cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A virtual patient educational activity to improve interprofessional competencies: A randomized trial

AbstractThe purpose of the present study was to determine whether an interprofessional virtual patient educational activity improved interprofessional competencies in pharmacy, physician assistant, and physical therapy graduate students. Seventy-two fifth semester pharmacy (n = 33), fourth semester physician assistant (n = 27) and fourth semester physical therapy (n = 12) graduate students participated in the study. Participants were stratified by discipline and randomized into control (n = 38) and experimental groups (n = 34). At baseline and at study completion, all participants completed an original, investigator-developed survey that measured improvement in selected Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). The experimental group had statistically significantly greater odds of improving on a variety of IPEC competencies and RIPLS items. The use of a single, interprofessional educational activity resulted in having a gr...
Regulation of performance of the heart.

Abstract 1. 1. A distinction must be drawn between the heart as a muscle and the heart as a pump. 2. 2. Muscle responds to factors of initial and instantaneous length, impedance to shortening, inotropic state and inotropic effects of rate. 3. 3. The pump responds to factors of initial diastolic volume, impedance to emptying, contractile state (including conduction, excitation and activation of regions of the heart as well as of the totality) and inotropic effects of rate. 4. 4. The systemic circulation is affected by stroke volume and heart rate at any given perfusion pressure, but the periphery in turn “governs” the heart through regulation of return of venous blood and regulation of impedance to ejection. 5. 5. Assessment of the state of the muscle in the intact functioning heart is at best difficult and most indexes of performance should be viewed with caution.
Fraud in science: an economic approach.

In recent years, there have been multiple instances of misconduct in science, yet no coherent framework exists for characterizing this phenomenon. The thesis of this article is that economic analysis can provide such a framework. Economic analysis leads to two categories of misconduct: replication failure and fraud. Replication failure can be understood as the scientist making optimal use of time in a professional environment where innovation is emphasized rather than replication. Fraud can be depicted as a deliberate gamble under conditions of uncertainty: The scientist takes advantage of the complexity of science and undermines the integrity of science for personal gain or advancement.
SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING WITH CHILDREN: PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Three learning disabled children, selected on the basis of peer sociometric ratings and teacher referral, received social skills training. A group training procedure consisting of coaching, modeling, behavior rehearsal, and feedback was used to teach children the target, behaviors of eye contact and appropriate verbal responses. The multiple baseline analysis across target behaviors was used to demonstrate treatment effectiveness on role-play scenes trained during treatment sessions. Duration of speech was measured as an untrained, corollary measure. The following measures were also obtained during baseline, posttreatment, and 1-mo follow up for experimental subjects and three control subjects: (a) performance on role-play scenes not trained during treatment sessions; (b) behavioral observations in a free play setting, and (c) sociometric ratings. In addition, the trained and untrained role-play scenes were administered by novel experimenters following treatment. The results indicated that socially unskilled, learning disabled children can be taught to respond appropriately to role-play situations. However, improved performance did not generalize to the natural school setting and treatment did not effect ratings of peer acceptance. The implications of these findings for future social skills training with children are discussed.
Spinal and medullary dorsal cell axons in the trigeminal nerve in lampreys

The ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve was labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in 3 species of adult lampreys. In each species, some medullary and spinal dorsal cells were retrogradely labeled by HRP. Approximately 30% of spinal dorsal cells were labeled ipsilateral to the injection; an occasional contralateral spinal dorsal cell was also labeled. Intracellular recordings confirmed the anatomical findings.
Dialogic teaching: talk in service of a dialogic stance

We consider what it means to be a dialogic teacher as characterized by Paulo Freire and Robin Alexander, and utilizing discourse analysis, we explicate how one elementary teacher's talk reflects these characteristics. We provide context for and analysis of a seven-minute discussion selected as a cumulative achievement the focal nine-year-olds are capable of after a year's exposure to dialogic teaching. These students explored many authors’ stereotypical treatment of orphanages as a common setting in children's literature and considered how it impacted character development and the readers’ predisposition toward characters. We explore the role the teacher played to mobilize students’ everyday knowledge, listen attentively as students grappled with ideas, and then anchor his questions and comments in students’ contributions. Using talk in this way, he was able to negotiate school knowledge, specifically literate talk, and effectively connect it to what his students already knew. We highlight the concept of ...
Notes on the Biology of the Meal Worms, Tenebrio Molitor Linne and T. Obscurus Fab.

