cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multimedia Learning: PRINCIPLES FOR FOSTERING GENERATIVE PROCESSING IN MULTIMEDIA LEARNING

Consider the following situation. You play an online science game in which you travel to a distant planet that has high winds and rain, and your job is to design a plant that would survive there – including choosing appropriate roots, stem, and leaves. You get feedback from an on-screen character named Herman the Bug, who also explains how plants grow. Herman is not very friendly and seems to be just listing fact after fact, so you do not put much effort into trying to understand what he says. On a subsequent retention test, you can remember parts of some of his sentences, and on a transfer test, you are not able to apply what was presented to solving new problems. What is generative processing underutilization? This is a situation in which you have cognitive capacity available but you do not choose to use it for making sense of the material – a situation that can be called generative processing underutilization . Learners may fail to engage in generative processing because they are not motivated to make sense of the material. When the on-screen tutor is not very friendly or presents boring material, learners may not be inclined to work hard to understand what he is saying. Box 4.1 summarizes the problem of generative processing underutilization – in which the speaker appears to be unfriendly or does not use graphics to help concretize the material.
Review of primary prevention trials of antihypertensive treatment

Epidemiologic studies of the role of hypertension in the evolution of cardiovascular disease stimulated large multicenter trials to evaluate the efficacy of antihypertensive treatment in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. These trials have convincingly demonstrated the efficacy of anti-hypertensive treatment in reducing overall mortality, stroke, cardiac failure and renal insufficiency. The evidence for coronary heart disease is weak and inconsistent despite two-thirds of trial endpoints due to CHD. Trials of mild hypertension lacked the power to detect a 50% reduction in CHD events. Even so, with fewer events they did show a clear benefit for stroke, left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertension progression. There is clear evidence that progression in severity of hypertension can be slowed by drug treatment. For any outcome treatment benefits for women and persons under age 50 were not demonstrated. A number of possible reasons for failure to show efficacy against CHD have been postulated. Trials may have been too short in duration to affect progression of atherosclerosis and started too late in life. Sample sizes were too small to detect even sizeable reductions in CHD. No attention was paid to whether the CHD risk profile was improved. The drugs used can adversely affect lipids, glucose tolerance and uric acid offsetting the benefits of the lowered blood pressure. Diuretics also may predispose to sudden death in susceptible persons. Trials suggest that for CHD prevention in hypertension, control of smoking and serum lipids are particularly important. The Gothenberg Trial demonstrates the importance of concomitant lowering of lipids. Existing trials suggest that we need to examine the efficacy of antihypertensive agents which do not adversely affect the CHD risk profile. Also, the efficacy of non-pharmacologic control of mild hypertension with obesity control, salt and alcohol restriction need to be tested.
Rotational Strength and Flexibility of the Knee following Pes Anserinus Transplant Surgery

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the pes anserinus transplant (PAT) on the amount and strength of tibial rotation on the femur. Six male and two female rehabilitated subjects were used in the investigation. Each subject was secured to a specially constructed testing platform which positioned the hips and knees at 90° of flexion. Both lower limbs were tested for inward and outward tibial rotation on the femur using the Leighton flexometer and strength of inward and outward tibial rotation on the femur using the cable tensiometer. The results indicated that with the knee at 90° of flexion there was no significant difference in degrees of rotation or rotational strength between the surgical and nonsurgical limbs in rehabilitated subjects following pes anserinus transplant surgery.
Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-type lectin H-positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells drive spontaneous lupus-like disease development in B6.Nba2 mice.

Objective Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often present with elevated levels of interferon-α (IFNα) in serum. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have been suggested to be the primary source of IFNα in SLE due to their capacity to produce high levels of IFNα. During viral infection, a subset of pDCs expressing sialic acid–binding immunoglobulin-type lectin H (Siglec H) produces the majority of pDC-derived IFNα. The aim of this study was to provide evidence that Siglec H–positive pDCs are pathogenic in the IFNα-dependent B6.Nba2 mouse model of lupus. Methods B6.Nba2 blood dendritic cell antigen 2 (BDCA-2)–diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR)–transgenic (Tg) mice were treated intraperitoneally with DT 3 times weekly starting at 4 weeks or 12 weeks of age and analyzed at 12 weeks and 18 weeks of age, respectively. Lupus-like disease development was measured by the presence of elevated levels of autoantibodies in serum (as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), increased expression of IFN-inducible genes (as determined by real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction), increased IgG immune complex deposition in kidney glomeruli (as determined by immunofluorescence staining), spontaneous lymphocyte activation, and differentiation of B cells into antibody-producing plasma cells (as determined by flow cytometry). Results B6.Nba2 mice in which Siglec H–positive pDCs were depleted for 6–8 weeks displayed reduced levels of IFNα-induced gene transcripts and decreased anti-chromatin autoantibody levels in serum, and significantly fewer activated splenic T cells and B cells, germinal center B cells, follicular helper T cells, and splenic plasma cells. In 18-week-old mice, IgG immune complex deposition in kidney glomeruli was similarly reduced. Conclusion The development of lupus-like disease in congenic B6.Nba2 mice depends on Siglec H–positive pDCs. We suggest that depletion of Siglec H–positive pDCs represents a novel cellular target in SLE.
RGB-D camera-based activity analysis

