cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Small cell lung cancer: updates and new concepts.

The standard of care for both limited stage and extensive stage SCLC has seen little change since the introduction of platinum/etoposide doublet therapy in the mid-1980s (1,2). There have been advances in the clinic since then, including the approval of topotecan for recurrent SCLC and the application of new radiation therapy strategies, but despite these advances the outlook for patients afflicted with SCLC remains dismal (3-8). The frequent and rapid incidence of acquired resistance to these therapies (6) and the inability to detect early-stage disease by radiographic approaches (9-11) has bedeviled progress in this deadly disease.
Palazzos of Power: Central Stations of the Philadelphia Electric Company 1900-1930

Probably few readers have yearned for the appearance of a volume devoted to Philadelphia’s early-twentieth-century electric power plants. Yet in Palazzos of Power Aaron Wunsch and Joseph Elliott di...
Vital signs monitoring of multiple people using a FMCW millimeter-wave sensor

In this paper, we describe non-contact monitoring of vital signs of multiple people using a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) sensor. We use the inherent range-gating ability of the FMCW waveforms and multiple receive channels to separate objects in range-azimuth plane. We sub-sequently utilize the fact that body surface movements due to physiological motions modulates the phase of the received radar signal and can be further processed to extract the breathing and heart-rate. Range-gating and beamforming techniques allow the signal of interest to be isolated from surrounding clutter, however several challenges such as random body movements need to be addressed before radar-based non-contact measurements can be deployed in real-world settings.
Differentiation of Self and Christian Spiritual Maturity: Social Science and Theological Integration:

Differentiation of Self (DoS) is a social science construct that is useful for an integrative conceptualization of Christian spiritual maturity. Differentiated relationality has its theological gro...
Landscape Heterogeneity and Ecosystem Dynamics

Landscape heterogeneity determines the regional consequences of processes occurring in individual ecosystems. In this chapter, we describe the major causes and consequences of landscape heterogeneity.
Molecular and genetic approaches to neurotransmitter and neuromodulator systems in Drosophila.

Publisher Summary Drosophila melanogaster provides one of the most powerful experimental systems for studying genetic and molecular aspects of nervous system physiology and development. This chapter summarizes studies of compounds that are postulated to mediate or modulate neurotransmission in Drosophila with an emphasis on the genetic approaches used to study them. The premise is that the classical and molecular genetics have the potential to enhance biochemical, immunochemical, and physiological studies of neurotransmitter and neuromodulator function. This chapter covers four major classes of putative neurotransmitters or neuromodulators: (1) acetylcholine (Ach), (2) biogenic amines, (3) amino acids, and (4) neuropeptides. In no instance is there incontrovertible evidence for a role in neurotransmission, although the case for glutamate at the neuromuscular junction is quite strong. For acetylcholine, there is a great deal of circumstantial evidence that is often derived from genetic analyses. In other cases, postulated roles are based solely on analogies with work in other species.
Minimally Invasive 27-Gauge Vitrectomy for Coats’ Disease Retinal Detachment:

Purpose:To describe the use of 27-gauge pars plana vitrectomy in the management of Coats’ disease retinal detachment.Methods:Case report of a 10-year-old female presenting with exudative retinal de...
Abstract LB-399: Aspirin reduces doxorubicin-induced senescence and early-aging in mice

Survivors of childhood cancers are often associated with the adverse late effects of earlier cancer treatments, including hearing loss, early menopause, osteoporosis, hypoplasia, fatigue, and infertility. While an accumulating body of evidence supports the hypothesis that cancer treatment is associated with accelerated aging, the mechanisms that lead to a functional decline or frailty remain elusive. Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), a key enzyme in prostaglandin biosynthesis, is known to be increased in the tissues of aged humans and mice. We have previously found that transgenic expression of COX2 causes premature aging phenotypes in mice. Since it is well-known that COX2 expression is highly induced by various chemotherapeutic agents, we further investigated the possible link between COX2 and the late effects of chemotherapy. Treatment of juvenile mice with doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline-based chemotherapeutic agent, resulted in increased cellular senescence and premature aging in adult mice. Interestingly, tissue expression of COX2 persisted even at 11 weeks after cessation of DOX treatment. In addition, aspirin, a classical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), alleviated cellular senescence and early aging phenotypes in DOX-treated mice. Moreover, NSAIDs, either a selective or non-selective COX2 inhibitors, reduced the viability of senescent cells and down-regulated the levels of Bcl-xL and LC3b. Our results suggest that chemotherapy-induced COX2 may play an important role in the late effects of chemotherapy by inducing cellular senescence and further aging. Citation Format: Mingxiao Feng, Minsub Shim. Aspirin reduces doxorubicin-induced senescence and early-aging in mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-399.
Solving interpersonal problems when fatigued: The beneficial effect of positive mood