Owing to their usefulness as food for birds, reptiles, fish and small mammals, their desirability for anatomical and genetical research (for they are large in size and easily reared), and their destructiveness as pests of flour, meal, grain, etc., the meal worms have been well known for centuries. Many interesting accounts of the two species, Tenebrio molitor and T. obscurus , have been published, but aside from the brief observations of Riley in 1883 (6), Chittenden in 1895 (3) and 1896 (4), and Rau in 1915 (5), but little accurate information has been obtained on the biology of the meal worms in North America. Arendsen Hein, working in Europe on variations occurring in the different stages of the meal worms, made many observations on their life histories, and in 1920 (1) and 1923 (2) published valuable data on the biology of these two species. The writer has made observations on the life histories of the meal worms for the past three years and has gathered many data, some of which are presented in the following pages.
Generalized binomial expansion on complex matrix space

Abstract For an arbitrary spherical function φ − μ we expand φ − μ ( I r − x ) into a spherical series on the open unit ball D for the spectral norm in C r × r . We also obtain some interesting corollaries. In particular, we compute the spherical transform of φ − μ ( I r + x ).
Physiology: obesity and gut flora.

The intestinal bacteria in obese humans and mice differ from those in lean individuals. Are these bacteria involved in how we regulate body weight, and are they a factor in the obesity epidemic?
Synthesis and secretion of gonadotropins including structure-function correlates

The synthesis and secretion of the gonadotropic hormones involves coordination of signal transduction, gene expression, protein translation, post-translational folding and modification and finally secretion. The production of biologically active gonadotropin thus requires appropriately folded and glycosylated subunits that assemble to form the heterodimeric hormone. Here we overview recent literature on regulation of gonadotropin subunit gene expression and current understanding of the assembly and secretion of biologically active gonadotropic hormones. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential of understanding glycosylation function towards designing new forms of gonadotropins based on observations of physiologically relevant parameters such as age related glycosylation changes.
News Coverage of Violence Against Muslim Women: A View From the Arabian Gulf

This study examines news coverage of violence against Muslim women in English-language newspapers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. Using discourse analysis, it asks whether coverage reflects traditional Islamic or Islamic feminist perspectives. The findings indicate the news overwhelmingly reflected traditional Islamic beliefs concerning the secondary status of Muslim women. Coverage minimized the violence, blamed victims, omitted women's voices, and treated sympathetically men who committed honor crimes. However, an Islamic feminist perspective was evident in some content that challenged women's segregation in Saudi Arabia. This study concludes that this news coverage shares many of the same characteristics of news reporting of violence against women in the West by ignoring its systemic nature and relation to male supremacy and patriarchal ideology.
Comment on Lockerbie, N.A.: Gen. Rel. Grav. 36, 593 (2004)

We comment on the paper “ISLAND – Inverse-Square-Law Acceleration Measurement using Inertial Drift,” by Lockerbie, N.A.: Gen. Rel. Grav. 36, 593–600 (2004).
Analysis and Review of Chemical Reactions and Transport Processes in Pulsed Electrical Discharge Plasma Formed Directly in Liquid Water

Electrical discharges formed directly in liquid water include three general cases where (a) streamer-like plasma channels form in, but do not span, the electrode gap, (b) spark discharges produce transient plasma channels that span the electrode gap, and (c) arc discharges form plasma channels with relatively longer life times. Other factors including the input energy (from 1 kJ/pulse) as well as solution properties and the rates of energy delivery affect the nature of the discharge channels. An understanding of the formation of chemical species, including the highly reactive hydroxyl radical and more stable molecular species such as hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide, in such plasma requires determination of temporal and spatial variations of temperature, pressure, plasma volume, and electrical characteristics including current, voltage (electric field), and plasma conductivity. In spark and arc discharges analysis of the physical processes has focused on hydrodynamic and thermal characterization, while only a limited amount of work has connected these physical processes to chemical reactions. On the other hand, the most successful model of the chemical reactions in streamer-like discharges relies on simple assumptions concerning the temperature and pressure in the plasma channels, while analysis of the physical processes is more limited. This paper reviews the literature on the mathematical modeling of electrical discharges in liquid water spanning the range from streamer-like to spark and arc discharges, and compares the properties and processes in these electrical discharges to those in electron beam radiolysis and ultrasound.
Geochemical evidence for Triassic rifting in southwestern Florida

