cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of 2 herbal intramammary products on milk quantity and quality compared with conventional and no dry cow therapy

Dry cow therapy, administered at the end of lactation, is aimed at eliminating current and preventing future intramammary (IMM) bacterial infections and typically involves intramammary administration of antibiotics. Certified organic dairies in the United States are restricted from using antibiotics and must consider an alternative therapy or no dry cow therapy. The current study compared 2 herbal products to conventional dry cow therapy and no treatment for a total of 5 treatments over 2 trials. Trial 1 was conducted over 3 yr on 1 research farm and trial 2 included 4 commercial farms plus the research herd over 2 yr. Treatments included (1) a conventional IMM antibiotic and internal teat sealant (penicillin-dihydrostreptomycin and bismuth subnitrate; CON); (2) an herbal IMM product purported to act as a teat sealant (Cinnatube, New AgriTech Enterprises, Locke, NY; CIN); (3) an herbal IMM product (Phyto-Mast, Bovinity Health LLC, Narvon, PA; P-M); (4) Phyto-Mast and Cinnatube (PC); or (5) no dry cow therapy (NT). Each treatment group was balanced by breed, lactation number, due date, herd, and year. However, the CON treatment was used only in the research herd because of the intent to avoid antibiotic usage on the other 4 farms. Comparisons among treatments included the difference between pre- and posttreatment 305-d mature equivalent milk production (trial 1), somatic cell score change from dry-off to freshening at the cow and quarter levels (trials 1 and 2), and milk microbiology change over the dry period (trial 2). We detected no significant differences among treatments for milk yield differences between the lactation following treatment and the lactation preceding treatment. Changes in somatic cell score from one lactation to the next also did not differ significantly among treatments in either trial. Cure rates were not significantly different among treatments; only 19.6% of all quarters were infected at dry off. The proportion of quarters with new infections at 3 to 5d postcalving did not significantly differ among treatments, except between CIN and NT. Percentages (least squares means ± standard error) of quarters with new infections were 24 ± 21% for CON, 15 ± 7% for CIN, 30 ± 10% for P-M, 32 ± 11% for PC, and 35 ± 11% for NT. The efficacy of the herbal products was similar to that of conventional therapy, and the herbal products had no apparent adverse effects.
Dependence of the GaAs (110) surface electronic state dispersion curves on the surface relaxation angle

Abstract The surface state dispersion curves E( k ) of the dangling bond states near the fundamental band gap, C3 and A5, are computed for both the established θ⋍27° model and the recently proposed θ⋍7° model of the (110) surface relaxation of GaAs, where θ is the surface bond rotation angle. The two models produce surface state dispersion curves that are similar to one another and to the data.
The Millennium Arecibo 21 Centimeter Absorption-Line Survey. I. Techniques and Gaussian Fits

We review the theory of measuring spectral lines in emission/absorption observations and apply it to a new survey of the 21 cm line against 79 continuum sources. We develop an observing technique and least-squares procedure to determine the opacity profile, the expected emission profile, and their uncertainty profiles. We discuss the radiative transfer for the two-component interstellar H I gas and use Gaussian components, separate ones for the warm and cold neutral media (WNM and CNM), as a practical implementation of a simple but physically correct model that successfully treats both simple and complicated profiles. Our Gaussians provide CNM spin temperatures, upper limits on kinetic temperatures for both CNM and WNM from the line widths, column densities, and velocities; we discuss these astrophysical aspects in Paper II.
Distribution of silver, mercury, lead, copper and cadmium in central puget sound sediments

Abstract Distributions of five of the more toxic heavy metals have been assessed for Puget Sound sediments. Twenty-one Kasten cores were collected for the study. Analysis by Zeeman-corrected graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy has made possible the accurate and precise determination of silver and cadmium in Puget Sound sediment cores for the first time. Data show that Puget Sound is moderately impacted by anthropogenic Ag, Hg, Pb and Cu. No enrichment of Cd was found. The study also indicates that Puget Sound is quite well mixed with respect to the residence time of particle-bound metals. Toxic metal accumulation sites in the central Sound are determined almost exclusively by grain size, rather than proximity to sources. Estimates are made of trace metal fluxes to the sediments as a function of sediment type and areal distribution.
Beam steering in high-power CW quantum-cascade lasers

We report the light-current (L-I), spectral, and far-field characteristics of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with seven different wavelengths in the /spl lambda/=4.3 to 6.3 /spl mu/m range. In continuous-wave (CW) mode, the narrow-stripe (/spl ap/13 /spl mu/m) epitaxial- side-up devices operated at temperatures up to 340 K, while at 295 K the CW output power was as high as 640 mW with a wallplug efficiency of 4.5%. All devices with /spl lambda//spl ges/4.7 /spl mu/m achieved room-temperature CW operation, and at T=200 K several produced powers exceeding 1 W with /spl ap/10% wallplug efficiency. The data indicated both spectral and spatial instabilities of the optical modes. For example, minor variations of the current often produced nonmonotonic hopping between spectra with envelopes as narrow as 5-10 nm or as broad as 200-250 nm. Bistable beam steering, by far-field angles of up to /spl plusmn/12/spl deg/ from the facet normal, also occurred, although even in extreme cases the beam quality never became worse than twice the diffraction limit. The observed steering is consistent with a theory for interference and beating between the two lowest order lateral modes. We also describe simulations of a wide-stripe photonic-crystal distributed-feedback QCL, which based on the current material quality is projected to emit multiple watts of CW power into a single-mode beam at T=200 K.
Evaluation of a chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) bioenergetics model