I examined factors that inhibit and augment effective problem solving in social contexts. I tested the joint effect of mental fatigue and mood on interpersonal problem solving. Utilizing scenario-based tests, I found that individuals experiencing high (vs. low) mental fatigue generated less effective solutions to social problems, and identified fewer relevant steps to solve these problems. I also found that the experience of positive emotion served to counteract these fatigue-induced deficits, bolstering mental resources needed for productive social problem solving. My results also have practical relevance, as the extent to which individuals can generate effective strategies to overcome interpersonal problems has far-reaching consequences with respect to personal adjustment and the ability to enact socially skilled behavior.
Management of eosinophilic esophagitis is often discordant with guidelines and not patient-centered: results of a survey of gastroenterologists.

Published guidelines for the management of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) recommend an initial trial of proton pump inhibitors (PPI), histologic assessment for response to therapy, and tailoring treatments to patient needs and provider resources. Effectiveness studies directly comparing therapies are lacking, leaving a situation ripe for shared decision making. We aimed to assess gastroenterologists' adherence to guidelines and how they respond to EoE patients' preferences regarding management. We administered a web-based survey to practicing US gastroenterologists, assessing knowledge, and practice patterns in the management of EoE, including comfort with alternative treatments to steroids. Ninety-two providers responded, including 55% in private practice. Nearly half (47%) reported spending ≤10 minutes on initial education and counseling and 48% recommended PPI monotherapy prior to other strategies. Of those who did not start with PPI monotherapy, 55% chose topical steroids ± PPI and 26% dietary elimination ± PPI. Despite this, 90% felt comfortable allowing a patient to start dietary elimination instead of steroids, but less comfortable with dilation alone (39%) or no treatment (30%). Upon symptomatic resolution, 72% of academic providers recommended endoscopy with biopsies to demonstrate histologic response to treatment, compared to 27% in private practice. There are substantial variations in adherence to guidelines regarding PPI use and assessing response to therapy. Gastroenterologists prefer topical steroids over other treatment modalities and most spend little time educating and counseling, which may limit informed decision making. Strategies aimed at decreasing these variations in management and promoting shared decision making in EoE are needed.
A parametric contact model to describe the interlocking of soft bodies with ridged surface textures used in haptic applications

Abstract Tactile interactions with product surfaces are essential to how such products are used and the value that users ascribe to them. It has been shown that contact mechanisms and frictional interactions are central to the haptic attributes perceived by the users. While there are established and well-studied models that describe the adhesive and deformation components of friction, interlocking behavior—while shown to be dominant in some tactile applications—has not been thoroughly studied as a frictional mechanism for soft materials such as skin, partly because of the complex contact mechanics involved. This investigation involved a computational parametric study of interlocking behavior between a soft material and a parallel-ridge surface texture, across a range of ridge widths, spacing and applied pressure. The goal of the work was to determine if a relatively simple contact model could be developed to predict the number of potential points of interlocking between the soft body and the ridge features. The results showed that a standard Hertzian approach predicted the number of ridge edge contacts (potential interlocking locations) with acceptable accuracy, so long as the ratio of ridge width to ridge spacing was large. However, a hybrid model that also incorporated the ridge width performed remarkably well across a wide range of ridge widths and spacing. This model may provide utility as an input into various proposed models of frictional interlocking to explain haptic perception of textured surfaces.
Antibiotics: Intranasal and Systemic for Treatment of Sinusitis in Children

This chapter presents an overview regarding the role of antibiotics in pediatric acute and chronic rhinosinusitis based on the current evidence. Although controversial, the use of empiric oral antibiotics is recommended for acute and chronic bacterial rhinosinusitis. Culture-directed therapy is reserved for patients who do not respond to initial treatment. Intravenous antibiotics and intranasal antibiotic irrigations are not currently recommended for routine usage; however, they may be utilized for patients with complications of sinusitis, resistant bacteria, or comorbidities.
Functional connectome biotypes of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a common neurotoxicity among patients with breast and other cancers. Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated measurable biomarkers of CRCI but have largely neglected the potential heterogeneity of the syndrome. We used retrospective functional MRI data from 80 chemotherapy-treated breast cancer survivors to examine neurophysiologic subtypes or “biotypes” of CRCI. The breast cancer group consisted of training (N = 57) and validation (N = 23) samples. An unsupervised clustering approach using connectomes from the training sample identified three distinct biotypes. Cognitive performance (p < 0.05, corrected) and regional connectome organization (p < 0.001, corrected) differed significantly between the biotypes and also from 103 healthy female controls. We then built a random forest classifier using connectome features to distinguish between the biotypes (accuracy = 91%) and applied this to the validation sample to predict biotype assignment. Cognitive performance (p < 0.05, corrected) and regional connectome organization (p < 0.005, corrected) differed significantly between the predicted biotypes and healthy controls. Biotypes were also characterized by divergent clinical and demographic factors as well as patient reported outcomes. Neurophysiologic biotypes may help characterize the heterogeneity associated with CRCI in a data-driven manner based on neuroimaging biomarkers. Our novel findings provide a foundation for detecting potential risk and resilience factors that warrant further study. With further investigation, biotypes might be used to personalize assessments of and interventions for CRCI.
Detecting chromatin interactions along and between sister chromatids with SisterC [preprint]