Abstract Mesozoic rhyolites and basalts from three drillholes penetrating the pre-Cretaceous basement of southwestern Florida were analyzed for their trace element and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions. Major and trace element abundances suggest the suite was erupted in an extensional environment, and isotopic data indicate derivation primarily from aged, enriched Precambrian continental lithosphere combined to varying degrees with an asthenospheric component. Nd model ages show no significant difference in the age of the lithosphere from which these rocks and volcanic rocks of Paleozoic age from North Florida were derived, arguing against major displacement across the peninsula, including along proposed extensions of the Jay fault and/or Bahamas fracture zone. We suggest that the geophysically inferred boundary across the peninsula, if a fault, may have had a strong normal component, consistent with the greater depth to basement south of the boundary. In this view, the southwestern Florida Mesozoic volcanic province (SFMV) may represent a part of a major Triassic rift basin associated with the breakup of Pangaea.
Building fences around the chromatic coefficients

Associated to each graph G is its chromatic polynomial f(G, t) and we associate to f(G, t) the sequence α (G) of the norms of its coefficients. A stringent partial ordering is established for such sequences. The main result is that for any graph G with q edges we have α (Rq) ≤ α (G) ≤ α (Sq), where Rq and Sq are specified graphs with q edges. This translates into a clearer view of allowable values and patterns in the chromatic coefficients. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 26: 123–128, 1997
Relation between disease-specific foreign aid for child health and burden of disease in sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract Background Foreign aid for health has increased substantially in the past two decades. However, there is limited information on the relation between the distribution of foreign aid for health and the actual burden of disease in different diseases and age groups, particularly children. We examined the association between disease-specific foreign aid for children (FACH) and burden of disease. Methods Burden of disease data including estimates of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) were derived from the WHO Global Health Estimates resource for 2000–11. Children 0–5 years of age in sub-Saharan African countries were examined and the number of DALYs lost for the top 15 diseases calculated. Data for foreign aid were derived from the AidData dataset, which includes descriptions of all foreign aid donations. We constructed an instrument that searched the text of each description for words indicative of a certain disease, such as "malaria" or "bed-net", and designated child or infant in the age category. Findings Overall, the amount of FACH increased substantially during the period 1996–2009, from US$3·5 billion in 1996 to US$13·5 billion in 2009. The relation between the burden of disease and the amount of disease-specific FACH was mixed. For example, diarrhoeal diseases were responsible for 19% of DALYs lost in 2009, and were targeted with 21% of FACH. By contrast, the amount of FACH targeted towards HIV in 2009 (5·5%) was much more than the that of lost DALYs caused by HIV (23%). Pneumonia, however, was responsible for the most DALYs lost in 2009 (29%) yet received only 0·6% of all FACH. Interpretation Our findings suggest that the relation between the distribution of foreign aid for child health and burden of disease in sub-Saharan African countries is mixed. Further work is needed to analyse present distribution patterns of foreign aid for child health and to advise future distribution Funding None.
Financial analysis and strategic management

Abstract Applications of financial analysis and planning models to strategic management are presented and discussed in this article. The authors first define the concept of strategy and the nature of strategic problems, then present a useful organizing paradigm of the strategic management field. Against that backdrop, financial analysis applications are discussed. Various financial analysis and planning models are reviewed, focusing on their usefulness to strategic management. Suggestions for future research directions are raised and considered.
Drop induced impact response of a printed wiring board

Abstract Analytical solution is given to the Duffing equation in its free response induced by the initial velocity. Maximum deflection and acceleration are analyzed for its behavior in both hard and soft springs. The Duffing equation is derived for the transient response of a laminated printed wiring board (PWB) as a hard spring system. Effect of the system parameters on the nonlinear response is analyzed for the PWB. Results are generated to characterize the response behavior with respect to the modal parameters and structure design of PWB. It is found that the maximum deflection is almost linearly proportional to the initial velocity induced by the impact momentum.
Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor γ, CCAAT/ Enhancer-binding Protein α, and Cell Cycle Status Regulate the Commitment to Adipocyte Differentiation