We evaluated the Wisconsin bioenergetics model for chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in both the laboratory and the field. Chinook salmon in laboratory tanks were fed alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), the predominant food of chinook salmon in Lake Michigan. Food consumption and growth by chinook salmon during the experiment were measured. To estimate the efficiency with which chinook salmon retain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from their food in the laboratory, PCB concentrations of the alewife and of the chinook salmon at both the beginning and end of the experiment were determined. Based on our laboratory evaluation, the bioenergetics model was furnishing unbiased estimates of food consumption by chinook salmon. Additionally, from the laboratory experiment, we calculated that chinook salmon retained 75% of the PCBs contained within their food. In an earlier study, assimilation rate of PCBs to chinook salmon from their food in Lake Michigan was estimated at 53%, thereby suggesting that the model...
Olfactory intensity of diluted n-aliphatic alcohols

Psychophysical scales were constructed from magnitude estimates of 90 Os who judged the olfactory intensity of stimulus concentrations of a typical geometric dilution series prepared for each of nine alcohols in the homologous series C2-C10. The scales, which resembled power functions with exponents from.027 to.359, had slopes that varied inversely with carbon chain length throughout the series except for pentanol, which was out of its ordinal place in the series by one step. Results confirmed the widely held assumption of an inverse relationship.
Gaseous fluxes of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) into plant leaves

Peroxyactyl nitrate (PAN) is the most abundant of the gaseous organic nitrates produced from the photochemistry of hydrocarbons and NOx (i.e. ozone and smog production). PAN is known to be toxic to plants and also as a reservoir for the transport nitrogen dioxide in the troposphere. Here, the effect of vegetation on PAN deposition was investigated in four plant species by measuring leaf fluxes of PAN in a dynamic leaf chamber using atmospheric PAN fumigations between 0.7 and 18 nmol mol−1. A linear relationship was observed between PAN flux and ambient PAN mixing ratio for all species. Depending on the species, measured PAN flux varied between 11 and 24 pmol m−2 s−1. Measured fluxes of PAN accounted for 12–48% of the PAN flux predicted solely from modelled stomatal conductance to PAN, suggesting the presence of a mesophyllic resistance to PAN uptake. The brief (approximately 5–10 min) exposure to PAN during uptake measurements did not affect photosynthesis, transpiration or conductance to water vapour. Increasing stomatal resistance by varying the vapour pressure gradient between the leaf chamber and leaf internal air space led to a corresponding drop in PAN uptake. Varying leaf nitrogen and total leaf–ascorbate concentrations did not appear to influence PAN uptake as had been reported for other reactive odd-nitrogen gases. Measured and model-predicted PAN fluxes were offset, but correlated suggesting that PAN flux could be estimated using established stomatal conductance algorithms.
A G protein γ subunit-like domain shared between RGS11 and other RGS proteins specifies binding to Gβ5 subunits

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins act as GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) toward the α subunits of heterotrimeric, signal-transducing G proteins. RGS11 contains a G protein γ subunit-like (GGL) domain between its Dishevelled/Egl-10/Pleckstrin and RGS domains. GGL domains are also found in RGS6, RGS7, RGS9, and the Caenorhabditis elegans protein EGL-10. Coexpression of RGS11 with different Gβ subunits reveals specific interaction between RGS11 and Gβ5. The expression of mRNA for RGS11 and Gβ5 in human tissues overlaps. The Gβ5/RGS11 heterodimer acts as a GAP on Gαo, apparently selectively. RGS proteins that contain GGL domains appear to act as GAPs for Gα proteins and form complexes with specific Gβ subunits, adding to the combinatorial complexity of G protein-mediated signaling pathways.
Heat and mass transfer coefficients for porous horizontal cylinders

Mesure des coefficients de transfert de chaleur et de masse de cylindres horizontaux en ecoulement croise dans une soufflerie. Comparaison avec les valeurs locales du nombre de Nusselt calculees avec la correlation de Echert et Soerhngen et les valeurs locales du nombre de Sherwood deduites par l'analogie du transfert de masse
Evaluating hypotheses of basal animal phylogeny using complete sequences of large and small subunit rRNA.