Accurate chromosome segregation requires chromosome compaction with concordant disentanglement of the two sister chromatids. This process has been studied extensively by microscopy but has remained a challenge for genomic methods, such as Hi-C, because sister chromatids have identical DNA sequences. Here we describe SisterC, a chromosome conformation capture assay that can distinguish interactions between and within sister chromatids. The assay is based on BrdU incorporation during S-phase, which labels the newly replicated strands of the sister chromatids. This is followed by Hi-C, e.g. during different stages of mitosis, and the selective destruction of BrdU containing strands by UV/Hoechst treatment. After PCR amplification and sequencing of the remaining intact strands, this allows for the assignment of Hi-C products as inter- and intra-sister interactions by read orientation. We performed SisterC on mitotically arrested S. cerevisiae cells. As expected, we find prominent interactions and alignment of sister chromatids at their centromeres. Along the arms, sister chromatids are less precisely aligned with inter-sister connections every ~35kb. In many instances, inter-sister interactions do not involve the interaction of two identical loci but occur between cohesin binding sites that can be offset by 5 to 25kb. Along sister chromatids, extruding cohesin forms loops up to 50kb. Combined, SisterC allows the observation of the complex interplay between sister chromatid compaction and sister chromatid segregation as the cell transitions from late S-phase to mitosis. SisterC should be applicable to study mitotic events in a wide range of organisms and cell types.
Plasmon-resonance emission tailoring of "origami" graphene-covered photonic gratings

Due to the negative coefficient of thermal expansion of graphene, temperature changes of graphene-coated photonic surfaces could induce resonant mode shifts in diffractive optical absorptance and emission. This study focuses on the modification of optical properties through folding, or "origami," of graphene covering a plasmonic metal channel grating. This work is especially critical to understanding tailored deep plasmon emission from geometrically-modulated conducting sheets such as graphene. Conformational changes in graphene on gratings are found to tailor cavity resonance emission and plasmonic oscillations such as magnetic polaritons (MPs) and surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), respectively. Up to 46% reduction in radiative absorptance was observed through retarded MP. Excited SPP modes can increase narrowband absorptance of 0.5 through folding of graphene. Tailoring of optical absorptance can be used for applications such as photodetectors and thermal emitters.
Developing and Implementing a Process to Verify and Validate the NASA InSight Mission's Instrument Command Products

The NASA InSight Mars lander is a robotic spacecraft which is investigating the interior structure of Mars through a series of seismological measurements and experiments. Much of the commanding of activities performed by the instruments was done using ‘blocks’ - reusable functions written in Virtual Machine Language stored onboard the spacecraft- and sequences (series of commands) that were created by teams to operate their instruments. It was vital that these blocks and sequences (collectively called command products) be thoroughly examined prior to onboard execution using a comprehensive test program to reduce risk to the spacecraft and instruments and ensure smooth operations on the surface of Mars. The Verification and Validation (V&V) process that was designed and implemented during the months leading up to InSight's launch and landing successfully uncovered a number of issues that could have caused operational delays or impacted hardware. The process also helped adapt ground tools to better model onboard activities, create operational principles to avoid unintended consequences during flight, and generate a reference database for command product use during operations. This allowed InSight to meet its surface operations goals in the desired timeframe. This paper describes the development, implementation and results of InSight's command product V&V process, its contribution to mission success, and challenges faced.
Weather Modification as a Watershed Management Tool

An analysis is given of potential runoff increases produced by weather modification as a watershed management tool in the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Experience with weather modification operations in this general area shows that significant increases in runoff can be obtained. An evaluation is made of the potential for production of increased water supply for three distinct water producing periods during the year. The advantages of winter operations are the result of the amounts of precipitation during that period. Spring operations provide an excellent opportunity for effective watershed management. The primary advantage of summer operations is in the high value of water during this period.
Characterization of Human B Creatine Kinase Gene Regulation in the Heart in Vitro and in Vivo