In this paper, we propose a new activity analysis framework to facilitate the independence of elderly adults living in the community, reduce risks, and enhance the quality of life at home by using RGB-D cameras. Our contributions include two aspects: 1) recognizing 5 activities related to falling including standing, fall from standing, fall from sitting, sit on chair, and sit on floor. The main analysis is based on the depth information due to the advantages of handling illumination changes and identity protection. If the monitored person is out of the range of 3D camera, RGB-based video analysis module is employed to continue the activity monitoring. 2) Identifying the monitored person if there are multiple people in the camera view by combining both depth and RGB information. We have collected a dataset under different lighting conditions and ranges. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposal framework.
Diffie-hellman key exchange protocol, its generalization and nilpotent groups

This dissertation has two chapters. In the first chapter we talk about the discrete logarithm problem, more specifically we concentrate on the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol. We survey the current state of security for the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol. We also motivate the reader to think about the Diffie-Hellman key exchange in terms of group automorphisms. In the second chapter we study two key exchange protocols similar to the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol using an abelian subgroup of the automorphism group of a non-abelian group. We also generalize group no. 92 of the Hall-Senior table, for arbitrary prime p and study the automorphism group of these generalized group. We show that for those groups, the group of central automorphisms is an abelian group. We use these central automorphisms for the key exchange we are studying. We also develop a signature scheme.
Motion planning for polynomial systems without drift

Discusses control synthesis for certain cascade type polynomial systems addressed in the paper as Chaplygin systems. A numerical control synthesis as well as characterization of a reachability set are presented. The results of the paper are important for various branches of system theory where control synthesis is concerned. In particular, it is of special interest for optimal control and for feedback synthesis.
Association of hematopoietic cell phosphatase with c-Kit after stimulation with c-Kit ligand.

Abstract Protein tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation have been implicated in the growth and functional responses of hematopoietic cells. Recent studies have identified a novel protein tyrosine phosphatase, termed hematopoietic cell phosphatase (HCP) or PTP1C, that is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells. HCP encodes a cytoplasmic phosphatase that contains two src homology 2 (SH2) domains. Since SH2 domains have been shown to target the association of signal-transducing molecules with activated growth factor receptors containing intrinsic protein kinase activity, we assessed the association of HCP with two hematopoietic growth factor receptors, c-Kit and c-Fms. The results demonstrate that HCP transiently associates with ligand-activated c-Kit but not c-Fms and that this association occurs through the SH2 domains. In both colony-stimulating factor 1- and stem cell factor-stimulated cells, there is a marginal increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of HCP. Lastly, HCP can dephosphorylate autophosphorylated c-Kit and c-Fms in in vitro reactions. The potential role of HCP in stem cell factor signal transduction is discussed.
Dead reckoning with an ADCP and current extrapolation

Summary form only given, substantially as follows. For many years, oceanographers have navigated vessels by dead-reckoning techniques using raw frequency shift data from a bottom-tracking Doppler sonar velocity log (DSVL) and heading data from a gyro-compass. These data have been combined through the standard Janus equations to yield the horizontal velocities of the vessel. A more accurate three-dimensional velocity can be computed by implementing a matrix formulation of the basic Doppler equations. With this method, the accuracy can be increased even more by incorporating pitch and roll data from the vessel and information about misalignments of the transducers within the DSVL. With the advent of bottom-tracking acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP), additional data are available to increase the robustness of this matrix formulation. These data are especially useful during time periods when the ADCP has lost beam lock on the ocean bottom but has retained beam lock on the water column. In the most basic mode, frequency shift data from the ADCP can be used to give the through-the-water velocity of the vessel by water-tracking on a reference layer. Unfortunately, this method is biased by the currents in the reference layer. A more accurate through-the-water velocity is computed when several reference layers are used simultaneously. In this case, the errors introduced by the current are averaged over a larger portion of the water mass beneath the vessel. Finally, if the ADCP is both bottom-tracking and water-tracking, the effects of local currents on the vessel motion can be computed for a sliding data window. When the ADCP loses beam lock on the bottom, the effects of the current can be added to the water-tracking velocity to extrapolate an over-the-ground velocity.
Improving gait in multiple sclerosis using robot-assisted, body weight supported treadmill training.