We studied the evolutionary relationships among basal metazoan lineages by using complete large subunit (LSU) and small subunit (SSU) ribosomal RNA sequences for 23 taxa. After identifying competing hypotheses, we performed maximum likelihood searches for trees conforming to each hypothesis. Kishino–Hasegawa tests were used to determine whether the data (LSU, SSU, and combined) reject any of the competing hypotheses. We also conducted unconstrained tree searches, compared the resulting topologies, and calculated bootstrap indices. Shimodaira–Hasegawa tests were applied to determine whether the data reject any of the topologies resulting from the constrained and unconstrained tree searches. LSU, SSU, and the combined data strongly contradict two assertions pertaining to sponge phylogeny. Hexactinellid sponges are not likely to be the basal lineage of a monophyletic Porifera or the sister group to all other animals. Instead, Hexactinellida and Demospongia form a well-supported clade of siliceous sponges, Silicea. It remains unclear, on the basis of these data alone, whether the calcarean sponges are more closely related to Silicea or to nonsponge animals. The SSU and combined data reject the hypothesis that Bilateria is more closely related to Ctenophora than it is to Cnidaria, whereas LSU data alone do not refute either hypothesis. LSU and SSU data agree in supporting the monophyly of Bilateria, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, and Metazoa. LSU sequence data reveal phylogenetic structure in a data set with limited taxon sampling. Continued accumulation of LSU sequences should increase our understanding of animal phylogeny.
Neutron-hole states in 204Tl

Abstract The level scheme of the doubly odd nucleus 204Tl has been studied via the 205Tl(p, d)204Tl reaction at an incident energy of 26.1 MeV and with an energy resolution of better than 10 keV (FWHM). Seventy-seven levels are observed below 3.2 MeV excitation. The extraction of l-transfers and spectroscopic factors for most levels was accomplished by the comparison of experimental angular distributions with DWBA calculations. Extensive configuration mixing is implied from the large number of levels populated. The state at 1.289 MeV, which is populated via l = 6 transfer, is most likely the 6+ level. This knowledge and the known location of the 7+ isomer at 1.103 MeV completes the experimental determination of the doublet involving the π3 s 1 2 and v li 13 2 orbitals.
Out-patient detoxification of patients addicted to sedative-hypnotics and anxiolytics

Due to the risk of seizures and other potentially life threatening complications, it has been accepted practice to detoxify patients addicted to sedative-hypnotics or minor tranquilizers in an in-patient setting. Using the procedures for patient selection and management described below, we have been able to detoxify as out-patients approximately two-thirds of 69 patients who were found to be in need of detoxification. Out-patients experienced no serious complications during or immediately following detoxification and were not significantly less likely than in-patients to complete treatment. We present here some guidelines which will assist practitioners in identifying patients who are appropriate for out-patient detoxification and describe approaches to patient management that have proven effective.
Giant-cell arteritis

Giant-cell or temporal arteritis is a generalized vasculitis that predominantly affects large- and medium-sized arteries in people over 50 years of age. The illness is commonly characterized by the initial symptoms of headache, temporal artery tenderness or pulselessness, musculoskeletal pain, fever, and fatigue. The most dreaded consequence of giant-cell arteritis is visual loss, which is usually irreversible on presentation. Giant-cell arteritis may present with unusual clinical manifestations such as lip, scalp, and tongue necrosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, claudication of the limbs, strokes, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, hematuria, cough, or other CNS symptoms. The etiology of the disease is unknown. Emergency physicians are usually familiar with the more common clinical symptoms but one must consider the unusual manifestations of the disease, because early recognition and initiation of therapy (steroids) decrease morbidity and can prevent blindness.
The control of asymmetric gene expression during Caulobacter cell differentiation.

The dimorphic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus provides a simple model for cellular differentiation. Each cell division produces two distinct cell types: a swarmer cell and a stalked cell. These cells possess distinet functional morphologies and differential programs of transeription and DNA replication. The synthesis of a single polar flagellum is restricted to the swarmer pole of the predivisional cell by a genetic hierarchy comprising at least 50 genes whose transcription is regulated by novel and ubiquitous promoters, cognate sigma factors, and auxiliary transcriptional regulators. Chromosome replication is restricted to the stalked cell by a unique chromosome origin of replication that may be regulated by a novel cell-specific transcriptional control system. Phosphorylation signals, DNA methylation, differential chromosome structures, protein targeting, and selective protein degradation are also involved in establishing and maintaining cellular asymmetry. The molecular details of these universal cellular processes in C. crescentus will provide paradigms applicable to many general aspects of cellular differentiation.
Linking design with structural mechanics and materials

AbstractEducating students in the design of structures has been strongly influenced in modern times by specialization. What in the development of real structures should be an interwoven activity of design, mechanics analysis and materials selection, has been reduced in academic training to three separate activities—leaving the student to work out how to accomplish the integration. It is much easier to teach these subjects in isolation from one another, but the student, and ultimately society as a whole, are left the poorer for it. This paper presents a new approach to teaching structural design. The method centres on the use of a design template, which defines the design space through design degrees of freedom. Within the design template, mechanics analysis and material selection take place in a concurrent fashion. These concepts are discussed in the paper and an example illustrating their use is provided.
Role of Calnexin, Calreticulin, and Endoplasmic Reticulum Mannosidase I in Apolipoprotein(a) Intracellular Targeting†

Apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] is a component of atherogenic lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]. Differences in the extent of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) associated degradation (ERAD) of apo(a) allelic variants con...
Evolution of El Niño–Southern Oscillation and global atmospheric surface temperatures