During cardiogenesis, genes indicative of the adult phenotype are transcriptionally activated while genes characteristic of the embryonic phenotype are down-regulated. The regulation of embryonic genes such as the brain isoform of creatine kinase (BCK) during cardiac development has not been characterized. Accordingly, the transcriptional regulation of BCK in the developing heart was determined. In vitro and in vivo promoter analyses of the human BCK gene identified an element between +25 and +57 that functioned as an enhancer. Electromobility shift assays using adult and neonatal nuclear extracts identified a specific complex binding this element, the abundance of which correlated with the developmental level of endogenous cardiac BCK expression. Mutations at +47 and +53 led to a loss of activity in transfected cells and obviated binding in electromobility shift assays. These data show that a nuclear factor in cardiocytes interacts with an enhancer element (+25 and +57), via nucleotides +47 and +53, to drive BCK expression in the heart and suggest that developmental BCK expression is via abundance of this factor. The nuclear factor has not been identified but as described previously binding sites are not present in the enhancer, it is either a known factor interacting with a new recognition site or a new factor.
Transfusion in Traumatic Brain Injury.

There are three primary blood products that are often transfused in traumatic brain injury: packed red blood cells (pRBCs), platelets, and plasma. For pRBCs, hemoglobin thresholds for transfusion in anemia should be set at 7 g/dl. Higher threshold is warranted only when the patient is clinically symptomatic. For platelets, transfusion thresholds should be at least 50,000/mm3 for patients without and 100,000/mm3 for patients with evidence of hemorrhage. Reversal of antiplatelet therapy with platelet transfusion is advisable only in patients with active bleeding. Tests for platelet function are helpful in determining an adequate platelet transfusion in these situations. Fresh frozen plasma transfusion for correction of warfarin-induced coagulopathy is also advisable in patients with active bleeding. If available, activated factor VII can be used in refractory cases. Prothrombin concentrate complexes are also another alternative in refractory situations. Transfusion goals for patients with evidence of hemorrhage should be an international normalization ratio of 1.3 or less. Prophylactic transfusion of plasma in severe traumatic brain injury without intracranial hemorrhage has not been demonstrated to improve outcome. In all situations of product transfusion, patients should be closely observed for signs of volume overload and the development of transfusion-related acute lung injury. The benefit of product transfusion should always be weighed against the risk of a transfusion-related complication.
Interpreting evidence of effectiveness: how do you know when a prevention approach will work for your community?

Many valuable lessons have been learned from injury prevention programs that have been implemented and evaluated. When thinking about implementing a program in your community, literature about program effectiveness can be a powerful tool in your decision making throughout the design, implementation, and evaluation of your program. Existing evidence can help you identify the most promising approaches for your specifi c injury focus and community characteristics and can be helpful in steering you away from programs that have not worked well in the past. Existing evidence can help you gain support for your project because securing community support or resources for your project will be much more successful if you can demonstrate that the approach has already been effective. Existing evidence can also help focus the design and implementation of your project and help you understand what measures to include in your evaluation. This chapter helps you fi nd the existing evidence, understand what factors are important when reading this evidence, and understand other factors that are important when translating a program to your community.
Simulation-based estimation: a case study in oncology (SIMEST) and a case study in portfolio selection (SIMUGRAM)

Since the time of Poisson, stochastic processes have been axiomatized in the temporally forward direction. Yet for nearly a century, estimation of parameters and even forecasts have been based on likelihood approaches that start with temporally indexed data and then look backward in time. I shall be using the philosophy of Karl Pearson [Scott DW, Tapia RA, Thompson JR. Karl Pearson was right. Computer Science and Statistics: Tenth Annual Symposium on the Interface; 1978, 179–183] in this article where I create, using a forward model, a large virtual universe of happenings based on the assumption of four parameters characterizing an oncological process based on four Poissonian processes. Bins will be formed in the real time space based on the actual data of real world system of times of discovery of primary and secondary tumors and use bin boundaries that enclose roughly 5% of the actual tumor discover data and compare the bin proportions of virtual data with the proportions of actual data in each of the bins. This will enable us to use Karl Pearson's goodness-of-fit criterion as the objective function for a Nelder–Mead optimization. We present here an oncological example where the objective is to estimate four parameters relevant to the progression of beast cancer. This procedure is termed the SIMEST paradigm. Then we briefly describe the patented SIMUGRAM for estimating the distribution of portfolio values using daily resampling strategies. This procedure makes minimal model assumptions and is completely based on data. WIREs Comput Stat 2014, 6:379–385. doi: 10.1002/wics.1320 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Conflict of interest: The author has declared no conflicts of interest for this article.
A Comparative Study of Linear and Nonlinear MIMO Feedback Configurations

In this paper, we compare several feedback configurations which have appeared in the literature (e.g. unity-feedback, model-reference, etc.). We first consider the linear time-invariant multi-input multi-output case. For each configuration, we specify the stability conditions, examine the relation between achievable I/O maps and the achievable disturbance-to-output maps, and study the effect of various subsystem perturbations on the system performance. In terms of these considerations, we demonstrate that one of the configurations considered is better than all the others. The results are then extended to the nonlinear multi-input multi-output case.
Does Smoking Affect Treatment Allocation and Outcomes in Patients with Rotator Cuff Tears

