cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aqueous ethanol extraction of soybean trypsin inhibitors and characterization of a calcium-sensitive fraction.

The trypsin inhibition by an 85% aqueous ethanol extract of soybeans was shown to have many similarities to that exhibited by long chain fatty acids and their acyl CoA esters, in terms of concentration dependence, time dependence and susceptibility to Ca++ suppression. The heat-stable and hexane-extractable inhibitor in the extract was thus referred to as the Ca++ -sensitive fraction, in contrast to classic proteinaceous inhibitors. Tempeh fermentation increased the antitryptic activity of the 85% ethanol extract. Extraction of both classic and Ca++ -sensitive inhibitors from soybeans by aqueous ethanol was found to be concentration dependent. Aqueous solvents with less than 20% ethanol removed classic inhibitors as effectively as water, but extracted no Ca++ -sensitive one. Above 20% ethanol in the solvent, the classic inhibitors in the extract decreased until reaching a zero value at 70% ethanol concentration, while the Ca++-sensitive fraction increased to a maximum at 85%.
Que(e)rying “My Man Bovanne”

In his 1985 essay “The Dilemma of the Black Intellectual,” Cornel West argues for what he calls the insurgency model of Black intellectual activity. This model “builds upon, yet goes beyond” three ...
Chemical Dynamics Simulations of CO2 Scattering off a Fluorinated Self-Assembled Monolayer Surface

Chemical dynamics simulations at collision energies of 3.0, 10.6, and 20.0 kcal/mol were performed to study energy transfer in perpendicular (θi = 0°) collisions of carbon dioxide with a perfluorinated octanethiol self-assembled monolayer (F-SAM) surface. An accurate carbon dioxide + F-SAM intermolecular potential was developed from ab initio calculations extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. Three types of collision events are observed in the trajectories: direct scattering, physisorption on the top of the surface, and penetration of the surface. Energy transfer to carbon dioxide rotation and the final translational energy of carbon dioxide are both analyzed for each of these trajectory types. Penetration leads to near complete thermal accommodation with the F-SAM, whereas accommodation is not reached for either the direct or physisorption trajectories. The distributions of the translational energy and rotational angular momentum, P(Ef) and P(J), of the scattered CO2 molecules and for the differ...
Blood and Blackwaters: A Call to Arms for the Profession of Arms

Abstract One out of every five combatants carrying a machine gun in Iraq is not a soldier, but an employee. Many, particular those in military service, may consider the men and women working for private military firms to be performing a radically different function than their military counterparts, but, ‘Iraqi citizens do not distinguish between employees of Blackwater and the U.S. military. All they see is Americans with guns.’ In this article, I will investigate the normative and economic implications of using these private security personnel in contingency operations such as the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In order to accomplish this task, I will investigate the frequently mentioned economic justifications in favor of outsourcing as well as the less frequently investigated normative considerations against particular acts of outsourcing. This analysis will be used to defend a normative principle that can help determine if a particular act of outsourcing is morally problematic. Finally, I ...
Association of resistin with visceral fat and muscle insulin resistance.

Abstract Maturing Sprague–Dawley (S–D) rats develop obesity and skeletal muscle insulin resistance. To investigate the relationship between fat mass and insulin responses, we performed surgical removal of the epididymal and retroperitoneal depots of visceral adipose tissue (VF) or sham surgery (SHAM) in male rats aged 4 months. At sacrifice, 30 days later, the mass of visceral fat was 48% lower (p
Consequences of 125I-labeled insulin degradation by hepatocytes on the interpretation of receptor binding studies

The association of 125I-labeled insulin with hepatocytes was assayed by filtration or microcentrifugation. Assay by centrifugation resulted in a greater amount of retained radioactive label throughout the course of association of 125I-labeled insulin with hepatocytes. Similarly, saturation experiments assayed by microcentrifugation suggested greater binding than filtration. During dissociation, cells isolated by centrifugation release a greater amount of rapid-dissociating radioactive label. Control experiments of [3H]-inulin exclusion with cell pellets, which were isolated during microcentrifugation, demonstrated that the difference between the methods was not due to extracellular trapping of radioactivity. Therefore, the data suggested that there was more low-affinity retention when binding was assayed by centrifugation than filtration. The integrity of the 125I-labeled insulin extracted from hepatocytes was determined by column chromatography. A substantially greater proportion of the extracted radioactivity was fragments of 125I-labeled insulin in cells isolated by centrifugation. It is suggested that the extensive washing of the cells during filtration removes more fragments than does centrifugation. During dissociation, the low-affinity component of radioactivity, which was observed in the centrifugal assay, resulted from the transient retention of insulin fragments. The extensive degradation of insulin, which was assayed by either method, and the differences observed between these methods, should be considered in the interpretation of binding experiments with cells.
Fast-steering mirror systems for the Uranium Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (U-AVLIS) program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