Terminal differentiation of stem cells is characterized by cessation of cell proliferation as well as changes in cell morphology associated with the differentiated state. For adipocyte differentiation, independent lines of evidence show that the transcription factors peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) as well as the tumor suppressor retinoblastoma (Rb) protein are essential. How these proteins promote adipocyte conversion and how they function cooperatively during the differentiation process remain unclear. We have used retinoic acid (RA) inhibition of adipogenesis to investigate these issues. RA blocked adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cells induced to differentiate by ectopic expression of PPARγ and C/EBPα independently or together. However, under these circumstances RA was only effective at preventing adipogenesis when added prior to confluence, suggesting that factors involved in regulation of the cell cycle might play a role in establishing the commitment state of adipogenesis that is insensitive to RA. During differentiation of wild type 3T3 L1 preadipocytes, we found that Rb protein is hyperphosphorylated early in adipogenesis, corresponding to previously quiescent cells re-entering the cell cycle, and later becomes hypophosphorylated. The data suggest that, together with the coexpression of PPARγ and C/EBPα, permanent exit from the cell cycle establishes the irreversible commitment to adipocyte differentiation.
ICT possession among Congolese SMEs: an exploratory study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possession of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the developing economy of the Democratic Republic (DR) of the Congo. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of Congolese SMEs in two major cities was conducted. Findings – The results of the study demonstrate that nearly 51 percent of SMEs in the sample reported a cell phone number, making this tool the most popular among SMEs studied. In total, 31 percent of SMEs reported an e-mail address while only 3 percent of them reported having a firm web site. Far <1 percent reported a fax number, while none of the SMEs in the sample used a fixed telephone line. The telecommunications sector demonstrated the highest rate of ICT usage. The findings give consistency to what the body of research has concluded relative to the use of mobile telephone by SMEs in developing economies. Originality/value – This study fills a gap in the research into IC...
Optimization Of MCP Intensifier Tubes In Astronomical Adaptive Optics Sensors.

There are currently a number of groups developing adaptive optics instruments for diffractionlimited imaging from ground -based optical telescopes.1,2,3 With few exceptions these programs areintended initially for large (3 - 5 metre) telescopes and, ultimately, the next generation of very large(8 - 10 metre) telescopes. In view of the technical difficulties associated with the large number of ele-ments required for adaptive correction at optical wavelengths most systems will operate at 2 - 5 pm,and employ IR imaging cameras4 as the system detectors.Problems remain, however, with the use of infrared arrays as wavefront sensors except for verybright sources, since their dark and readout noise levels remain prohibitively high. Roddier et al.5have shown that the effect of chromatic errors resulting from wavefront sensing in the optical while
DEER Distance Measurement Between a Spin Label and a Native FAD Semiquinone in Electron Transfer Flavoprotein

The human mitochondrial electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) accepts electrons from at least 10 different flavoprotein dehydrogenases and transfers electrons to a single electron acceptor in the inner membrane. Paracoccus denitrificans ETF has the identical function, shares the same three dimensional structure and functional domains, and exhibits the same conformational mobility. It has been proposed that the mobility of the αII domain permits the promiscuous behavior of ETF with respect to a variety of redox partners. Double electron-electron resonance (DEER) measurements between a spin label and an enzymatically reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor in P. denitrificans ETF gave two distributions of distances: a major component centered at 4.2 ± 0.1 nm and a minor component centered at 5.1 ± 0.2 nm. Both components had widths of approximately 0.3 nm. A distance of 4.1 nm was calculated using the crystal structure of P. denitrificans ETF, which agrees with the major component obtained from the DEER measurement. The observation of a second distribution suggests that ETF, in the absence of substrate, adopts some conformations that are intermediate between the predominant free and substrate-bound states.
Transport and distribution of bacteria and diatoms in the aqueous surface microlayer of a salt marsh

The effects of tide and wind upon the distribution and transport of bacteria and diatoms in the aqueous surface microlayers of a Massachusetts and San Francisco Bay salt marsh were examined. The compression of the surface films by both tide and wind resulted in significant enrichments of bacterioneuston. At the San Francisco Bay site, significant numbers of diatoms were transported within the microlayer over a tidal cycle.
Nucleotide sequence of a ribosome attachment site of bacteriophage f2 RNA

Abstract The incubation of f2 bacteriophage RNA with E. coli ribosomes, initiation factors, GTP, and formylmethionyl-tRNAF results in the attachement of a ribosome to the coat protein initiation site of the f2 RNA. Added ribonuclease T1 degrades all parts of the f2 RNA except that protected by the attached ribosome. The sequence of the protected fragment was established: it specifies the first 7 amino acids of the coat protein and extends 41 nucleotides towards the 5′ end from the AUG initiator codon. There is no terminator codon directly adjacent to the 5′ side of the AUG codon. The f2 coat initiation site as well as three of the four other initiation sites whose sequence is known include a UUUGA sequence which is separated from the AUG codon by 2 or 3 nucleotides. It is a curious fact that the sequence of the TψC containing loop of the initiator tRNAFMet is complementary to this common sequence.
Modeling risk in a Design for Supply Chain problem