[1] The origins of the delayed increases in global surface temperature accompanying El Nino events and the implications for the role of diabatic processes in El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are explored. The evolution of global mean surface temperatures, zonal means and fields of sea surface temperatures, land surface temperatures, precipitation, outgoing longwave radiation, vertically integrated diabatic heating and divergence of atmospheric energy transports, and ocean heat content in the Pacific is documented using correlation and regression analysis. For 1950–1998, ENSO linearly accounts for 0.06°C of global surface temperature increase. Warming events peak 3 months after SSTs in the Nino 3.4 region, somewhat less than is found in previous studies. Warming at the surface progressively extends to about ±30° latitude with lags of several months. While the development of ocean heat content anomalies resembles that of the delayed oscillator paradigm, the damping of anomalies through heat fluxes into the atmosphere introduces a substantial diabatic component to the discharge and recharge of the ocean heat content. However, most of the delayed warming outside of the tropical Pacific comes from persistent changes in atmospheric circulation forced from the tropical Pacific. A major part of the ocean heat loss to the atmosphere is through evaporation and thus is realized in the atmosphere as latent heating in precipitation, which drives teleconnections. Reduced precipitation and increased solar radiation in Australia, Southeast Asia, parts of Africa, and northern South America contribute to surface warming that peaks several months after the El Nino event. Teleconnections contribute to the extensive warming over Alaska and western Canada through a deeper Aleutian low and stronger southerly flow into these regions 0–12 months later. The 1976/1977 climate shift and the effects of two major volcanic eruptions in the past 2 decades are reflected in different evolution of ENSO events. At the surface, for 1979–1998 the warming in the central equatorial Pacific develops from the west and progresses eastward, while for 1950–1978 the anomalous warming begins along the coast of South America and spreads westward. The eastern Pacific south of the equator warms 4–8 months later for 1979–1998 but cools from 1950 to 1978.
Emission Lines in the Spectra of Southern Long-Period Variables

Quantitative measures are presented for the intensity of emission features in the spectra of 32 southern red variables.
Cation Transport at 25°C from Binary Cd2+–Mn+ Mixtures in a H2O-CHCl3–H2O Liquid Membrane System Containing a Series of Macrocyclic Carriers[1]

Macrocycle-mediated fluxes of Cd(NO3)2 and of several binary mixtures of Cd(NO3)2 with the nitrate salt of either Na+, K+, Rb+ Cs+, Ag+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, or Cu2+ have been determined in a H2O-CHCl3–H2O liquid membrane system. Of the macrocycles studied, 2.2 and 2.2DD most successfully transported Cd2+ In the Cd2+–Mn+ mixtures, Cd2+ was transported selectively with 2.2 when Mn+ was either an alkali or an alkaline earth cation. However, when Mn+ was either Ag+, Pb2+, or Cu2+ the Cd2+ flux was reduced sharply. Generally, cation flux was greater for 2.2DD than for 2.2 with selectivity for Cd2+ being altered also in several cases. Relative fluxes from binary cation mixtures depend on metal cation radius, macrocycle cavity diameter, ligand ring substituent and log K for metal ion-macrocycle interaction.
Alfin1 transcription factor overexpression enhances plant root growth under normal and saline conditions and improves salt tolerance in alfalfa

Plant root development is an essential determinant of plant growth and crop yield that could be enhanced by induced changes in the expression of root-specific regulatory factors. We reported previously that Alfin1 binds DNA in a sequence-specific manner and that Alfin1 overexpression in transgenic alfalfa (Medicagosativa L.) enhances expression of the salt-inducible MsPRP2 gene in roots, suggesting that Alfin1 functions to regulate gene expression in roots. Here we show that Alfin1 is an essential gene for root growth and that its overexpression in transgenic plants confers a many-fold increase in root growth under normal and saline conditions. Alfin1-binding sites occur in promoters of genes expressed in roots of a wide variety of plant species and we propose that it is a general root growth regulator. Even though Alfin1 overexpression was under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter, plant shoot growth was not adversely affected. We show further that introduction of the Alfin1 transgene in plants confers a dominant characteristic that significantly increases plant growth and salt tolerance.
Limited resistance of hypertrophied skeletal muscle to glucocorticoids.

Abstract Male hypophysectomized rats were initially assigned to a control or an overloaded group that underwent compensatory hypertrophy of plantaris muscles to steady-state levels following removal of synergistic musculature. Plantaris muscle mass of overloaded animals was higher than that of controls by 38% (391 ± 8 vs 284 ± 7 mg) and glucocorticoid cytosol specific binding concentrations, using [ 3 H]triamcinolone acetonide (TA) as the labeled steroid, was also significantly higher in hypertrophied muscles (83.3 ± 3.9 fmol · mg protein −1 ) than in control muscles (56.3 ± 3.9fmol · mg protein −1 ). Cortisone acetate (CA) was then administered daily subcutaneously in high, 100 mg; intermediate, 10 mg; or low, l.0mg · kg −1 body wt doses. Groups of rats were killed after 1/4, 2 days and 7 days. Absolute muscle mass losses after 7 days of CA treatment were approx 80 mg with high doses and 60 mg with intermediate doses in both hypertrophied and control muscles. The low CA dose did not produce atrophy. The absolute depletion of [ 3 H] TA binding activity with CA treatment was always greater in hypertrophied muscles of high and intermediate dose treated than those of their respective controls, but TA binding capacities remained higher in hypertrophied muscles than in controls at almost all time points in all treatment groups. Unlike previous findings in which the simultaneous initiation of overload prevented glucocorticoid induced muscle wasting, no resistance to the effect of CA treatment was observed when treatment was begun after hypertrophy had occurred.
Combustion of crude oil in a porous medium