We have successfully deployed several fast steering mirror systems in the Uranium Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (U-AVLIS) facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. These systems employ 25 mm to 150 mm optics and piezoelectric actuators to achieve microradian pointing accuracy with disturbance rejection bandwidths to a few hundred hertz.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Asymptotic independence of queues under randomized load balancing

Randomized load balancing greatly improves the sharing of resources while being simple to implement. In one such model, jobs arrive according to a rate-?N Poisson process, with ?<1, in a system of N rate-1 exponential server queues. In Vvedenskaya et al. (Probl. Inf. Transm. 32:15---29, 1996), it was shown that when each arriving job is assigned to the shortest of D, D?2, randomly chosen queues, the equilibrium queue sizes decay doubly exponentially in the limit as N??. This is a substantial improvement over the case D=1, where queue sizes decay exponentially. The reasoning in Vvedenskaya et al. (Probl. Inf. Transm. 32:15---29, 1996) does not easily generalize to jobs with nonexponential service time distributions. A modularized program for treating randomized load balancing problems with general service time distributions was introduced in Bramson et al. (Proc. ACM SIGMETRICS, pp. 275---286, 2010). The program relies on an ansatz that asserts that, for a randomized load balancing scheme in equilibrium, any fixed number of queues become independent of one another as N??. This allows computation of queue size distributions and other performance measures of interest. In this article, we demonstrate the ansatz in several settings. We consider the least loaded balancing problem, where an arriving job is assigned to the queue with the smallest workload. We also consider the more difficult problem, where an arriving job is assigned to the queue with the fewest jobs, and demonstrate the ansatz when the service discipline is FIFO and the service time distribution has a decreasing hazard rate. Last, we show the ansatz always holds for a sufficiently small arrival rate, as long as the service distribution has 2 moments.
A Protocol for the Production of KLRG1 Tetramer

Killer cell lectin-like receptor G1 (KLRG1) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein inhibitory receptor belonging to the C type lectin-like superfamily. KLRG1 exists both as a monomer and as a disulfide-linked homodimer. This well-conserved receptor is found on the most mature and recently activated NK cells as well as on a subset of effector/memory T cells. Using KLRG1 tetramer as well as other methods, E-, N-, and R-cadherins were identified as KLRG1 ligands. These Ca(2+)-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules comprises of an extracellular domain containing five cadherin repeats responsible for cell-cell interactions, a transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic domain that is linked to the actin cytoskeleton. Generation of the KLRG1 tetramer was essential to the identification of the KLRG1 ligands. KLRG1 tetramer is also a unique tool to elucidate the roles cadherin and KLRG1 play in regulating the immune response and tissue integrity.
The molecular structure of the protein matrix of bovine dental enamel

The protein matrix of bovine dental enamel, as well as various layers from the enamel-forming organ, remaining after decalcification with ethylenediamine-tetra-acetic acid, have been isolated from mid-embryonic and early post-fetal incisor teeth. It has been possible to separate enamel matrix proper from the enamel organ. The enamel matrix proper gave a cross- β X-ray diffraction pattern. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction patterns of the enamel organ also indicated the presence of a cross- β component. These findings are discussed in relation to current concepts of the role of ordered organic matrices in biological mineralization.
How Exactly Are Peasants “Exploited”?

We are very frequently told that peasants are exploited without being told what exactly this means, whether peasant exploitation is confined to peasants, or whether the word exploitation is meant to convey different meanings for different societies. This paper discusses two meanings of exploitation, neither of which relates uniquely to peasantry, and poses specific questions about “exploitation” and “surplus,” the answers to which would tell us a good deal about what is meant by the exploitation of peasantry.
Branched Endograft Repair of Mycotic Ascending Aortic Aneurysm Using the Snorkel Technique

Mycotic aneurysms are difficult clinical cases that can be approached by several methods. Debridement of infected tissue with in situ or extra-anatomic bypass is the traditional treatment. In poor operative candidates or reoperative cases, endovascular therapies can be an alternative. We present a 9-year-old with an ascending aortic mycotic aneurysm temporized with an endovascular repair as a bridge to definitive open surgery.
A SYNERGETIC MODEL FOR THE VERBAL TRANSFORMATION EFFECT

We describe a nonlinear dynamical model based on synergetics for the auditory perceptual illusion known as the verbal transformation effect. The model is an extension of a synergetic model of perceptual oscillations of visual ambiguous figures. The main extension is connected to the number of reported alternative phonemic structures, which is typically much greater than the two or three alternatives usually reported in experiments with visual ambiguous figures. The properties of the model, which are derived using basic psychophysical principles, are presented and evaluated on the basis of the fit to earlier empirical work. It will be shown that there is very good agreement between the empirically observed properties of the verbal transformation effect and the properties detected by the model.
Loop diuretics and in vitro relaxation of human fetal and newborn mouse airways.