Background. The majority of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) develop progressive gait impairment, which can start early in the disease and worsen over a lifetime. A promising outpatient interv...
CODAR: General purpose design tool for rule-based engineering expert systems

Abstract CODAR is a software tool for the design of engineering expert systems. It combines both deductive reasoning and abductive reasoning with the inclusion of both thresholding and probability as uncertainty models. The system has explicit support of hypothesization. This makes the system suitable for many engineering troubleshooting and debugging purposes. The incorporation of the hypothesizing facility also improves the performance of the system by reducing the set of goals to be verified.
Neural repair for sensory restoration in a groin flap

A preliminary study of the recovery of sensation in groin flaps, after suture of the lateral cutaneous branches of the twelfth thoracic nerve supplying the groin flap with those of the hand, is described. This appears to be a worthwhile procedure.
Expanding the Repertoire of Target Sites for Zinc Finger Nuclease-mediated Genome Modification

Recent studies have shown that zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are powerful reagents for making site-specific genomic modifications. The generic structure of these enzymes includes a ZF DNA-binding domain and nuclease domain (Fn) are separated by an amino acid “linker” and cut genomic DNA at sites that have a generic structure (site1)-(spacer)-(site2) where the “spacer” separates the two binding sites. In this work, we compare the activity of ZFNs with different linkers on target sites with different spacer lengths. We found those nucleases with linkers’ lengths of 2 or 4 amino acid (aa) efficiently cut at target sites with 5 or 6 base pair (bp) spacers, and that those ZFNs with a 5-aa linker length efficiently cut target sites with 6 or 7 bp spacers. In addition, we demonstrate that the Oligomerized Pool ENgineering (OPEN) platform used for making three-fingered ZF proteins (ZFPs) can be modified to incorporate modular assembly fingers (including those recognizing ANNs, CNNs, and TNNs) and we were able to generate nucleases that efficiently cut cognate target sites. The ability to use module fingers in the OPEN platform at target sites of 5–7 bp spacer lengths increases the probability of finding a ZFN target site to 1 in 4 bp. These findings significantly expand the range of sites that can be potentially targeted by these custom-engineered proteins.
Use of concentrated fibrinogen in experimental splenic trauma.

This study evaluated Fibrin Sealant (FS), a two-component biologic adhesive that is effective in establishing hemostasis, in 27 experimentally produced splenic injuries in five adult mongrel dogs. Ten small superficial lacerations (2.0 cm in length), six large superficial lacerations (3.0–6.0 cm in length), three small wedge resections, and eight stab wounds extending into the splenic hilum were effectively repaired with FS without suture splenorrhaphy or temporary splenic hilar occlusion. Complete hemostasis was achieved in all animals prior to skin closure. Dogs were reexplored postoperatively at intervals varying from 4 h to 6 weeks. When animals were killed, there was no gross evidence of splenic disruption or recurrent bleeding; the spleens all had developed well-healed capsules. Histologic examination demonstrated a regenerated fibrous capsule extending over the injuries without significant inflammatory response. We conclude that FS (1) provides adequate hemostatic control of superficial and deep splenic injuries; (2) has good systemic and local compatibility; (3) can be applied to bleeding parenchymal wounds; organ ischemia is generally not required; (4) avoids the use of parenchymal sutures, which may be traumatic; and (5) may promote splenic wound healing. Thus, use of FS is an effective technique for splenic preservation after trauma.
Complications associated with surgical repair of syndromic scoliosis.

There are a number of syndromes that have historically been associated with scoliosis e.g.: Marfan, Down, and Neurofibromatosis. These syndromes have been grouped together as one etiology of scoliosis, known as syndromic scoliosis. While multiple studies indicate that these patients are at high risk for perioperative complications, there is a paucity of literature regarding the collective complication rates and surgical needs of this population. PubMed and Embase databases were searched for literature encompassing the surgical complications associated with the surgical management of patients undergoing correction of scoliosis in the syndromic scoliosis population. Following exclusion criteria, 24 articles were analyzed for data regarding these complications. The collective complication rates and findings of these articles were categorized based on specific syndrome. The rates and types of complications for each syndrome and the special needs of patients with each syndrome are discussed. Several complication trends of note were observed, including but not limited to the universally nearly high rate of wound infections (>5% in each group), high rate of pulmonary complications in patients with Rett syndrome (29.2%), high rate (>10%) of dural tears in Marfan and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome patients, high rate (>20%) of implant failure in Down and Prader-Willi syndrome patients, and high rate (>25%) of pseudarthrosis in Down and Ehlers-Danlos patients. Though these syndromes have been classically grouped together under the umbrella term “syndromic,” there may be specific needs for patients with each of these ailments. Given the high rate of complications, further research is necessary to understand the unique needs for each of these patient groups in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative settings.
Intersecting Race and Gender in Feminist Theories of Women'S Psychological Development

Although self-in-relation theory is the predominant feminist position on women's psychological development in the nursing literature, other voices and views, particularly from feminists of color, have challenged the thinking about the psychology of women. This article explores the intersectionality of race and gender in feminist theories of women's psychological development and mental health. It begins with a brief review of psychoanalytic feminism, focusing primarily on the work of Chodorow and what is labeled “self-in-relation” theory as it has been applied in (primarily mental health) nursing. This is followed by a discussion of the perspectives of several feminists of color concerning women's psychological development, perspectives that both challenge and concur with the views of psychoanalytic feminists. The final section presents the implications of these various feminist perspectives (and their challenges to each other) for feminist work in mental health nursing
Age differences in health effects of stressors and perceived control among urban African American women.