Objectives:The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the influence of smoking status on treatment allocation (surgical versus non-surgical management) and (2) to compare the short-term functi...
Fast nonlinear ion transport via field-induced hydrodynamic slip in sub-20-nm hydrophilic nanofluidic transistors

Electrolyte transport through an array of 20 nm wide, 20 μm long SiO_2 nanofluidic transistors is described. At sufficiently low ionic strength, the Debye screening length exceeds the channel width, and ion transport is limited by the negatively charged channel surfaces. At source−drain biases >5 V, the current exhibits a sharp, nonlinear increase, with a 20−50-fold conductance enhancement. This behavior is attributed to a breakdown of the zero-slip condition. Implications for energy conversion devices are discussed.
Let The Games Begin

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To evaluate gaming as an enhancement to learning. Card games, circle games and board games are thought to be effective to engage children. Using games as an instructional health education activity is useful for children and applicable for adult learners as well. During a game the learner is engaged in an experience in which resolutions or decisions must be made. Evaluation, discussion, reflection and application all occur during a game and all promote learning. Gaming allows the participants to have active control of the learning process and promotes prompt feedback from their peers. Games can reinforce and augment prior knowledge or be a forum for obtaining new information. The authors have piloted gaming activities as instructional strategies in health education for a variety of age groups. Locations have included classrooms at colleges, and community locations: children's museum, zoo, health centers, work sites and gerontology sites. One game was developed for a college nursing course review. A summary of the evaluations include: 94% of the students strongly agreed that the gaming method for course review was interesting and enjoyable. 90% of the students strongly agreed that they were able to identify content areas that needed to be reviewed prior to the final exam. 86% of the students strongly agreed that being an active member in the review process enhanced their learning. (N=72). The learning environment for gaming must be open and unstructured. The RN or RD should assume the role of facilitator. Learning is heuristic rather than didactic and can be affective and cognitively stimulating.
Iridium(III) catalyzed trifluoroacetoxylation of aromatic hydrocarbons

A tridentate, NNC-tb (where NNC-tb = 2-(pyridin-2-yl)benzo[h]quinoline) ligated IrIII complex (NNC-tb)Ir(Ph)(4-MePy)(TFA), 11 along with analogues are very active for CH activation as evidenced by rapid catalytic H/D exchange between benzene and trifluoroacetic acid – d1 (DTFA). The complexes were examined with a variety of oxidants for the catalytic conversion of benzene to phenyltrifluoroacetate. Herein, the synthesis and characterization of (NNC-tb)Ir complexes is described along with the reactivity of these complexes towards arenes and alkanes.
Variations in caldera development in the Tertiary volcanic field of Trans‐Pecos Texas

Calderas, 4–30 km in diameter, are the major igneous centers of Trans-Pecos Texas. Twelve calderas occur in two north-northwest-trending belts. Eight, including two in adjacent Chihuahua, occur in a western alkali-calcic belt. Four are in an eastern alkalic belt. Additional calderas are probably associated with two major ash-flow sheets in the eastern belt. Sources exist for all major tuffs of Trans-Pecos, other than these two, so additional calderas are unlikely. All calderas were formed between 38 and 28 Ma ago. The two calderas in Chihuahua were formed 30 and 28 Ma ago and show significant differences in composition and eruptive style from the earlier calderas. Calderas are underlain by individual magma chambers that were active for no more than about 1 Ma. The caldera cycle in Texas is highly variable. Minor volcanism commonly occurred before ash-flow tuff eruption and caldera collapse. Tumescence occurred in at most two calderas. Ash-flow eruption and collapse were simultaneous in all calderas, as shown by thick, intracaldera tuffs that are interbedded with breccias shed from caldera walls. Collapse occurred along discrete fracture systems in most of the western calderas but along hinge zones in the eastern calderas and at least part of the two young calderas in Chihuahua. Sedimentation within calderas was minor. Preresurgent volcanism ranged from minor to extensive and was best developed in the western calderas, all of which show some form of resurgence. No eastern calderas were resurgent. Resurgence is expressed in many ways in western calderas, but only a few fit the classic model. Ring-fracture volcanism was irregularly developed. Hydrothermal alteration and ore deposition were abundant and spatially and genetically related to calderas in the western alkali-calcic belt. Alteration and ore deposition were minor to nonexistent in the eastern alkalic belt.
Geomagnetic response to magnetic clouds of different polarity