Experiments are described which simulate the recovery of crude oil from underground reservoirs by in situ combustion. An adiabatic steel tube is filled with crushed sandstone, known quantities of water and crude oil are added, and combustion is initiated at one end of the tube. A combustion front is propagated through the tube, causing the water and much of the oil to be displaced from the opposite end. A typical set of data is presented, and several anomalies are seen in the experimental results. An analytical model is presented which considers simultaneous conduction-convection heat transfer, chemical reaction, aqueous phase change, and three-phase fluid flow. Numerical solutions to the analytical model were obtained on a digital computer. These solutions predict at least qualitatively all of the salient features observed experimentally. The process tends to be dominated by the mechanics of three-phase fluid flow; however, consideration of the other phenomena is also necessary for a proper understanding of the process.
Experimental measurements and equation of state modeling of liquid densities for long-chain n-alkanes at pressures to 265 MPa and temperatures to 523 K

Experimental densities are reported for n-hexadecane, n-octadecane, and n-eicosane at pressures to ∼265 MPa and temperatures of 323.15, 423.15, and 523.15 K. The reported densities are in good agreement with the available literature data that cover limited pressure and temperature ranges. The Peng–Robinson equation of state (PR EOS), a new high-temperature high-pressure volume-translated Soave–Redlich–Kwong equation of state (HTHP-VT SRK EOS), and the perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT) are used to predict the reported densities. Both the HTHP-VT SRK and PC-SAFT equations exhibit mean absolute percent deviation (MAPD) values of 2.4–1.3% for the densities of all three hydrocarbons while the MAPD values for the PR EOS are all near 16%.
Supercritical water gasification of lipid-extracted hydrochar to recover energy and nutrients

Abstract This article reports experiments where lipid-extracted algal hydrochar (LEH) was gasified in supercritical water to recover energy (in the form of fuel gases) for use within a biorefinery and to recycle nitrogen (in the form of ammonium) for algae growth. Supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of LEH at 450–600 °C produced H2, CO2, CH4, CO, C2H4, and C2H6, and converted the organic-bound nitrogen in the LEH into ammonium in the aqueous phase. Increased gasification severity increases the energy and nitrogen recovery. An energy recovery of 75% and complete nitrogen recovery as ammonium were achieved after SCWG at 600 °C and 6 h. These findings demonstrate for the first time the conversion of the byproduct LEH to materials that can be used within an algal biorefinery. Recovering energy and nutrients in this manner may improve the environmental and economic sustainability of making nutraceuticals and biodiesel from microalgal lipids via an approach that uses hydrothermal carbonization of the biomass followed by solvent extraction of the lipids from the hydrochar.
Increased expression of GABA transporters, GAT-1 and GAT-3, in the deafferented superior colliculus of the rat

GABA transporters (GATs) play a critical role in the translemmal transport of GABA in neurons and glial cells. Two major brain GATs, GAT-1 and GAT-3, are found in astrocytes in the adult brain. Astroglia demonstrate morphological and molecular changes in response to brain injury and deafferentation. The present study was designed to determine whether the expression of GATs changes after nerve deafferentation using the rat superior colliculus (SC) as a model. The immunoreactivity for GAT-1 and GAT-3, as well as GABA and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-65 and GAD-67, was studied in the SC of control rats and rats with unilateral optic nerve transections. Immunolabeling for both GAT-1 and GAT-3 was increased in the neuropil of the denervated SC as compared to that for the SC of control rats or for the unaffected SC of experimental rats. In contrast, immunoreactivity for GABA, GAD-65 and GAD-67 was not altered. The change in the immunolabeling of GAT-1 and GAT-3 was detectable at 1 day postlesion and became more evident between 3-30 days postlesion. At the electron microscopic level, immunoreactivity for both GAT-1 and GAT-3 in the unaffected SC was localized to astrocytic processes, whereas GAT-1 immunolabeling was also present in synaptic terminals. In the deafferented SC, immunolabeling for both GATs was elevated in the somata and processes of hypertrophied astrocytes as compared to that in the unaffected SC, whereas GAT-1 labeling in neuronal profiles was largely unchanged. A substantial increase of GAT-1 and GAT-3 in astrocytes following optic nerve transection suggests that these cells play a role in modulating GABA's action in the deafferented SC.
Left Ventricular Filling