A conceptual model of the stress process has been useful in examining relationships among a variety of stressors, health status, and protective factors that modify the health-stress relationship. The model can contribute to an understanding of variations in health among people living in urban environments experiencing high degrees of stress. This study examines social contextual stressors in the neighborhood, health outcomes, and perceived control at multiple levels beyond the individual as a protective factor, among a random sample (N=679) of predominantly low-income African American women who reside on Detroit’s east side. Findings suggest that although stress has a consistently negative impact on health, perceived control may buffer against the deleterious effects of stress. The buffering role of perceived control, however, depends on age, the type of stressor examined, and the context or level at which perceived control is assessed (e.g., organizational, neighborhood, beyond the neighborhood). For young women, perceived control was found to be health protective. Among older women, perceived control in the face of stressors was inversely related to health. These findings suggest the need for health and social servive programs and policy change strategies to both increase the actual influence and control of women living in low-income urban communities and to reduce the specific social contextual stressors they experience.
Investigation of Degradation Signature for Hard Disk Drives Using Vibration and Acoustic Emission Sensors

The hard disk drive (HDD) is a critical component of any computer system. The performance of a computer system largely depends on the performance and health of its HDD. This paper investigates degradation signatures for the estimation of remaining useful life and the assessment of health of a HDD. Most of the mechanical faults in a HDD results in head-disk collision or friction. As a HDD ages, it may experience gradual damage to the head and scratches on the disk. One can expect that changes in the condition of head and disk may result in comparable changes in the characteristics of HDD vibration and acoustic emission signals. Based on this premise, this research conducted experiments on HDDs subject to accelerated deterioration. HDDs are monitored through vibration and acoustic emission sensors. Extracting features from these sensor signals, HDD degradation signatures are created. The results indicate that though degradation signatures exhibit a gradual trend with HDD aging, accurate assessment remaining useful life and health are not possible using these degradation signatures. Poor signal to noise ratio is the main impediment in this approach. The conclusion is that the best vibration and acoustic sensors available for this application are neither sensitive nor selective enough to capture the changes in the head and the disk of an aging HDD.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The dynamic 3D heliosphere: Implications for and new sources of its energetic particles

Abstract In recent years, two important aspects of heliospheric physics have emerged: (1) the intrinsic dynamism of the Sun's open magnetic flux and its vast importance for energetic particle propagation and acceleration; and (2) the importance of heliospheric grain populations for the production of energetic particles and anomalous cosmic rays. These new aspects have seeded the discovery of the inner and outer pickup ion sources; the discovery of the outer source of anomalous cosmic rays; the discovery that nearly radial magnetic fields in co-rotating rarefaction regions and associated energetic particle dwells are caused by the motions of open magnetic field footpoints across coronal hole boundaries; the relevance of these footpoint motions for ubiquitous statistical acceleration in slow solar wind and for Favored Acceleration Locations at the Termination Shock (FALTS). Here, we review these emerging discoveries and discuss how their combination is leading to a vastly different and improved understanding of our intrinsically dynamic heliosphere.
Thermal Radio Emission from Disk-Driven Centrifugal Winds

Disk-driven centrifugal winds can produce considerable bremsstrahlung radiation that could account for the radio observations of many low-luminosity young stellar objects. The wind is generated by ions that are flung out centrifugally along magnetic field lines threading the disk. Collisional drag between ions and neutrals heats the gas, giving rise to a hot (T ~ 104 K), partially ionized (nH+/nH ~ 0.1) region in the wind. The thermal radio emission from this hot region is computed for several wind models, and it is shown that the flux in the radio regime (1 v 20 GHz) is consistent with the observed values of, and upper limits on, the flux from classical T Tauri stars. Synthetic radio maps are calculated for different observed inclinations and are found to be compatible with the observed morphologies. Inclinations near 90° (edge-on to the disk) result in elongated radio maps, whereas smaller inclinations yield more circular contours. The models considered in this study have outflow rates of ~10–7 M☉ yr–1 tron densities in the range inferred from observations of forbidden lines. In particular, a general parameter study within the context of the model indicates that electron densities from ~ 107 to ~ 1012 cm–3 at a distance of ~ 1 AU from the central protostar are required to produce the range in observed radio luminosities and spectral shapes. The calculated wind models turn out to be partially optically thick, implying that any peristellar nonthermal emission would in general be unobservable. This could explain why classical T Tauri stars lack the nonthermal emission found in weak-lined T Tauri stars.
Inhibition of Human Scleral Fibroblast Cell Attachment to Collagen Type I by TGFBIp