This study was designed to test the hypotheses that furosemide directly causes relaxation in human fetal airway and that delivery of loop diuretics to either the adventitial or epithelial surface of newborn mouse airway results in equivalent relaxation. Isometric tension changes were measured in human fetal (11–16 wk) trachea and mainstem bronchus rings exposed to furosemide (300 μM) or saline after acetylcholine or leukotriene D4 constriction. Significant decreases in isometric tension to furosemide were demonstrated after constriction with acetylcholine or leukotriene D4. To examine the site of effect and mimic aerosolized and systemic administration, furosemide (3–300 μM) and bumetanide (0.3–30 μM) were applied separately to epithelial and adventitial surfaces of newborn mouse airways. No differences in airway diameter changes to epithelial or adventitial furosemide or bumetanide were observed, but a 10-fold difference in potency was found. In summary, human fetal airway relaxed to furosemide when constricted with either neurotransmitter or inflammatory mediator in vitro. Further, no differences in relaxation to equimolar epithelial and adventitial furosemide were observed in isolated newborn mouse airway. Taken together, this provides evidence that furosemide has a direct, nonepithelial-dependent effect on airway smooth muscle tone.
EXPERIMENTAL DEERPOX INFECTION IN BLACK-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS HEMIONUS COLUMBIANUS)

The pathogenic potential of deerpox virus was investigated via an experimental study utilizing seven black-tailed deer fawns (Odocoileus hemionus) between June and August of 2007. Successful transmission was achieved via intracutaneous and intravenous routes, and by commingling an uninoculated animal with experimentally infected fawns. One fawn became depressed and reluctant to eat but systemic clinical signs in the other fawns were confined to mild transient pyrexia. Typical multifocal poxviral cutaneous lesions of erythema, papules, pustules, ulceration, and crusting were observed. Two locally extensive ulcerative lesions also developed at inoculation sites. Oral lesions were seen in one commingled fawn, with some palatine epithelial cells containing intracytoplasmic inclusions. Microscopic cutaneous lesions included epithelial cell hyperplasia with hydropic change, intraepithelial pustules, erosions, folliculitis, and dense leukocytic dermal infiltrates. Transmission was confirmed by one or more of vir...
The brittle compressive failure of orthotropic ice under triaxial loading

Abstract Experiments on the brittle compressive failure of S2 fresh-water columnar ice loaded triaxially at −10°C at a strain rate of 6×10 −3 /s have revealed three regimes of Coulombic-like behavior: 1 of lower across-column confinement where the along-column stress has no significant effect on the strength; 2 of higher across-column confinement where the along-column stress increases the strength; and 3 of predominantly along-column loading where the strength increases in proportion to the smaller of the two orthogonal across-column confining stresses. Within each regime the strength of the fresh-water ice is indistinguishable from that of porous salt-water ice (Gratz and Schulson, J. geophys. Res. , 1997, 102 , 5091) of otherwise similar microstructure, implying similar failure mechanisms. Both kinds of ice fail through macroscopic shear faulting which results from the linking up of cracks formed during the deformation. The principal difference between the two materials is that the deformation damage to the salt-water ice is restricted more to the vicinity of the faults, owing to the crack-stopping influence of pores incorporated during growth. Terminal failure is explained in terms of a new mechanism involving the bending of “splay cracks” under frictional sliding. “Splay cracks” are feather-like deformation features that emanate from one side of parent, sliding cracks. The idea is that slender microcolumns between the “splay cracks” are more likely to bend and break than are microcolumns between adjacent wing cracks because they do not have two fixed ends; instead, the end stemming from the sliding interface is free. A moment is then applied by frictional sliding. A first-order calculation shows that the stress required to break the columns and thus to initiate the fault is of the same order of magnitude as the terminal failure stress.
Student perceptions of presenter self-disclosure in the college classroom based on perceived status differentials

Abstract This study examines the extent to which perceived status differentials influence students' perceptions of the appropriateness of presenter self-disclosure. Students in basic speech communication courses listened to randomly divided audio presentations which were either male or female speakers engaged in high or low disclosure. The presenter was identified as an undergraduate major or a professor. The findings reinforced the notion that there is a relationship between status and self-disclosure, although the unique dynamics of the classroom seem to complicate the relationship. Year in school and gender of the presenter also influence perceptions of the appropriateness of using self-disclosing stories as classroom illustrations.
SOME FACTORS INFLUENCING SELECTION AND NAMING OF PETS

Three studies were conducted of factors influencing the selection and naming of pets: a questionnaire survey of pet owners, an experimental study manipulating characteristics of a stimulus person a...
Effect of a 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO)/cyclooxygenase (CO) inhibitor, WY-47, 288, on cutaneous models of inflammation.

