activity elicited by varying doses of natural and synthetic estrogens.

Abstract Castrate rats were treated with varying doses of 17 β estradiol and diethyl-stilbestrol for a period of two weeks to allow steady state conditions to pertain in the vaginal epithelial cell population. To estimate the cellular proliferation rate, the number of cells in DNA synthesis in the basal layer was estimated for each dosage level using tritiated thymidine autoradiography. A sigmoidal dose response was noted which was almost identical for the two hormones when the percent labeled basal cells was plotted against log dose. When the dose of estradiol exceeded 0.5 μg/day or the dose of diethylstilbestrol exceeded 1.0 μg/day, toxicity was apparent. Vaginal epithelial thickness, measured in the same animals, correlated almost perfectly with this labeling index at each dosage level, suggesting that epithelial thickness is essentially a pure function of the cellular proliferative response to these hormones.
Frequency and temperature dependence of the microwave surface impedance of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 − δ thin films in a dc magnetic field: Investigation of vortex dynamics

We report the results of a study of the complex microwave surface impedance {ital Z}{sub {ital S}} resulting from vortex motion in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} thin films in a dc magnetic field applied parallel to the film {ital c} axis. Using the technique of stripline resonators we have measured {ital Z}{sub {ital S}} at frequencies from 1.2 to 22GHz and at temperatures from 5 to 65K in magnetic fields from 0 to 4 T. We find that both the surface resistance {ital R}{sub {ital S}} and the surface reactance {ital X}{sub {ital S}} increase almost linearly with the magnetic field. In zero applied magnetic field we find the frequency dependence of the surface resistance to be {ital f}{sup 2}. In the mixed state, however, there is a significant increase in {ital R}{sub {ital S}}, particularly at lower frequencies, causing {ital R}{sub {ital S}} to be approximately proportional to {ital f}{sup 1.2} at all measured temperatures. We show that fits of these data to models which include only a single pinning energy and a single characteristic pinning frequency are not able to explain our results. We propose that these data indicate the existence of a large number of metastable boundmore » vortex states separated by energy barriers {ital U}{sub {ital b}} whose magnitudes extend from {ital U}{sub {ital b}}{approximately}0 K to several hundred K, and that the dominant part of {ital R}{sub {ital S}} arises from vortex transitions between these states. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}« less