PURPOSE Transforming growth factor beta-induced protein (TGFBIp; 68 kDa) is a secreted extracellular matrix (ECM) protein that has been demonstrated to regulate cell attachment in a variety of cell types. The sclera synthesizes and secretes TGFBIp, which may function to facilitate scleral ECM remodeling events associated with myopia development. Here the authors report that human scleral fibroblasts (HSFs) express TGFBI and that its protein product, TGFBIp, mediates an effect on cell attachment. METHODS TGFBI/TGFBIp expression was evaluated by RT-PCR and immunoblot of HSF lysates and culture supernatants. The effect of rTGFBIp (50 microg/mL) on cell attachment to collagen type I was determined with the use of fluid-phase cell attachment assays in HSFs, human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs), and human corneal stroma fibroblasts (HCFs). Binding assays using biotinylated rTGFBIp were used to assess TGFBIp binding to the HSF surface. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry were used to determine both alphavbeta3 and alphavbeta5 expression and localization to the HSF cell surface. RESULTS HSFs expressed TGFBI and secreted TGFBIp (approximately 833 ng/h). rTGFBIp significantly decreased (25 microg/mL; P <or= 0.05) HSF attachment to collagen type I, whereas rTGFBIp did not significantly affect cell attachment of HFFs (P = 0.50) or HCFs (P = 0.24) to collagen compared with BSA. Integrins alphavbeta3 and alphavbeta5 were detected on the cell surface, and both anti-alphavbeta3 and anti-alphavbeta5 functionally blocked rTGFBIp binding to HSFs. CONCLUSIONS TGFBIp plays an inhibitory role in HSF attachment to collagen type I in vitro through interactions with alphavbeta3 and alphavbeta5 integrin receptors. These results suggest that TGFBIp may modulate scleral cell-matrix interactions in vivo, thereby affecting scleral viscoelasticity.
Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases associated with bovine retinal outer-segment fragments☆

Abstract ATP-dependent cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity (EC 3.1.4.16) associated with bovine retinal outer-segment fragment preparations was stimulated an order of magnitude by light, confirming the results of Miki et al. (1973) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S. 70, 3820–3824 at Yale for the frog system. In contrast to the results of the Yale group, however, light stimulation was not observed for cyclic AMP as substrate. A direct relationship of bovine rhodopsin bleaching to phosphodiesterase activation differs from a previous report by the Yale group that full activation of the frog enzyme was achieved by bleaching of a maximum of 2% rhodopsin. Phosphodiesterase activity could be qualitatively removed from the fresh outer-segment preparations with isotonic sucrose which apparently did not disrupt the plasmalemma or discs. Activity recovered from the washing was not light sensitive. Two K m values were determined for cyclic AMP, 5 and 0.05 mM; for cyclic GMP a K m of 0.22 mM was found. All K m values were determined in the presence of 1 mM ATP in the dark. Sonication of fresh outer segments of storing at −20°C abolished the light response. However, storage at −76°C fully preserved it.
Novel forms of chemical protein diversity -- in nature and in the laboratory.

Novel chemical variants of proteins have been found in nature, including potent ‘microprotein’ natural products and folded protein molecules that contain a cyclic polypeptide chain. Researchers have used chemical synthesis and genetic methods to make these proteins and more: protein catenanes, neoglycoproteins, and artificial protein molecules with novel architectures or made from novel building blocks. De novo design has taken a big step forward with the accurate design and construction of proteins with complex molecular structure. A variety of non-coded amino acids and other building blocks has been used to make increasingly sophisticated protein molecular devices for use as biosensors and for the study of signal transduction inside living cells.
Intracellular mechanisms of antidepressant drug action.

The action of antidepressant drugs on monoamines such as norepinephrine and serotonin has been described for three decades. However, more-recent research has looked beyond cell surface receptors to transductional cascades and gene expression. Antidepressant drug therapies seem to share several mechanisms involved in either activating the adenylyl cyclase-protein kinase A cascade or inhibiting the phospholipase C-protein kinase C mechanisms. These effects, ultimately, combine to regulate the expression of target genes. Several specific genes are known to be activated or inhibited by antidepressant therapies. Steady-state levels of mRNA for glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor trkB, and preproenkephalin are enhanced, whereas those for corticotropin-releasing hormone, c-fos,N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits, and nerve-growth factor 1A are reduced. New molecular genetic methods for identifying differentially expressed genes will aid in the dev...
Latitude local-time dependence of low-energy cosmic-ray cutoffs in a realistic geomagnetic field.