WY-47,288 (2-[(1-naphthalenyloxy)methyl]quinoline) demonstrated topical antiinflammatory activity in several animal models of skin inflammation. Application of WY-47,288 to mouse ear surfaces inhibited arachidonic acid (ED50=0.3 mg/ear) and tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)-induced inflammation (40% at 1 mg/ear). Administration of WY-47,288 (1 mg/ear) at 30 min and 5 h after TPA reduced ear edema and epidermal proliferation by 50%. WY-47,288 also inhibited oxazolone-induced contact hypersensitivity in mouse ears (ED50=0.4 mg/ear) and UVB-induced guinea pig skin erythema (ED50≈0.25 mg/spot). These antiinflammatory effects may be due to inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) and cyclooxygenase (CO) since the synthesis of 5-LO and CO products by rat neutrophils and mouse macrophages was dose-dependently reduced by WY-47,288. By contrast, WY-47,288 demonstrated no appreciable inhibition of 12-LO (rabbit platelet), 15-LO (soybean) or phospholipase A2 (human platelet). Furthermore, no systemic adverse effects were observed after topical, parenteral or oral administration of WY-47,288, suggesting that WY-47,288 is a safe topical 5-LO/CO inhibitor for treating skin inflammation.
Nonlinear optics and optOcal micropatterning in polymers with disperse red 19 sidegroups

The nonlinear and linear optical properties of a group of polymers containing DR19 are reviewed. The thermal setting polymers have demonstrated large NLO coefficient and long term poling stability. Dry processed micro-patterning of the index of refraction and the birefringence has been demonstrated with sub-micron resolution.
Tachistoscopic exposure of real objects for measurement of reaction time and movement time

In this paper, we describe an apparatus for measuring reaction times and movement times involved in reaching for real objects. Subjects view an object through a liquid crystal window, which serves as a shutter that can be made clear or opaque quickly (10 msec from opaque to clear, 30 msec from clear to opaque). The subject’s hand rests on a microswitch-equipped home key, and the object sits on a force-sensitive platform so that initiation of reach and time of contact with the object can be marked accurately. The apparatus interfaces with an IBM PC/AT through a digital I/O parallel port, so that reaction times and movement times are recorded automatically.
Support vector machine based modeling of evapotranspiration using hydro-climatic variables in a sub-tropical environment

Abstract Existing models and methods report crop coefficient (Kc) as a function of time but do not consider the variations due to surface conditions, wetting methods, meteorological conditions, and other biophysical factors. These limitations result in erroneous crop evapotranspiration (ETc) estimates, especially for non-standard conditions (e.g. plastic mulch). We present Support Vector Machine (SVM), a data-driven model based on statistical learning theory, for predicting generic Kc and ETc using a uniquely large dataset (10 seasons) from lysimeters for multiple crop-seasons combination under the plastic mulch conditions. The data used in this study were obtained from six years of lysimeter-based measurements ( Shukla et al., 2006 , Shukla et al., 2012 , Shukla et al., 2014a , Shukla et al., 2014b , Shukla and Knowles, 2011 ) for two distinctly different crop types (vine and erect) under two contrasting irrigation methods, drip and sub-irrigation. The SVM-based models predicted bell pepper (erect crop; r2 = 0.71) and watermelon (vine crop; r2 = 0.82) Kc as a function of time, water table depth, and number of rainfall events. The time since transplant represents the plant growth and, therefore, transpiration. The water table depth and rainfall events capture the effect of surface soil moisture on evaporation. The crop type-specific model is robust since it works for two different irrigation methods and growing seasons (spring and fall). The SVM model was superior to the Artificial Neural Network and Relevance Vector Machine models, two data-driven models used in hydrology. The errors in predicting ETc from the SVM model were only 2.6% and 11.2% for watermelon and bell pepper, respectively, highlighting the model accuracy. For both crops, the SVM predicted Kc values were not statistically different from the actual Kc values. In contrast, the FAO-56 values were significantly lower than the actual Kc values for both bell pepper (p = 0.016) and watermelon (p = 0.025). When evaluated in the context of watershed-scale budgets, the SVM model improved the accuracy in ETc estimates by 49.3 mm over the FAO-56 method, and this improvement represents 70% (70.7 mm) of the observed surface flow. Improved accuracy of the SVM model makes it useful in deriving local Kc using readily available hydro-climatic data for applications ranging from field-scale water management to watershed-scale modeling. The proposed model can be used to develop region-specific Kc to improve ETc estimates. Future efforts should be made to explore the development of similar models for open-field crops.
Evaluation of Planetary Boundary Layer Scheme Sensitivities for the Purpose of Parameter Estimation

Abstract Meteorological model errors caused by imperfect parameterizations generally cannot be overcome simply by optimizing initial and boundary conditions. However, advanced data assimilation methods are capable of extracting significant information about parameterization behavior from the observations, and thus can be used to estimate model parameters while they adjust the model state. Such parameters should be identifiable, meaning that they must have a detectible impact on observable aspects of the model behavior, their individual impacts should be a monotonic function of the parameter values, and the various impacts should be clearly distinguishable from each other. A sensitivity analysis is conducted for the parameters within the Asymmetrical Convective Model, version 2 (ACM2) planetary boundary layer (PBL) scheme in the Weather Research and Forecasting model in order to determine the parameters most suited for estimation. A total of 10 candidate parameters are selected from what is, in general, an...
Relation of friction and wear to processing parameters of polycrystalline diamond films grown on silicon and silicon and silica substrates by the hot filament method