The polarity of a magnetic cloud refers to its changing magnetic field direction. It is classified as S-N polarity when the magnetic field rotates from southward to northward and N-S polarity when the field is initially northward and rotates southward. A study of 29 magnetic cloud events has found that 40–45% of magnetic clouds, independent of polarity, are followed by a fast solar wind stream which compresses the tail end of the cloud. The compression results in an increase in the solar wind plasma density and in 64% of the cases an increase in the magnetic field strength towards the latter part of the cloud. Such tail end compression can have a significant effect upon geomagnetic storm intensity if the magnetic cloud is of N-S polarity. This is because only in the N-S polarity case does the compression coincide with the southward IMF portion of the cloud. To test the “geoeffectiveness” of N-S versus S-N magnetic clouds three selected magnetic cloud events, two of S-N polarity and one of N-S polarity, are investigated in terms of their geomagnetic response through measured and estimated Dst values. It is found that there is an increased geoeffectiveness of N-S polarity clouds due to both an increased solar wind dynamic pressure and a compressed southward field associated with a following fast solar wind stream.
Significance of methods for isolation and characterization of pulmonary surfactants.

Abstract Centrifugation techniques that reportedly yield a specific surface active lipoprotein from pulmonary extracts were applied to selected fractions with the view to see if they contained serum type lipoproteins. The fractions were investigated with the aid of qualitative and quantitative methods. These included disc electrophoresis with specific staining for lipoprotein, and determination of phospholipid and protein content of the various Centrifugation fractions. Ultracentrifugation and disc electrophoresis, which revealed consistently purified serum lipoproteins as well as the lipoproteins in intact serum, did not show any such lipoprotein in pulmonary washings or lung homogenates. We cannot exclude however the presence of a special type of lipoprotein or lipid-protein aggregate which breaks into lipid and protein during Ultracentrifugation or disc electrophoresis.
Squinting at the Zebrafish Axis

The Nodal family of signaling molecules includes critical intercellular regulators of early vertebrate development. In a recent issue of Nature, maternal transcripts encoding the zebrafish nodal squint were shown to be localized to the future organizer region by the four-cell stage, providing the earliest evidence of embryonic axis asymmetry in the zebrafish embryo.
10+ Resonance at Ec.m. = 19.0 MeV in 12C(12C, α)20Ne

Abstract The resonance previously observed in 12 C( 12 C, α) 20 Ne at E c.m. = 19.0 MeV is assigned J π = 10 + from the shape of the ground-state angular-distribution measured at resonance.
Studies in magnetochemical engineering. 1. A pilot-scale study of high-gradient magnetic desulphurization of solvent-refined coal (SRC)

Abstract A pilot-scale high-gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) system for the magnetic filtration of mineral residue from liquefied coal has been designed and constructed. The system is equipped with a specially designed on-line product-sampling device for obtaining time-cut samples of the magnetically cleaned product at elevated temperatures and pressures. Filter feed slurries of Illinois No. 6 and Kentucky No. 9/14 coals obtained from SRC pilot plants at Wilsonville, Alabama and Tacoma, Washington have been magnetically filtered under a wide range of separation conditions. The effects of major separation variables on the removal of inorganic sulphur and extracted solids from SRC filter-feed slurries have been quantitatively investigated. Under optimum separation conditions observed in this study, HGMS effectively removes up to 93 wt % of the inorganic sulphur. A quantitative correlation between the magnetic desulphurization performance and separator capacity applicable over a wide range of separation conditions has been found experimentally. A comparison of the present work and reported exploratory bench-scale studies is given, and a new SRC processing scheme incorporating HGMS capable of achieving over 90 wt % total sulphur removal from pulverized feed coal is also suggested.
Color hyperfine versus pion dynamics in the N(939)-Δ(1232) baryons☆

Abstract The E 2 M 1 ratio of electromagnetic N → Δ (1232) transitions, the neutron charge form factor and nucleon magnetic moments are calculated in a harmonic-oscillator basis of mixed SU(6) symmetric three-quark states, which diagonalize the color hyperfine and pion exchange interactions. Pionic effects are found to be small (i.e. 10–15%) corrections provided the zero-range part of the one-pion-exchange potential is omitted, which we advocate.
History of the Psychonomic Society IV: The development of the Psychonomic Society

Although there have been many changes in the Psychonomic Society since its founding in 1959, its basic characteristics as a trim organization focused on the conduct of annual scientific meetings and a publication program for scientific research remain unchanged. Because full membership is limited to those who have published appreciable original scientific research beyond the PhD, other means of quality control often have appeared unnecessary. Run by a Governing Board, which elects its own Chair, and a Secretary-Treasurer, the Psychonomic Society has avoided proliferation of administrative structure. Society leaders have worked to maintain a balance between responsible involvement with other organizations and a degree of independence that has enabled the Society to maintain its fundamental simplicity.
Spray pyrolysis synthesis of ZnS nanoparticles from a single-source precursor