Numerical program integrating motion equation of charged particles from realistic geomagnetic field model, with trajectory calculations for solar cosmic rays
Assay of infectious RNA from bacteriopahge R 17

Bacterial protoplasts have been used to demonstrate the infectious activity of a variety of bacteriophage nucleic acids. Spizizen (1957) and Fraser, Mahler, Shug and Thomas (1957) demonstrated that protoplasts could be infected by subviral particles of the coliphage T2. The single-stranded DNA of bacteriophage OX174 was shown to be infectious by Guthrie and Sinsheimer (1960) and Sekiguchi, Taketo and Takagi (1960). More recently, Fouace and Huppert (1962) and Knolle and Kaudewitz (1962) have reported that protoplasts can be infected by the RNA of the RNA bacteriophages f2, FH4, FH5 and ft5. The RNA of bacteriophage R17, which was isolated in this laboratory (Paranchych and Graham, 1962), also has been found to be infectious to bacterial protoplasts. However, under conditions similar to those described by Fouace et al. (1962), the infectivity yield was found to be very low (one infectious RNA unit per 108 phage). An investigation was thus carried out to find more favorable conditions for estimating infectious RNA. This communication describes an assay system in which the infectivity yield has been increased to approximately one infectious RNA unit per 105 phage.
Computer-aided quantitative microscopy

Abstract Microscopy of materials specimens can provide important quantitative information about microstructures that can be related to processing history and composition on the one hand, and to properties and service performance on the other. Simple visual observation of images is not adequate to extract the important parameters, and is easily confused by the natural variability of the structure and the unfamiliarity of looking at three-dimensional structures in two-dimensional sections. Stereological tools to relate the two- and three-dimensional parameters are well developed. The use of computers makes it practical to perform image processing to extract the parameters and to carry out the appropriate calculations. The steps may be broken down for convinience into acquisition of images, processing of the gray-scale (or color) information, discrimination to select the features of interest, editing to correct defects, measurement of either feature-specific or global parameters, and interpretation. Examples of each are shown using a variety of materials specimens, using images from light and electron microscopes.
Phylogeography of the Angolan black and white colobus monkey, Colobus angolesnsis palliatus, in Kenya and Tanzania.

Little is known about genetic variation in the 6–8 subspecies of Colobus angolensis, currently distinguished by pelage differences. We present a comparative genetic analysis of one of these subspecies, C. a. palliatus, in Kenya and Tanzania that assesses evolutionary relationships and patterns of mitochondrial genetic diversity in 103 individuals across its geographic range. Fecal samples from approximately 156 individuals were collected in four localities: (1) Diani Forest, Kenya; (2) Shimoni, Kenya; (3) Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania; and (4) Mount Rungwe, Southern Highlands, Tanzania. These samples represent at least six groups, with 5–15 samples from each. Comparative sequence analysis of a 1,795 base pair mtDNA fragment revealed 19 unique haplotypes in four populations. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that sampled Kenyan haplotypes are paraphyletic, with one Kenyan haplotype basal to all other sampled haplotypes. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) suggests high levels of genetic variation among populations (ΦST 0.72, P<0.001). Genetic data are concordant with a subspecies level differentiation between C. a. palliatus populations in Kenya and those in Central and southern Tanzania, as earlier suggested based on pelage differences. This study highlights the evolutionary distinctiveness of Kenyan populations of C. a. palliatus relative to Tanzanian populations. Although C. a. palliatus habitat in Tanzania is currently better protected than in Kenya, our results suggest Kenyan and Tanzanian populations should be considered distinct units, and the protection of C. a. palliatus habitat in Kenya, as well as habitat connectivity between Kenyan populations, should be prioritized for conservation and management. Am. J. Primatol. 72:715–724, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Prevention of sudden cardiac death.

Sudden Cardiac Death. Although the annual incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is dropping in the United States, therapies for the patient who has survived a SCD episode or is at high risk of developing SCD in the future are now well established. The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has emerged from a series of well done randomized clinical trials of the 1990s as providing a survival benefit in carefully defined patient groups with low ejection fraction of any cause. Patients with either an ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and an EF ≤35% show a significant survival benefit with the ICD and maximal medical therapy. Many challenging patients (e.g., those with long QT syndrome or Brugada syndrome) who have a reasonably high incidence of sudden death have not been the subject of clinical trials involving the ICD and therapy depends on risk stratification that is currently not completely agreed upon. An exciting research frontier of the future will be those that attempt to integrate the appropriate role of the ICD with the ability of chronic resynchronization therapy to enhance left ventricular function in the damaged ventricle.
Magnetic susceptibility of iodine doped polyacetylene: The effects of nonuniform doping

Abstract A detailed study of magnetic properties of [CHH(I 3 ) y ] x demonstrates that with quasi-uniform doping, the spin susceptibility is small, consistent with the soliton doping mechanism. Traditional doping techniques lead to one order of magnitude larger spin susceptibilities, and to a nonuniform dopant distribution. We present a simple model which accounts for the observed susceptibility based on the effect of a radial variation of y within the (CH) x fibrils.
Application of the singular function expansion to an integral equation for scattering