During diastole, the left ventricle receives blood from the left atrium that is subsequently ejected into the systemic circulation. In simple terms, the efficiency of left ventricular (LV) filling can be measured as the ability to receive a large volume of blood at a rapid filling rate under low filling pressures. Numerous passive and active properties of the myocardial fibers together with physical-geometric properties contribute to the process of LV filling through three primary functions: LV relaxation, LV compliance, and left atrial function. Diastolic dysfunction and diastolic heart failure therefore occur as a consequence of impairment in any one or a combination of these.
A Surviving Intact Branch Stabilizes Remaining Axon Architecture after Injury as Revealed by In Vivo Imaging in the Mouse Spinal Cord

The complex morphology of axons presents a challenge in understanding axonal responses to injury and disease. By in vivo two-photon imaging of spinal dorsal column sensory axons, we systematically examined the effect of injury location relative to the main bifurcation point on axon degeneration and regeneration following highly localized laser injuries. Retrograde but not anterograde degeneration was strongly blocked at the bifurcation point at both the acute and subacute phases. Eliminating either the ascending or descending branch led to a poor regenerative response, while eliminating both led to a strong regenerative response. Thus, a surviving intact branch suppresses both retrograde degeneration and regeneration of the injured branch, thereby preserving the remaining axon architecture. Regenerating axons exhibited a dynamic pattern with alternating phases of regeneration and pruning over a chronic period. In vivo imaging continues to reveal new insights on axonal responses to injury in the mammalian spinal cord.
Gender differences in personality predictors of counterproductive behavior

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine gender differences in personality predictors of a specific form of workplace aggression: counterproductive work behaviors directed at individuals (CWB‐I).Design/methodology/approach – Students (n=212) who were part‐time employees working at least 15 hours per week completed a measure of the five‐factor model (FFM) personality traits and two circumplex personality traits (Calmnesss and Pleasantness), as well as a measure of CWB‐I. Hierarchical regressions and tests of mean differences were used to examine hypotheses pertaining to gender differences in personality predictors of interpersonal aggression.Findings – Results generally supported the hypotheses as shown by the significant interactions between gender and personality traits in predicting CWB‐I. Agreeableness and Pleasantness significantly (negatively) predicted CWB‐I among males, but not females. Emotional Stability significantly (negatively) predicted CWB‐I among females, but not males.Research lim...
A Monte Carlo model of polarized thermal emission from particulate planetary surfaces

Direct emission from individual grains and multiple scattering between regolith particles are encompassed by the present model of particulate planetary surface thermal emission, whose randomly positioned spherical grains are large relative to the emission's wavelength scale. A Monte Carlo ray-tracing method is used to calculate the spectral and directional emissivity of the surface and the polarization of the emitted radiation, for 7-16 micron wavelengths. The effects of roughness at the scale of individual grains and scattering are separated to elucidate how each affects the emitted radiation. Implications of these results for planetary remote sensing are discussed.
Bridging the Gap Between Digital Measures and Digital Commons in Support of Open Access: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Human Mediation

Utah State University is home to a Digital Commons repository and an instance of the Digital Measures activity-reporting tool. The prospect of linking these two systems, such that content is automatically harvested from Digital Measures for upload into the Digital Commons, is alluring. Our initial efforts were abandoned due to lack of faculty permissions and low-quality metadata. However, with the passage of an Institutional Open Access Policy, we resumed investigation. We found that the process of harvesting from Digital Measures and uploading to Digital Commons could be streamlined, if not fully automated. Our initial harvest revealed that human-mediation is desirable.
The implementation of the Cilk-5 multithreaded language

The fifth release of the multithreaded language Cilk uses a provably good "work-stealing" scheduling algorithm similar to the first system, but the language has been completely redesigned and the runtime system completely reengineered. The efficiency of the new implementation was aided by a clear strategy that arose from a theoretical analysis of the scheduling algorithm: concentrate on minimizing overheads that contribute to the work, even at the expense of overheads that contribute to the critical path. Although it may seem counterintuitive to move overheads onto the critical path, this "work-first" principle has led to a portable Cilk-5 implementation in which the typical cost of spawning a parallel thread is only between 2 and 6 times the cost of a C function call on a variety of contemporary machines. Many Cilk programs run on one processor with virtually no degradation compared to equivalent C programs. This paper describes how the work-first principle was exploited in the design of Cilk-5's compiler and its runtime system. In particular, we present Cilk-5's novel "two-clone" compilation strategy and its Dijkstra-like mutual-exclusion protocol for implementing the ready deque in the work-stealing scheduler.
Seeing sodomy: Fanny Hill's blinding vision

One of the oddest and most erotic moments in Cleland's Fanny Hill occurs when Fanny is knocked "senseless" by a voyeuristic vision of two young men having anal intercourse. This sodomitical passage demonstrates a dominant culture's strong phobic attraction to a socially peripheral Other against which it defines itself. The passage also represents two types of transgression. On one level, it records an inversion of sex, gender, and class paradigms that structure bourgeois subjectivity. On another level, the passage also transgresses signification itself, exploding as well as inverting those paradigms, in a movement that recalls Barthes's distinction between the coded "studium" of the pornographic and the uncoded "punctum" of the erotic. This transgressive exemption from meaning might well be read, in a Barthesian sense, as true sexual enfranchisement in that, for Barthes, the liberation of sexuality requires the release of sexuality from meaning, and from transgression as meaning.
EXAMPLE OF A LARGE-MODEL SIMULATION OF THE BLOOD BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEM,