Developed a Design for Supply Chain (DFSC) and risk model.Model analyzes product design, supply chain design and risk concurrently.New Product Development risks in model: time-to-market, demand risk.Supply chain risks: supplier reliability, strategic exposure, supplier capacity.Analysis shows importance of concurrently considering risk. The objective of Design for Supply Chain (DFSC) is to design a supply chain in parallel to designing a new product. Risk is an inherent element of this process. Although supply chain risk models and product development risk models are available, there are few models that consider the combined effect of risk to product development and the supply chain. This gap is filled by the development of a DFSC and risk model that looks at design, supply chain and risk concurrently. The model consists of two components. First, a Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model makes the DFSC decisions while simultaneously considering time-to-market risk, supplier reliability risk and strategic exposure risk. The results from the MIP are then used in the second model component which is a discrete event simulation. The simulation tests the robustness of the MIP solution for supplier capacity risk and demand risk. When a decision maker is potentially facing either of these risks the simulation shows whether it is best to use an alternative solution or proceed with the MIP solution. The model provides analytical results, but also allows decision makers to use their own judgment to select the best option for overall profitability. In conclusion, testing shows that risk mitigation strategies can and should be determined from the DFSC and risk model, but that they will be dependent on the specific design problem being solved.
Periphyton biomass and ecological stoichiometry in streams within an urban to rural land-use gradient

This study examined the effects land use on biomass and ecological stoichiometry of periphyton in 36 streams in southeastern New York State (USA). We quantified in-stream and land-use variables along a N–S land-use gradient at varying distances from New York City (NYC). Streams draining different landscapes had fundamentally different physical, chemical, and biological properties. Human population density significantly decreased (r = −0.739; P 20-fold (0.06–1.7 μmol/mm2) while N and P content varied >6-fold among sites. Algal C, N, and P correlated negatively with distance from NYC, suggesting that periphyton in urban streams may provide greater nutrition for benthic consumers. C:N ratios averaged 7.6 among streams, with 91% very close to 7.5, a value suggested as the optimum for algal growth. In contrast, periphyton C:P ratios ranged from 122 to >700 (mean = 248, twice Redfield). Algal-P concentrations were significantly greater in urban streams, but data suggest algal growth was P-limited in most streams regardless of degree of urbanization. GIS models indicate that land-use effects did not easily fit into strict categories, but varied continuously from rural to urban conditions. We propose that the gradient approach is the most effective method to characterize the influence of land use and urbanization on periphyton and stream function.
Abstract 4913: The Bmi-1 polycomb protein antagonizes the (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate dependent suppression of skin cancer cell survival

The Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins are epigenetic suppressors of gene expression that play a key role in promoting cell survival. This suppression is achieved via the action of two multiprotein PcG complexes - PRC2 (eed) and PRC1 (Bmi-1). These complexes act to modulate gene expression by increasing histone methylation and reducing acetylation - ultimately leading to a closed chromatin conformation and gene silencing. Activity of these proteins is associated with increased cell proliferation and survival. We show increased expression of key PcG proteins in immortalized keratinocytes and skin cancer cell lines. We examine the role of two key PcG proteins, Bmi-1 and Ezh2, and the impact of the active agent in green tea polyphenol, (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), on the function of these regulators. EGCG treatment of SCC-13 cells reduces Bmi-1 and Ezh2 level and this is associated with reduced cell survival. The reduction in survival is associated with a global reduction in histone H3-K27-trimethylation (H3 K27-3M), a hallmark of PRC2 complex action. This change in PcG protein expression is associated with reduced expression of key proteins that enhance progression through the cell cycle (cdk1, cdk2, cdk4, cyclin D1, cyclin E, cyclin A, and cyclin B1) and increased expression of proteins that inhibit cell cycle progression (p21 and p27). Apoptosis is also enhanced, as evidenced by increased caspase 9, 8 and 3 cleavage and increased PARP cleavage. EGCG treatment also increases Bax and suppresses Bcl-xL expression. Vector-mediated enhanced Bmi-1 expression reverses these EGCG-dependent changes. These findings suggest that green tea polyphenols reduce skin tumor cell survival by influencing PcG-mediated epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4913.
Fatal Ruptured Blood Blister-like Aneurysm of Middle Cerebral Artery Associated with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type VIII (Periodontitis Type).

Objective To illustrate a unique instance of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIII (EDS VIII) with blood blister–like aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery. Design This is a single patient case report. Setting University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital. Participants A 42-year-old woman with diagnosis of EDS VIII presented with a sudden onset severe headache and altered mental status. She was diagnosed with Hunt and Hess grade IV subarachnoid hemorrhage. Angiography demonstrated a blood blister–like aneurysm of the left middle cerebral artery. After an unsuccessful coiling attempt in another facility, the patient was operated on with the intention to perform extracranial to intracranial bypass and trapping of the diseased segment of the artery. Results The patient's neurologic condition remained poor after surgery. On postoperative day 2, her neurologic examination unchanged, and care was withdrawn per the family's request. Conclusions Individuals with EDS VIII may be at risk for catastrophic vascular events.
delta-Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase enzyme activity in blood, brain, and liver of lead-dosed ducks.