The Dirichlet scattering problem is solved exactly for a surface of arbitrary smooth shape. The solution is given in terms of the complete, orthonormal set of functions defined on the surface and arising as singular functions of the integral operator. Since the singular values do not have a point of accumulation at zero, the method is of much greater practical value than the eigenmode expansion method (EEM). Since the terms in the infinite series are naturally ordered by size of singular value, the dominance of one or several terms in the series may be established without explicit evaluation of the coupling coefficients. Extentions of the method to other boundary value problems and applications to the singularity expansion method (SEM) are described.
The Nuclear Receptor Resource Project

We have expanded the original Glucocorticoid Receptor Resource (GRR) database to include several individual resources as part of a larger project called the Nuclear Receptor Resource (NRR). In addition to the GRR, the NRR currently features the Thyroid Hormone Receptor Resource, the Androgen Receptor Resource, the Mineralocorticoid Receptor Resource, the Vitamin D Receptor Resource, and the Steroid Receptor Associated Proteins Resource. The goal of the NRR project is to provide a comprehensive resource for information on the nuclear receptor superfamily, and to provide a forum for the dissemination and discussion of both published and unpublished material on these proteins. Although the individual resources are managed from different servers, all the files are integrated and can be accessed through the project's Home Page, housed at http://nrr. georgetown.edu/nrr.html. In the near future, we hope to expand the project to contain information on other nuclear receptors and to better our electronic publication system. To accomplish this, we encourage the involvement of nuclear receptor investigators in the NRR.
Regulation of Cell Cytoskeleton and Membrane Mechanics by Electric Field: Role of Linker Proteins

Cellular mechanics is known to play an important role in the cell homeostasis including proliferation, motility, and differentiation. Significant variation in the mechanical properties between different cell types suggests that control of the cell metabolism is feasible through manipulation of the cell mechanical parameters using external physical stimuli. We investigated the electrocoupling mechanisms of cellular biomechanics modulation by an electrical stimulation in two mechanically distinct cell types—human mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblasts. Application of a 2 V/cm direct current electric field resulted in approximately a twofold decrease in the cell elasticity and depleted intracellular ATP. Reduction in the ATP level led to inhibition of the linker proteins that are known to physically couple the cell membrane and cytoskeleton. The membrane separation from the cytoskeleton was confirmed by up to a twofold increase in the membrane tether length that was extracted from the cell membrane after an electrical stimulation. In comparison to human mesenchymal stem cells, the membrane-cytoskeleton attachment in osteoblasts was much stronger but, in response to the same electrical stimulation, the membrane detachment from the cytoskeleton was found to be more pronounced. The observed effects mediated by an electric field are cell type- and serum-dependent and can potentially be used for electrically assisted cell manipulation. An in-depth understanding and control of the mechanisms to regulate cell mechanics by external physical stimulus (e.g., electric field) may have great implications for stem cell-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Multiplatform single-sample estimates of transcriptional activation

Over the past two decades, many biotechnology platforms have been developed for high-throughput gene expression profiling. However, because each platform is subject to technology-specific biases and produces distinct raw-data distributions, researchers have experienced difficulty in integrating data across platforms. Data integration is crucial to data-generating consortiums, researchers transitioning to newer profiling technologies, and individuals seeking to aggregate data across experiments. We address this need with our Universal exPression Code (UPC) approach, which corrects for platform-specific background noise using models that account for the genomic base composition and length of target regions; this approach also uses a mixture model to estimate whether a gene is active in a particular profiling sample. The latter produces standardized UPC values on a zero-to-one scale, so that they can be interpreted consistently, irrespective of profiling technology, thus enabling downstream analysis pipelines to be developed in a platform-agnostic manner. The UPC method can be applied to one- and two-channel expression microarrays and to next-generation sequencing data (RNA sequencing). Furthermore, UPCs are derived using information from within a given sample only—no ancillary samples are required at processing time. Thus, UPCs are suitable for personalized-medicine workflows where samples must be processed individually rather than in batches. In a variety of analyses and comparisons, UPCs perform comparably to other methods designed specifically for microarrays or RNA sequencing in most settings. Software for calculating UPCs is freely available at www.bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/SCAN.UPC.html.
Fatty Acid Composition and Caloric Value of Ground Beef Containing Low Levels of Fat

Ground beef patties containing five different levels of fat – 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25%– were cooked by boiling, browning, pan-frying, microwaving, roasting or broiling. Proximate composition, fat retention, energy content (kcal/100g), and fatty acid composition of raw and cooked patties were examined. Percentage fat retention decreased as fat content of the raw patty increased. Microwaving to “well done” and boiling resulted in ground beef with less fat than other methods of cooking at the higher fat levels. The proportion of fatty acids changed very little with increasing fat percentage and because of cooking method.
A Survey of Attitudes about Digital Repositories among Faculty at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge.