ZnS, a II-VI semiconductor with a relatively high direct bandgap (approximately 3.6 eV) in the near-UV region, has potential applications in areas such as solar cells, lasers and displays. In addition, ZnS nanoparticles can be applied as phosphors, probes for bioimaging, emitters in light emitting diodes and photocatalysts. Here, we report synthesis of cubic ZnS nanoparticles from a low-cost single-source precursor in a continuous spray pyrolysis reactor. In this approach, the evaporation and decomposition of precursor and nucleation of particles occur sequentially. Product particles were characterized by HRTEM, XRD, and EDX. Particles with diameters ranging from 2 to 7 nm were produced. HF was used to remove ZnO impurities and other surface contamination. As-synthesized ZnS nanoparticles exhibit blue photoluminescence near 440 nm under UV excitation and have quantum yields up to 15% after HF treatment. This demonstrates a potentially general approach for continuous low-cost synthesis of semiconductor quantum dots for applications where tight control of the size distribution is less important than scalable, economical production.
Fluctuation properties of multiplied-Poisson light: Measurement of the photon-counting distribution for radioluminescence radiation from glass

We investigate the photon statistics of light whose intensity fluctuations are due to shot noise, such as occurs in certain kinds of luminescence involving multiplied-Poisson processes. The degrees of freedom and degeneracy parameters are obtained and contrasted with those for thermal light. The excess count variance for shot-noise light exhibits particle-like fluctuations and is maximized for large counting times. Radioluminescence photons produced in glass obey the Neyman type-$A$ counting distribution predicted by the theory.
The global rail revival

Article examining the role of railroads in society from the 1890s up to the present. Factors such as America's fascination with cars, federal disinvestment in rail, and outright conspiracy crippled U.S. train travel. The author compares and contrasts the role of railroads in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Japan, China, India, and Africa. Light rail and MAGLEV are discussed as up-and-coming players in the commuter scenario in the U.S. and Europe.
Decomposition characteristics of particulate organic matter in hiroshima bay

The decomposition characteristics of particulate organic matter (POM) sampled with plankton nets in Hiroshima Bay were investigated under aerobic conditions in a laboratory experiment.
Lunar Synchronization of Fish Reproduction

Abstract Lunar-synchronized spawning has been reported in four orders of fish. Salmoniform, atheriniform, and tetraodontiform species spawn intertidally on spring tides, leaving their eggs exposed to air between tidal inundations. This spawning mechanism may be essential to survival of species that are residents of areas such as tide marshes where dissolved-oxygen concentrations in the water column can be near zero. Spawning cycles of both lunar and semilunar periods have been reported in coral-reef fishes of the Perciformes. Reproduction by these fishes does not include aerial incubation of eggs. It has been hypothesized that the spawning cyclicity in these fishes synchronizes reproduction with moonlight or current conditions that enhance parental care or predator avoidance. The intertidal spawners that have been studied display cyclic changes in gonad maturity consistent with a semilunar periodicity in recruitment of oocytes into final maturation. Oocytes in the early stages of vitellogenesis are presen...
Assembly and Maturation of a T = 4 Quasi-Equivalent Virus Is Guided by Electrostatic and Mechanical Forces

Nudaurelia capensis w virus (NωV) is a eukaryotic RNA virus that is well suited for the study of virus maturation. The virus initially assembles at pH 7.6 into a marginally stable 480-A procapsid formed by 240 copies of a single type of protein subunit. During maturation, which occurs during apoptosis at pH 5.0, electrostatic forces guide subunit trajectories into a robust 410-A virion that is buttressed by subunit associated molecular switches. We discuss the competing factors in the virus capsid of requiring near-reversible interactions during initial assembly to avoid kinetic traps, while requiring robust stability to survive in the extra-cellular environment. In addition, viruses have a variety of mechanisms to deliver the genome, which must remain off while still inside the infected cell, yet turn on under the proper conditions of infection. We conclude that maturation is the process that provides a solution to these conflicting requirements through a program that is encoded in the procapsid and that leads to stability and infectivity.
Rejecting Progress in Paradise: Huastecs, the Environment, and the Oil Industry in Veracruz, Mexico, 1900–1935