Abstract Mallard ducks were dosed with a single shotgun pellet (ca. 200 mg lead). After 1 month there was about 1 ppm lead in blood, 2.5 in liver, and 0.5 in brain. Lead-induced inhibition of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase enzyme in blood and cerebellum was much greater than in cerebral hemisphere or liver and was strongly correlated with the lead concentration in these tissues. The cerebellar portion of the brain was more sensitive to δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase enzyme inhibition by lead than were the other tissues examined. There was also a greater increase in the glial cell marker enzyme, butyrylcholinesterase, in cerebellum than in cerebral hemisphere, suggesting that nonregenerating neuronal cells were destroyed by lead and replaced by glial cells in that portion of the brain. Even partial loss of cerebellar tissue is severely debilitating in waterfowl, because functions critical to survival such as visual, auditory, motor, and reflex responses are integrated at this brain center.
Salmonid Serum Inhibits Hemolytic Activity of the Secreted Hemolysin of Aeromonas salmonicida

Abstract Serum from rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (formerly Salmo gairdnert) protected rainbow trout red blood cells (RBCs) from lysis by the hemolysins of Aeromonas salmonicida and Aeromonas hydrophila. Serum also protected RBCs from nonenzymatic lysis by the nonionic detergent NonIdet P40. Sera from other salmonid species and cabezon Scorpaenichthys marmoratus were also protective; sera from channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, and newt Taricha granulosa were less protective; and sera from higher vertebrates (chicken, sheep, cow, and horse) were not protective. Cell-free exudate collected from lesions of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch artificially infected with A. salmonicida also inhibited RBC lysis by hemolysin in vitro. The inhibitory factor was not sensitive to selected proteases, was not removed by centrifugation at 100,000 × gravity, and was sensitive to incubation at 60°C or higher for 30 min. Preparative isoelectric focusing and chromatography on Seph...
Introduction to the special section on structural equation modeling.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a frequently used data-analytic technique in psychopathology research. This popularity is due to the unique capabilities and broad applicability of SEM and to recent advances in model and software development. Unfortunately, the popularity and accessibility of SEM is matched by its complexities and ambiguities. Thus, users are often faced with difficult decisions regarding a variety of issues. This special section is designed to increase the effective use of SEM by reviewing recently developed modeling capabilities, identifying common problems in application, and recommending appropriate strategies for analysis and evaluation.
Kv1.2-containing K+ channels regulate subthreshold excitability of striatal medium spiny neurons.

A slowly inactivating, low-threshold K+ current has been implicated in the regulation of state transitions and repetitive activity in striatal medium spiny neurons. However, the molecular identity ...
Spontaneous motion in hierarchically assembled active matter

With remarkable precision and reproducibility, cells orchestrate the cooperative action of thousands of nanometre-sized molecular motors to carry out mechanical tasks at much larger length scales, such as cell motility, division and replication. Besides their biological importance, such inherently non-equilibrium processes suggest approaches for developing biomimetic active materials from microscopic components that consume energy to generate continuous motion. Being actively driven, these materials are not constrained by the laws of equilibrium statistical mechanics and can thus exhibit sought-after properties such as autonomous motility, internally generated flows and self-organized beating. Here, starting from extensile microtubule bundles, we hierarchically assemble far-from-equilibrium analogues of conventional polymer gels, liquid crystals and emulsions. At high enough concentration, the microtubules form a percolating active network characterized by internally driven chaotic flows, hydrodynamic instabilities, enhanced transport and fluid mixing. When confined to emulsion droplets, three-dimensional networks spontaneously adsorb onto the droplet surfaces to produce highly active two-dimensional nematic liquid crystals whose streaming flows are controlled by internally generated fractures and self-healing, as well as unbinding and annihilation of oppositely charged disclination defects. The resulting active emulsions exhibit unexpected properties, such as autonomous motility, which are not observed in their passive analogues. Taken together, these observations exemplify how assemblages of animate microscopic objects exhibit collective biomimetic properties that are very different from those found in materials assembled from inanimate building blocks, challenging us to develop a theoretical framework that would allow for a systematic engineering of their far-from-equilibrium material properties.
Time Varying Performance Analysis of Multihop Wireless Networks with CBR Traffic

In this paper, we develop a performance modeling technique for analyzing the time-varying network layer queuing behavior of multihop wireless networks with constant bit rate (CBR) traffic. Our approach is a hybrid of a time-varying adjacency matrix and a fluid flow queuing network model. The mobile network topology is modeled using a time-varying adjacency matrix, whereas node queues are modeled using fluid-flow-based differential equations that are solved using numerical methods. Numerical and simulation experiments show that this new approach can provide reasonably accurate results. Moreover, when compared with the computation time required in a standard discrete event simulator, the fluid-flow-based model is shown to be a more scalable tool. Finally, an illustrative example of our modeling technique application is given to show its capability of capturing the time-varying network performance as a function of traffic load, node mobility, and wireless link quality.
Thermodynamics of gelation of sickle cell deoxyhemoglobin.