This paper gives the result of a 2007 survey of faculty at eight academic departments at Louisiana State University, asking them about the usefulness for their needs of an extension of the scholarly communication system by digital repositories.
Frequency and intensity measurements on the quadrupole spectrum of molecular hydrogen

Abstract The quadrupole spectrum of molecular hydrogen has been investigated with spectroscopic instruments of high resolution and a large 44-meter multiple reflection absorption cell. The frequencies of seven lines in the 1-0 band and two lines in the 2-0 band were measured. Pressure shifts were obtained for five lines in the 1-0 band. These data were used to obtain precise molecular constants for the first few vibrational states. Intensity measurements on the lines of the 1-0 and 2-0 bands and the S(1) line of the 3-0 band were made and corrected by means of an empirical curve of growth. These measurements are compared with theoretical calculations of the hydrogen quadrupole matrix element.
Prediction of Genetic Differences Among Herds with Estimates of Breeding Value

Abstract Estimates of breeding values are used to select cows across herds as well as within herds to be dams of future sires. Variation in estimates of breeding values should reflect genetic differences among cows, among and within herds. This study compared the amount of genetic differences among herds predicted by six estimates of breeding values. Estimates of breeding values were developed by selection index and a mixed linear model for 25,843 Holstein cows in 693 herds in Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. Intrasire regressions indicated that 10% of the differences among herds was genetic. Additional regressions indicated that the estimates of breeding value varied significantly in their ability to predict these genetic differences, but even the best procedure yielded estimates less than 60% of the desired value. Both inclusion of more information from relatives and adjustment of herdmate averages for expected herd genetic average improved the association of herd production with estimates of breeding values. Estimates of breeding values did not vary greatly in the proportion of their total variation associated with herds. Product-moment correlations between the estimates of breeding values were all greater than .88.
f-electron bonding, electronic structure and phase transitions in lanthanum and cerium

Abstract Under pressure La and Ce show effects due to varying degrees of 4f localization, much the same as occurs in the actinide series where the 5f states change from itinerant to localized with increasing atomic number. A self-consistent Linearized Augmented Plane Wave method is used to elucidate the 4f character under changes in atomic volume (i.e. pressure) for the fcc phases of both La and Ce. In both metals 4f occupation increases only slightly under pressure. The low temperature structural transitions of La under pressure correlate with changes of Fermi surface topology. The collapsed α-phase of Ce can be understood in terms of a band-like 4f state which participates weakly in bonding.
Induction of ripening capacity in ‘Packham's Triumph’ and ‘Gebhard Red D’Anjou’ Pears by temperature and ethylene conditioning

Abstract Methods were tested for rapid induction of ripening capacity in ‘Packham's Triumph’ and ‘Gebhard Red D’Anjou’ pears in order to facilitate early marketing. Fruit of each cultivar were harvested at the onset of maturity and conditioned to develop ripening capacity by exposure to 100 μL L−1 ethylene at 20 °C for 0, 24, 48, or 72 h, followed by varying durations of temperature conditioning at −0.5 or 10 °C. Ripening capacity was tested by measuring fruit firmness after 7 d at 20 °C after completion of conditioning treatments. Fruit firmness was also measured after conditioning but before ripening, and was designated “shipping firmness,” indicative of the potential for the fruit to withstand transport conditions without physical injury. With temperature conditioning at −0.5 °C only, ‘Packham's Triumph’ pears needed 45 d to develop ripening capacity, while ‘Gebhard Red D’Anjou’ pears were not capable of fully ripening after 60 d, the longest duration tested. Using ethylene only, 72 h exposure was necessary to develop full ripening capacity in both cultivars, and adequate shipping firmness was maintained. Using temperature conditioning at 10 °C, ripening capacity in ‘Packham's Triumph’ and ‘Gebhard Red D’Anjou’ developed within 10 and 20 d, respectively, but shipping firmness in ‘Gebhard Red D’Anjou’ was compromised at 20 d. In both cultivars, 24 or 48 h in ethylene followed by 5 d at 10 °C induced ripening capacity while maintaining adequate shipping firmness.
Federal role in teacher quality: Redefinition or policy alignment?

Although state attention to teacher preparation and professional development began more than 150 years ago with the provision of teacher education in Massachusetts, the federal government did not g...
Deterministic Motion Planning for redundant robots along End-Effector Paths

In this paper we propose a deterministic approach to solve the Motion Planning along End-Effector Paths problem (MPEP) for redundant manipulators. Most of the existing approaches are based on local optimization techniques, hence they do not offer global guarantees of finding a path if it exists. Our proposed method is resolution complete. This feature is achieved by discretizing the Jacobian nullspace at each waypoint and selecting the next configuration according to a given heuristic function. To escape from possible local minima, our algorithm implements a backtracking strategy that allows our planner to recover from erroneous previous configuration choices by performing a breadth-first backwards search procedure. We present the results of simulated experiments performed with diverse manipulators and a humanoid robot.