Abstract Polycrystalline diamond films were deposited on silicon and silica substrates in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition reactor using venous pretreatment times and methane gas concentrations. Friction and wear tests were performed with a pin-on-disc tribometer under 100 and 200 gf loads without lubrication in the ambient environment. Tests show that friction coefficients decrease with both increasing load and number of traces, which was attributed to the formation of graphite during wear. Wear tests indicate graphitization to be the primary wear mechanism, with occasional wear pits caused by grain pull-out. The formation of wear pits is believed to be related to the presence of amorphous carbon in a very small fraction of the grain boundaries.
Separation of Polymers and Small Molecules by Crystalline Host Systems

Tris(o-phenylenedioxy)cyclotriphosphazene can entrap and separate various polymers and small molecules within its tunnels based on their microstructure, molecular weight, and end group functionality. Inclusion adducts with polyethylene, poly(tetramethylene oxide), poly(ethylene glycol), and 1,4-polybutadiene show a preferential inclusion for the type of polymer that will best stabilize the hexagonal structure of the host. Separations based on end groups show preferential inclusion of the species with the more hydrophobic end groups, possibly a response to the hydrophobic tunnels of the host. Exposure of the host to various small-molecule n-alkanes with different chain lengths revealed a preferential clathration of the longer chain species. Similarly, high polymers are preferentially included within the tunnels compared to analogues with lower molecular weights, presumably due to enhanced van der Waals interactions with the host. The polydispersity index was also improved by clathration, suggesting that th...
Quasispecies, Error Catastrophe, and the Antiviral Activity of Ribavirin

Ribavirin is the first synthetic, broad-spectrum antiviral nucleoside. Despite its more than 30 year history, the mechanism of action of this compound remains unclear and somewhat controversial. Recent data suggest the possibility that the activity of ribavirin against RNA viruses is a reflection of incorporation of ribavirin into the viral genome. Because ribavirin incorporation is not specific, this event leads to lethal mutagenesis of the virus population. The data supporting this new proposal for the mechanism of action of ribavirin are reviewed herein. In addition, we discuss briefly the challenges that remain for development of lethal mutagenesis as an effective antiviral strategy.
Reproducibility of intravenous linear pharmacokinetic parameters of ethanol in dogs

Abstract Linear elimination parameters were computed after intravenous administration of the same dose (11 mmol/kg) of intravenous ethanol in anesthetized dogs twice with a period of 7–8 days (group A, n=10) or 6 hours (group B, n=8) between the two studies. For rate of elimination, clearance and time of disappearance of half the dose, routine statistical methods (paired t -test, correlation) showed no difference between the first and the second study of either group; however, for each of these three elimination parameters, quantitative analysis showed significant disparities between the first and second studies of each group. For Widmark ratio r, which is a measurement of ethanol distribution rather than elimination, both the routine statistical methods and the quantitative analysis showed no difference between the first and second study of either group. In dogs, the assumption that blood alcohol curve is reproducible in individuals may not be valid.
Dynamic cerebral autoregulation measured with coherent hemodynamics spectroscopy (CHS)

Coherent Hemodynamics Spectroscopy (CHS) is a novel technique for non-invasive measurements of local microcirculation quantities such as the capillary blood transit times and dynamic autoregulation. The basis of CHS is to measure, for instance with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), peripheral coherent hemodynamic changes that are induced by controlled perturbations in the systemic mean arterial pressure (MAP). In this study, the MAP perturbation was induced by the fast release of two pneumatic cuffs placed around the subject’s thighs after they were kept inflated (at 200 mmHg) for two minutes. The resulting transient changes in cerebral oxy- ( O ) and deoxy- ( D ) hemoglobin concentrations measured with NIRS on the prefrontal cortex are then described by a novel hemodynamic model, from which quantifiable parameters such as the capillary blood transit time and a cutoff frequency for cerebral autoregulation are obtained. We present results on eleven healthy volunteers in a protocol involving measurements during normal breathing and during hyperventilation, which is known to cause a hypocapnia-induced increase in cerebral autoregulation. The measured capillary transit time was unaffected by hyperventilation (normal breathing: 1.1±0.1 s; hyperventilation: 1.1±0.1 s), whereas the cutoff frequency of autoregulation, which increases for higher autoregulation efficiency, was indeed found to be significantly greater during hyperventilation (normal breathing: 0.017±0.002 Hz; hyperventilation: 0.034±0.005 Hz). These results provide a validation of local cerebral autoregulation measurements with the new technique of CHS.
Introduction to the special issue on novel embedded systems for ultrasonic imaging and signal processing

The twenty-two papers in this special section are devoted to the topic of embedded systems and applications for ultrasonic imaging and signal processing.
Fractionation and Long-Term Laboratory Incubation to Measure Soil Organic Matter Dynamics