Abstract This paper describes the thermodynamic behavior of gels of deoxyhemoglobin S. The solubility of the protein with respect to assembled hemoglobin fibers has been measured using a sedimentation technique. The solubility in 0.15 m -potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.15) is found to decrease with increasing temperature, attain a minimum value of 0.16 g cm−3 at 37 °C, and then increase at higher temperatures. The amount of polymer present at various hemoglobin concentrations and temperatures is presented as part of a phase diagram that may be useful for the calibration of other measurement techniques. The effects of varying pH and urea concentration upon the solubility have also been studied. The heat absorption accompanying gelation has been measured by scanning calorimetry. Using sedimentation data on the amount of polymer formed, molar enthalpy changes are obtained. There is a large negative heat capacity change of − 197 cal deg. mol−1 and ΔH = 0 near 37 °C. Calorimetric molar enthalpy changes are found to agree with those calculated from the temperature dependence of the solubility by the van't Hoff equation. Our previous two-phase, two-component thermodynamic model of gelation is extended to include the effects of solution non-ideality. A large contribution to the activity of the hemoglobin in the solution phase results from the geometric effect of excluded volume. Incorporating solution phase non-ideality permits the calculation of standard state thermodynamic quantities for the gelation process at 37 °C: ΔGO ≅ −3 k cal mol−1, ΔHO ~ 0, ΔSO ~ 10 cal deg.−1 mol−1. The excluded volume effect is also capable of explaining observations of the minimum gelling concentrations of hemoglobin mixtures containing deoxyhemoglobin S without requiring copolymerization of the non-S hemoglobin.
The registration of MR images using multiscale robust methods

Abstract Acquisition of MR images involves their registration against some prechosen reference image. Motion artifacts and misregistration can seriously flaw their interpretation and analysis. This article provides a global registration method that is robust in the presence of noise and local distortions between pairs of images. It uses a two-stage approach, comprising an optional Fourier phase-matching method to carry out preregistration, followed by an iterative procedure. The iterative stage uses a prescribed set of registration points, defined on the reference image, at which a robust nonlinear regression is computed from the squared residuals at these points. The method can readily accommodate general linear, or even nonlinear, registration transformations on the images. The algorithm was tested by recovering the registration transformation parameters when a 256 × 256 pixel T 2 ∗ -weighted human brain image was scaled, rotated, and translated by prescribed amounts, and to which different amounts of Gaussian noise had been added. The results show subpixel accuracy of recovery when no noise is present, and graceful degradation of accuracy as noise is added. When 40% noise is added to images undergoing small shifts, the recovery errors are less than 3 pixels. The same tests applied to the Woods algorithm gave slightly inferior accuracy for these images, but failed to converge to the correct parameters in some cases of large-scale-shifted images with 10% added noise.
A neolithic oral tradition for the van der Waerden/Seidenberg origin of mathematics

In his recent book [19] van der Waerden "ventured a tenative reconstruction of a mathematical science which must have existed in the Neolithic Age, say between 3000 and 2500 B.C., and spread from Central Europe to Great Britain, to the Near East, to India, and to China." He argues that a common origin* is highly probable. These views are consistent with those of Seidenberg [12], who says, "What was this older, common [to Pythagorean and Old-Babylonian mathematics] source like? I think its mathematics was very much like what we see in the Sulvasutras." Seidenberg does not mean the common source was necessarily the Sulvasutras, rather that it "is to be sought either in the Vedic mathematics or in an older mathematics very much like it." van der Waerden bases much of his reconstruction on the Chiu Chang Suan Shu (Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art), a Chinese collection of mathematical problems, written during the Han-period (200 B.C. to 220 A.D.). The Chiu Chang is, according to van der Waerden, a more systematic and richer source than the Babylonian texts. Seidenberg's primary source is the Sulvasutras, ancient Indian sacred works on altar constructions, in addition to Euclid's Elements and the Babylonian mathematical tablets. Both van der Waerden and Seidenberg discuss the important and difficult questions relating to the dating of their primary source materials and the likely dependencies among them. Basing themselves on their answers to these questions and their analysis of much of the oldest known mathematical thought, both men argue for a common source for the Indian, Babylonian, Greek, and Chinese mathematics. Here I shall give a small, coherent, and basic core of geometry concerning
Functional algorithm simulation of the fast multipole method : Architectural implications