In December 1932, the society pages of the LosAngeles Herald Express noted that Countess Estelle Doheny had honored Bishop John J. Cantwell with a banquet where "exotic orchids graced [the] table." Orchids were the former telephone operator's pride; with them, she had won the sweepstakes at the Pasadena Flower Show the previous year. Not native to southern California, Mrs. Doheny's orchids bloomed inside a custom-made "glass-and-steel conservatory" that she had erected in the backyard of her Spanish Gothic mansion. The flowers had travelled to Los Angeles from the Mexican tropical forests that still covered northern Veracruz when Edward L. Doheny began investing in oil there in 1900. By 1931, however, the companies had exhausted the oil mantles, abandoned the "fields," and by most popular accounts, destroyed the forest and left its "Indian" inhabitants as steeped in poverty as they were before the industry arrived.' Despite these popular notions, the details of what took place at the local level during the "golden years" of oil production in northern Veracruz, from 1908 to 1921, and during the aftermath, from 1921 to 1935, remain largely unexplored. To date, most scholarly work focuses on the diplomatic and political aspects of Mexican petroleum, sparked by President Lazaro Cardenas's 1938 decree expropriating the British and American companies operating in the country. A number of questions still await full investigation. What did oil country look like? Who lived there? How did local residents navigate through the abrupt series of transformations that oil extraction inevitably engendered? What happened to them and their surroundings when the oil stopped flowing? Categorical statements at this early stage in the historiography of local oil production are premature, but a careful reading of the available sources does allow for a preliminary analysis of the social and environmental changes that transpired in northern Veracruz as a result of oil exploitation between 1900 and 1935.2
Computer simulation of Czochralski melt convection in a magnetic field

Abstract The practical value of growing silicon crystals in a large magnetic field has recently been demonstrated, and computational investigations of the hydromagnetic melt flow have begun to appear. These investigations, and some current work, are reviewed here.
Unified and Contrasting Cuts in Multiple Graphs: Application to Medical Imaging Segmentation

The analysis of data represented as graphs is common having wide scale applications from social networks to medical imaging. A popular analysis is to cut the graph so that the disjoint subgraphs can represent communities (for social network) or background and foreground cognitive activity (for medical imaging). An emerging setting is when multiple data sets (graphs) exist which opens up the opportunity for many new questions. In this paper we study two such questions: i) For a collection of graphs find a single cut that is good for all the graphs and ii) For two collections of graphs find a single cut that is good for one collection but poor for the other. We show that existing formulations of multiview, consensus and alternative clustering cannot address these questions and instead we provide novel formulations in the spectral clustering framework. We evaluate our approaches on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to address questions such as: "What common cognitive network does this group of individuals have?" and "What are the differences in the cognitive networks for these two groups?" We obtain useful results without the need for strong domain knowledge.
Change-point approach to data analytic wavelet thresholding

Previous proposals in data dependent wavelet threshold selection have used only the magnitudes of the wavelet coefficients in choosing a threshold for each level. Since a jump (or other unusual feature) in the underlying function results in several non-zero coefficients which are adjacent to each other, it is possible to use change-point approaches to take advantage of the information contained in the relative position of the coefficients as well as their magnitudes. The method introduced here represents an initial step in wavelet thresholding when coefficients are kept in the original order.
Tissue-specific function of period3 in circadian rhythmicity

The mammalian circadian system is composed of multiple central and peripheral clocks that are temporally coordinated to synchronize physiology and behavior with environmental cycles. Mammals have three homologs of the circadian Period gene (Per1, 2, 3). While numerous studies have demonstrated that Per1 and Per2 are necessary for molecular timekeeping and light responsiveness in the master circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the function of Per3 has been elusive. In the current study, we investigated the role of Per3 in circadian timekeeping in central and peripheral oscillators by analyzing PER2::LUCIFERASE expression in tissues explanted from C57BL/6J wild-type and Per3−/− mice. We observed shortening of the periods in some tissues from Per3−/− mice compared to wild-types. Importantly, the periods were not altered in other tissues, including the SCN, in Per3−/− mice. We also found that Per3-dependent shortening of endogenous periods resulted in advanced phases of those tissues, demonstrating that the in vitro phenotype is also present in vivo. Our data demonstrate that Per3 is important for endogenous timekeeping in specific tissues and those tissue-specific changes in endogenous periods result in internal misalignment of circadian clocks in Per3−/− mice. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that Per3 is a key player in the mammalian circadian system.
Effects of shredding amphipod density on watercress Nasturtium officinale breakdown

Shredding stream invertebrates should have a positive influence on the breakdown rates of leaf litter via direct consumption and particle fragmentation. To determine the effects of shredder density on litter breakdown, breakdown of the emergent stream macrophyte, Nasturtium officinale, was investigated using three litter bag mesh sizes [fine (0.2 mm), medium (1 mm) and coarse (3 mm) mesh] and four stocking densities of the shredder, Gammarus pseudolimnaeus, (0, 4, 8 and 16 per bag). Watercress decayed very rapidly, with breakdown rates (k values) ranging from 0.075 d-1 for fine mesh with no shredders to 0.24 d-1 for coarse mesh. Stocked Gammarus increased breakdown rates significantly in fine mesh bags (p < 0.001), but only marginally in medium mesh bags (p < 0.1). Breakdown rates also increased significantly with mesh size. A regression model showed a significant relation of breakdown rate to Gammarus density and mesh size. These results clearly show that shredders can significantly influence breakdown rates and can account for up to 30% of breakdown, but that mesh size effects such as particle size reduction and loss are also very important.