Soil organic matter (SOM) in agricultural soils comprises a significant part of the global terrestrial C pool. It has often been characterized by utilizing a combination of chemical dispersion of the soil followed by physical separation. We fractionated soil samples under continuous corn (Zea mays L.) rotations at four long-term sites in the Corn Belt to determine the concentration ofC and N associated with soil fractions (light fraction [LF], particulate organic matter [POM], silt size, clay size, and Bradford reactive soil protein [BRSP]) and to identify the change in C concentration and δ 13 C signal of each fraction using laboratory incubations. Light fractions comprised 3 to 5% of the soil organic carbon (SOC), with no significant difference between conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) treatments. The POM fraction accounted for 5 to 11% of the SOC in the soils with >30% clay and 17 to 23% for the soils with <20% clay. The clay-size fraction contained the highest proportion of SOC. Measurement of 13 C during long-term incubation showed that the average mean residence time (MRT) of corn-derived C in the LF was 3.5 yr, whereas the POM fractions ranged from 6 to 12 yr. The 13 C changes during incubation show that both fractions consist of a mixture of active and resistant materials, with movement between fractions. The BRSP has long MRTs except in the NT Hoytville soil. Measurement of the dyna mics of these fractions provides a basis for C models to test the impacts of land use and management on C sequestration.
Conversion of type III pneumococcal polysaccharide low responders to high responders by immunization with a thymus-dependent form of antigen.

Abstract C57BL/Ks mice immunized with 0.6 μg Type III pneumococcal polysaccharide (S3) or with 10 9 S3 conjugated sheep erythrocytes (S3-SRBC) produced 5–7 times fewer S3-specific plaque-forming cells than similarly immunized BALB/c mice. However, when mice were primed with the SRBC carrier prior to challenge with S3-SRBC the low responder C57BL/Ks mice responded as well as the high-responder BALBc strain. The cell activated by the carrier priming was shown to be a thymus-derived (T) cell and the antibody produced by primed mice was mercaptoethanol sensitive (presumably IgM). Nonspecific T cell activation by unrelated antigens did not enhance C57BL/Ks responses to the same degree as specific carrier priming. These findings are discussed in relation to the possible cellular basis for genetic control of the S3 immune response.
Specificity of Ribonuclease Ch from Chalaropsis Species

A ribonuclease is produced by the fungus Chalaropsis sp. that appears to have an absolute specificity for 3'-guanylic acid residues in ribonucleic acid.
Trends in Total Knee Arthroplasty Implant Utilization

The incidence of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has increased alongside our knowledge of knee physiology, kinematics, and technology resulting in an evolution of TKA implants. This study examines the trends in TKA implant utilization. Data was extracted from The Orthopedic Research Network to evaluate trends in level of constraint, fixed vs. mobile bearing, fixation, and type of polyethylene in primary TKAs. In 2012, 88% used cemented femoral and tibial implants, and 96% involved patellar resurfacing. 38% of implants were cruciate retaining, 53% posterior stabilized or condylar stabilized, 3% constrained. 91% were fixed-bearing, 7% mobile-bearing. 52% of tibial inserts were HXLPE. TKA implant trends demonstrate a preference for cemented femoral and tibial components, patellar resurfacing, fixed-bearing constructs, metal-backed tibial components, patellar resurfacing, and increased usage of HXLPE liners.
GLP-1 Receptor Antagonist Exendin-(9-39) Elevates Fasting Blood Glucose Levels in Congenital Hyperinsulinism Owing to Inactivating Mutations in the ATP-Sensitive K+ Channel

Infants with congenital hyperinsulinism owing to inactivating mutations in the KATP channel (KATPHI) who are unresponsive to medical therapy will require pancreatectomy to control the hypoglycemia. In preclinical studies, we showed that the GLP-1 receptor antagonist exendin-(9-39) suppresses insulin secretion and corrects fasting hypoglycemia in SUR-1−/− mice. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of exendin-(9-39) on fasting blood glucose in subjects with KATPHI. This was a randomized, open-label, two-period crossover pilot clinical study. Nine subjects with KATPHI received either exendin-(9-39) or vehicle on two different days. The primary outcome was blood glucose; secondary outcomes were insulin, glucagon, and GLP-1. In all subjects, mean nadir blood glucose and glucose area under the curve were significantly increased by exendin-(9-39). Insulin-to-glucose ratios were significantly lower during exendin-(9-39) infusion compared with vehicle. Fasting glucagon and intact GLP-1 were not affected by treatment. In addition, exendin-(9-39) significantly inhibited amino acid–stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic islets isolated from neonates with KATPHI. Our findings have two important implications: 1) GLP-1 and its receptor play a role in the regulation of fasting glycemia in KATPHI; and 2) the GLP-1 receptor may be a therapeutic target for the treatment of children with KATPHI.
Comparison of Hg0 capture efficiencies of three in situ generated sorbents