Abstract : The paper outlines a formal procedure for simulating certain aspects of the biochemistry of a viable system. The procedure is based on a mathematical model and a computer program. The plausibility of constructing detailed models of large biochemical systems is demonstrated. The object of the paper is to demonstrate that a mathematical program can simulate the functions of a selected viable system. For this purpose, a mathematical model of viable blood known as the 'SF Blood' model was chosen. The 'SF Blood' model is a reasonable representation of the respiratory function of the adult-restingmale blood.
Sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy of chiral liquids off and close to electronic resonance and the antisymmetric Raman tensor

The strength of the chiral vibrational peaks in infrared-visible sum-frequency (SF) vibrational spectra from isotropic chiral liquids is proportional to the square of the corresponding antisymmetric Raman element. Under the Born–Oppenheimer adiabatic approximation with nonadiabatic corrections, the antisymmetric Raman tensor is much weaker than the symmetric counterpart, but becomes significantly stronger as the input frequency (or the sum-frequency in SF generation) approaches electronic resonance. We verify the theory with experimental results obtained from infrared-visible doubly resonant sum-frequency generation from an isotropic solution of chiral molecules.
Total unimodularity and the transportation problem: a generalization

Abstract Well-known sufficiency conditions for total unimodularity are relaxed to include more general classes of matrices, whose determinants are related to Fibonacci sequences. It is then shown that in order to study determinants of submatrices of the two-commodity transportation problem, one should study precisely these generalized unimodular matrices. (Note that all submatrices of an ordinary transportation problem are unimodular.) This result enables us to establish determinantal values for submatrices of two-commodity transportation problems (in terms of the number of disjoint capacitated routes) and to identify a totally unimodular class of two-commodity transportation problems.
Anti-nanotech violence

Nanotechnology researchers have recently been targeted by armed eco-terrorists. Chris Toumey examines the motivation of these attackers.
Restricted circular-arc graphs and clique cycles

Circular-arc graphs are natural analogs of chordal and interval graphs, but without some of the features that make chordal and interval graphs particularly nice; perhaps, the biggest difference is the failure of the Helly condition. Restricting circular-arc representations so as to have no three or fewer arcs cover the entire circle and to have the endpoints of arcs be distinguishable by other arcs results in a notion of 'restricted circular-arc graphs' that enjoys many of the nice features of chordal graphs. Their theory is surprisingly parallel to that of chordal graphs, substituting 'clique cycles' for clique trees, but they also have several distinctive features and characterizations.
SEQUENCE AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PHOCINE INTERLEUKIN 2

To improve assessment of cellular immune responses in seals, northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) interleukin 2 (IL-2) has been characterized. The gene was cloned and sequenced from a 658 base pair (bp) cDNA generated from total RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The sequence encoded a 154 amino acid (aa) polypeptide that included a 20 aa putative signal peptide. Seal IL-2 was found to share considerable identity with published sequences. Nucleotide sequence analysis of phocine (seal) IL-2 with canine, feline, human, trichechine (manatee), bovine and murine sequences demonstrated 93, 92, 86, 82, 78 and 71% identity, respectively. Analysis of the derived amino acid sequences demonstrated 88, 89, 78, 71, 66 and 60% identity, respectively. Interleukin-2 sequence identities appear to reflect evolutionary proximity among the analyzed species, and importantly, those residues identified as critical to IL-2 biological activity and receptor binding are largely conserved. To examine the kinetics of IL-2 mRNA expression, northern elephant seal lymphocytes were stimulated with the mitogen concanavalin A (Con A), and RNA was collected at several time points thereafter. The RT-PCR demonstrated that seal IL-2 mRNA expression peaks in the first 8 hr following Con A stimulation. Lastly, genomic DNA from northern elephant seal, harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) was used as template to identify and clone genomic IL-2. Partial sequence of the genomic clones demonstrated nearly complete identity among the three species. Sequence identity indicates that probes constructed from the northern elephant seal IL-2 gene will be effective in assessing IL-2 in other pinniped species.
Cardiopulmonary arrest in the pregnant patient: A report of a successful resuscitation

We report the case of a pregnant patient who suffered cardiac arrest and was initially unresponsive to resuscitative measures. Prompt emergent cesarean delivery of the infant was carried out, and both mother and infant were then successfully resuscitated. We believe that prompt cesarean delivery is the key to maternal and infant survival in such cases.
A simulation-based study of distribution strategies for pharmaceutical supply chains

This paper studies the impact of direct-ship distribution strategies in pharmaceutical supply chains. The typical supply chain for branded prescription pharmaceuticals consists of manufacturers, wholesalers, and pharmacies. A direct-ship strategy, also known as disintermediation, entails shipping directly to customers and is under consideration in the pharmaceutical industry. A direct-ship strategy can encompass partial or complete disintermediation of wholesalers, both of which have been successful in other industries. The goal of this work is to determine the impact of different delivery frequencies and degrees of disintermediation on pharmaceutical supply chains. Four direct-ship models with varying levels of disintermediation are compared. The operating policy under consideration is the frequency of deliveries to direct-ship customers. A simulation model is constructed to represent a pharmaceutical supply chain and distribution data is collected from an industry collaborator. The results show th...
Enzyme modified amperometric sensors for choline and acetylcholine with tetrathiafulvalene tetracyanoquinodimethane as the electron-transfer mediator