Functional Algorithm Simulation is a methodology for predicting the computation and communication characteristics of parallel algorithms for a class of scientific problems, without actually performing the expensive numerical computations involved. In this paper, we use Functional Algorithm Simulation to study the parallel Fast Multipole Method (FMM), which solves the N-body problem. Functional Algorithm Simulation provides us with useful information regarding communication patterns in the algorithm, the variation of available parallelism during different algorithmic phases, and upper bounds on available speedups for different problem sizes. Furthermore, it allows us to predict the performance of the FMM on message-passing multiprocessors with topologies such as cliques, hypercubes, rings, and multirings, over a wider range of problem sizes and numbers of processors than would be feasible by direct simulation. Our simulations show that an implementation of the FMM on low-cost, scalable ring or multiring architectures can attain satisfactory performance.
Understanding risk governance: Introducing sociological neoinstitutionalism and foucauldian governmentality for further theorizing

This article traces the career of risk across prominent theoretical approaches by highlighting their key assumptions and premises, specifically the technical approach found in the physical sciences, and economics, psychology, and sociology in the social sciences. In each discipline, the strengths and limitations of each theoretical approach are pointed out. The discussion focuses on sociology in particular because other approaches—in treating risks as dominantly technical, psychological, or economic phenomena—tend to downplay the broader historical and socio-political context that impinges on risk construction and production, and its differential impact across society. This exploration points out that institutions play an important role in creating, managing, and distributing risks in society. After highlighting the integrated risk governance framework as a nascent practice-oriented framework, the framework is examined theoretically using sociological neoinstitutionalism and Foucault’s concept of governmentality. The conclusion elaborates the challenges of using these two bodies of knowledge to study risk governance of extreme events. Although Foucault’s concept of governmentality corrects neoinstitutional theory’s ambivalence toward power, more work needs to be done in order to reconcile their divergent intellectual commitments.
TGF-β-Id1 Signaling Opposes Twist1 and Promotes Metastatic Colonization via a Mesenchymal-to-Epithelial Transition

ID genes are required for breast cancer colonization of the lungs, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that Id1 expression induces a stem-like phenotype in breast cancer cells while retaining epithelial properties, contrary to the notion that cancer stem-like properties are inextricably linked to the mesenchymal state. During metastatic colonization, Id1 induces a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET), specifically in cells whose mesenchymal state is dependent on the Id1 target protein Twist1, but not at the primary site, where this state is controlled by the zinc finger protein Snail1. Knockdown of Id expression in metastasizing cells prevents MET and dramatically reduces lung colonization. Furthermore, Id1 is induced by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β only in cells that have first undergone epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), demonstrating that EMT is a prerequisite for subsequent Id1-induced MET during lung colonization. Collectively, these studies underscore the importance of Id-mediated phenotypic switching during distinct stages of breast cancer metastasis.
Evidence that phentolamine acts centrally to increase the contractile force of the heart

Abstract In an attempt to localize the site of phentolamine's positive inotropic effect, the sympathetic nervous system was interrupted at the ganglia, entire spinal cord, or at the level of the first cervical vertebrae. In each case phentolamine failed to elicit a positive inotropic effect, and instead decreased heart force and rate. This indicates that the site of action is mediated in a supraspinal area. Preparations utilizing a cross-perfused technique in which the circulation to the recipient animal's head was isolated were used to determined the actions of phentolamine on the brain. In the recipient animal heart force increased significantly with only minimal changes in heart rate and aortic blood pressure. This indication of a central site of action was further defined by removing the influences of all tissue anterior to the superior colliculus. This procedure had very little effect of phentolamine's cardiovascular action which points to a brain stem site of action.
BISTABLE BEHAVIOR OF A KERR LENS MODE LOCKED Ti:SAPPHIRE LASER

Kerr lens mode locked Ti:Sapphire lasers can operate in at least two pulsed modes. Several models were developed with the aim to describe the characteristics of these modes. Those based on iterative maps, can reproduce the structurally stable properties of each mode but are unable to describe the interaction between modes. In this paper, we present a numerical simulation based on a complete map equation that makes possible to accurately describe the bistability experimentally observed in the laser. With the numerical time series we determine that the bistable behavior corresponds to low dimensional deterministic chaos and calculate that the embedding dimension of the attractor is three.