Three different sorbent materials (Ti-, Si-, and Ca-based) were compared for their mercury (Hg 0 ) capture efficiencies in an entrained flow reactor. Agglomerated particles with a high specific surface area were generated in situ by injecting gas-phase sorbent precursors into a high-temperature furnace reactor. Titania particles in the presence of UV irradiation were most effective at mercury capture (>98%). In situ generated CaO particles had a capture efficiency of 33% (without any UV irradiation), while SiO 2 was completely ineffective at Hg 0 capture. The efficiency of elemental Hg capture of both CaO and TiO 2 particles decreased with increasing SO 2 concentration. The increase in the feed rate of the Ti sorbent resulted in the recovery of the higher Hg 0 capture efficiency due to the availability of more active sites. The in situ generated titania sorbents were also effective at Hg 0 capture (>87%) at elevated temperatures (160°C).
Trispiral tomographic staging of Kienböck's disease.

Trispiral tomography enhances the staging of Kienbock's disease and aids in surgical planning. The clinical records, plain x-rays, and trispiral tomograms of 105 patients with Kienbock's disease were reviewed. When tomograms were used, upward revision of the classification stage was indicated in 73% of patients with stage I or stage II disease and in 10% of those with stage III disease. On tomograms, 91% of patients had lunate fractures, compared with 55% on plain films. The most common lunate fracture seen on trispiral tomograms was a transverse shear fracture that represented lunate collapse; the next most common was a midcoronal fracture that may be displaced, causing fragment extrusion palmarly or dorsally. The most common instability pattern was nondissociative proximal row flexion, seen in stage III. Indices of carpal collapse and ulnar translation may be useful in following up patients, but values vary widely among patients.
A finite-element approach for Young's modulus reconstruction

Modulus imaging has great potential in soft-tissue characterization since it reveals intrinsic mechanical properties. A novel Young's modulus reconstruction algorithm that is based on finite-element analysis is reported here. This new method overcomes some limitations in other Young's modulus reconstruction methods. Specifically, it relaxes the force boundary condition requirements so that only the force distribution at the compression surface is necessary, thus making the new method more practical. The validity of the new method is demonstrated and the performance of the algorithm with noise in the input data is tested using numerical simulations. Details of how to apply this method under clinical conditions is also discussed.
Measurements of Aerodynamic Coefficients for Flapping Wings at 0-90 Angles of Attack

This paper addresses the aerodynamics ofmembrane flappingwings. In a series ofwind-tunnel experiments on the 25 and 74-cm-wingspan models, the stroke-averaged lift and horizontal force were measured at an angle of attack that varied from 0 deg (horizontal) to 90 deg (hovering position). The flapping frequency was held constant, and freestream velocity was varied with the advance ratio range 0–1.2. For high angles of attack, flapping wings do not exhibit a typical abrupt stall seen with fixed wings. This feature in flapping wings allows a smooth transition from a level flight to hovering and back. The angle of attack, corresponding to a balance of forces in the horizontal direction, decreases exponentially with advance ratio. Aerodynamic coefficients are defined using a reference velocity as a vector sum of a freestream velocity and a stroke-averaged wing-tip flapping velocity. The lift and drag coefficients obtained using this procedure collapse well for the studied advance ratios, especially at lower angles of attack. Polynomial approximations for aerodynamic coefficients are proposed that can be used in flight-performance analysis.
Multifield Inflation after Planck: The Case for Nonminimal Couplings

Multifield models of inflation with nonminimal couplings are in excellent agreement with the recent results from Planck. Across a broad range of couplings and initial conditions, such models evolve along an effectively single-field attractor solution and predict values of the primordial spectral index and its running, the tensor-to-scalar ratio, and non-Gaussianities squarely in the observationally most-favored region. Such models can also amplify isocurvature perturbations, which could account for the low power recently observed in the cosmic microwave background power spectrum at low multipoles. Future measurements of primordial isocurvature perturbations could distinguish between the currently viable possibilities.
Sorting the American States into Red and Blue: Culture, Economics, and the 2012 US Presidential Election in Historical Context

This paper analyzes variation in presidential outcomes across the American states from 1972 through 2012. The findings show that differences in cultural policy preferences across the states are more important than economic preferences for explaining state outcomes in 2012. This result fits a long-term trend of the growing importance of cultural issues - absolutely and relative to economic issues - for sorting the states, which has had the effect of rotating the " party cleavage " line that divides the Democratic and Republican parties in presidential elections.
On the macroparticle flux from vacuum arc cathode spots

The macroparticle contamination of vacuum-arc-deposited thin films generated by a plasma source with an optional axial magnetic field is studied. Emphasis is placed on the macroparticle flux near the discharge axis. The arc current, metal species, deposition system geometry and axial magnetic field strength are varied. Distribution functions for macroparticles of Pb, Ag, Cu, Pt, W, and Ni are determined, normalized to the film thickness deposited or the charge transferred. The application of the axial magnetic field leads to a considerable reduction of the normalized macroparticle flux since the plasma is effectively focused by the field, whereas the macroparticle production is not influenced. The macroparticle content normalized to the deposited film thickness is reduced to about 20-35% of that without an additional magnetic field. >
DURATION OF OZONE IN WATER IN THE UPPER SOLUBILITY RANGE