Abstract To understand more about acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter, and its precursor choline, acetylcholine and choline amperometric sensors have been fabricated. The performance of the sensors has been improved so that measurements of choline and acetylcholine have a high sensitivity and selectivity. The sensor is constructed from a bevelled and recessed carbon-fiber microelectrode with a radius of 16.5 μm. An organic conducting salt, tetrathiafulvalene tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTFTCNQ), is employed as an electron-transfer mediator. A recess at the tip of the microelectrode was partially filled with TTFTCNQ and covered with cross-linked choline oxidase and acetylcholine esterase. A thin Nafion polymer was also coated to increase the electrodes' mechanical stability. The resulting acetylcholine and choline sensors have a response time of 8.2 s and a linear range up to 50 and 100 μM respectively. Interference from the electroactive compounds ascorbic acid, uric acid, dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and DOPAC was low at their maximal physiological concentrations. Data obtained in slices of rat brain indicate that these sensors are a useful and practical means of monitoring choline concentration changes in the rat brain microenvironment.
NHLBI- AbDesigner : an online tool for design of peptide-directed antibodies

Investigation of physiological mechanisms at a cellular level often requires production of high-quality antibodies, frequently using synthetic peptides as immunogens. Here we describe a new, web-ba...
Quantifying the impact of decay in bed-net efficacy on malaria transmission

Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are at the forefront of malaria control programs and even though the percentage of households in sub-Saharan Africa that owned nets increased from 3% in 2000 to 53% in 2012, many children continue to die from malaria. The potential impact of ITNs on reducing malaria transmission is limited due to inconsistent or improper use, as well as physical decay in effectiveness. Most mathematical models for malaria transmission have assumed a fixed effectiveness rate for bed-nets, which can overestimate the impact of nets on malaria control. We develop a model for malaria spread that captures the decrease in ITN effectiveness due to physical and chemical decay, as well as human behavior as a function of time. We perform uncertainty and sensitivity analyses to identify and rank parameters that play a critical role in malaria transmission. These analyses show that the basic reproduction number R0, and the infectious human population are most sensitive to bed-net coverage and the biting rate of mosquitoes. Our results show the existence of a backward bifurcation for the case in which ITN efficacy is constant over time, which occurs for some range of parameters and is characterized by high malaria mortality in humans. This result implies that bringing R0 to less than one is not enough for malaria elimination but rather additional efforts will be necessary to control the disease. For the case in which ITN efficacy decays over time, we determine coverage levels required to control malaria for different ITN efficacies and demonstrate that ITNs with longer useful lifespans perform better in malaria control. We conclude that malaria control programs should focus on increasing bed-net coverage, which can be achieved by enhancing malaria education and increasing bed-net distribution in malaria endemic regions.
Association of coronary aortic calcium with abdominal aortic calcium detected on lateral dual energy x-ray absorptiometry spine images.

The association of abdominal aortic calcium (AAC) on lateral spine bone densitometry with coronary artery calcium (CAC) has not been reported. We studied 33 men and 73 women who had CAC scored with electron beam computed tomography at the eighth visit of the Rancho Bernardo study and lateral spine dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry images fully evaluable for AAC at the ninth study visit. The association between CAC level and AAC tertile was assessed by ordinal logistic regression analysis. The odds ratio of having a greater CAC score for those with an AAC score in the top tertile (24-point scale score ≥5) was 6.42 (95% confidence interval 2.28 to 18.1) and using the 8-point scale (score ≥3) was 3.38 (95% confidence interval 1.26 to 9.07) compared with those with AAC scores in the bottom tertiles, adjusted for age, gender, systolic blood pressure, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking status, and diabetes. A 24-point AAC score of ≥5 had a sensitivity of 65% and specificity of 70% to detect a high CAC score (≥400 points). An 8-point AAC score of ≥3 had a sensitivity of 45% and specificity of 78%. In conclusion, a high level of AAC on lateral spine dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was strongly associated with coronary artery disease and might be commonly encountered because bone densitometry is indicated for all women aged ≥65 years and all men aged ≥70 years. Its presence should be reported to the patient's physician to identify and manage modifiable risk factors.
In support of descriptive studies; relevance to translational research

The contemporary scientific establishment equates hypothesis testing to good science. This stance bypasses the preliminary need to identify a worthwhile hypothesis through rigorous observation of natural processes. If alleviation of human suffering is claimed as the goal of a scientific undertaking, it would be unfair to test a hypothesis whose relevance to human disease has not been satisfactorily proven. Here, we argue that descriptive investigations based on direct human observation should be highly valued and regarded essential for the selection of worthwhile hypotheses while the pursuit of costly scientific investigations without such evidence is a desecration of the cause upon which biomedical research is grounded.