A series of kinetic experiments with aqueous ozone solutions showed that the equation, n co - n c = kt, was approximately linear over a period of several hours. The straight-line segment of this function was extrapolated to 0 hr, and the slope for each extrapolated straight line, representing k, was derived. It was then possible to calculate residual concentrations (c) from corrected co values. Fifty such calculations resulted in an average of 55% retention of ozone concentration in the upper solubillty range at the end of the first hour. This residue required more than 8 hr for complete disappearance. There was a significant increase in ozone concentration upon small additions of acetic acid to water. In contrast, sodium chloride at a certain concentration accelerated the loss of ozone from solution.
5-Lipoxygenase Metabolites Inhibit Bone Formation in Vitro

The leukotrienes and peptido-leukotrienes are 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) metabolites of arachidonic acid that appear to have unique effects on bone, distinct from those of the prostaglandins. Application of exogenous leukotrienes in vitro and in vivo results in increased osteoclast formation and bone resorption. While 5-LO metabolites of arachidonic acid clearly stimulate osteoclastic bone resorption, little is known concerning their effects on osteoblastic bone formation. We examined the effects of the 5-LO metabolites 5-HETE, the leukotriene LTB4 and, as representative of the peptido-leukotrienes, LTD4 on the formation of mineralized nodules of fetal rat calvarial cells in the presence of dexamethasone and recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). We also examined the effects of these 5-LO metabolites on alkaline phosphatase activity and cell proliferation in these cultures and the effects of 5-HETE and LTB4 on cultured explants of neonatal murine calvariae. We found that the bone-forming cap...
Three-dimensional effects in the remote sensing of surface albedo

Most of contemporary analysis of satellite data is based on the classical Chandrasekhar's formula for the mean radiance, which is valid only when the surface is infinite and uniform. Over an inhomogeneous surface, the measured radiance will also contain two variational terms describing the direct and diffuse atmospheric transmission of the solar radiation reflected from spatial variations of surface reflectance. Calculation of the diffuse transmission requires knowledge of the atmospheric point-spread function (PSF) or its Fourier transform (FT) optical transfer function (OTF), which is a solution of the 3D radiative transfer problem. Using a method of spherical harmonics, we have previously obtained a rigorous solution for a 2D problem, where surface albedo varies only in one of the coordinate axes. It allows us to precisely model radiance fields over arbitrarily nonhomogeneous Lambertian "striped" surfaces. The simplest surface of this type consists of a dark and a bright homogeneous half-planes. The radiance distribution for this surface model was well studied in the past at high sensor resolution in the nadir direction. In reality, land surface exhibits a broad range of spatial variations, and data available to the land remote sensing community have resolution from tens of meters to several kilometers, often at varying zenith view angles. A study of the 3D effects in these realistic conditions and assessments of the accuracy of atmospheric corrections based on a 1D radiative transfer theory are the main objectives of this work. The conclusions of this study can be summarized as follows. 3-D effects are the major source of albedo errors at high spatial resolution. The errors incurred may be as high as 0.04-0.06 in the near-IR and 0.01-0.04 in the visible range of the spectrum. At a medium resolution of 1 km, these errors are relatively small (0.005-0.02) and are comparable to other sources of errors, such as uncertainties in knowledge of aerosol scattering properties and of bidirectional reflectance in each pixel. However, most of the other errors have a random nature, while 3-D effects are systematic. They always increase the apparent reflectance of the dark targets and decrease the signal from the bright targets. As such, 3-D effects become important even at medium resolution, especially for off-nadir observations. Although our analysis was limited to l-D Lambertian surfaces, the results presented here are general enough to make quantitative conclusions in this still poorly studied but very important area.
Depression and its measurement in verbal adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder

In a sample of 50 verbally fluent adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (age: 16-31 years; verbal IQ: 72-140), we examined the pattern of response and associations between scores on common measures of depressive symptoms, participant characteristics, and clinical diagnosis of depressive disorders. Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition item descriptives in this autism spectrum disorder sample were compared to previously published data from a large typically developing sample, with results suggesting that cognitive-attributional symptoms of depression may be particularly prevalent in autism spectrum disorder. Scores on a variety of self- and parent-report depression measures were not associated with chronological age or verbal IQ, and were relatively highly correlated with each other and with clinical diagnosis of a mood disorder. The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition and the Adult Self-Report "Depressive" scale best identified both depressed and non-depressed participants in this sample, though neither was particularly strong. Validation studies of depression measures in the autism spectrum disorder population are necessary to advance research into this prevalent and impairing comorbidity.
Synthetic studies on the marine natural product halichondrins

In connection with the development of a practical synthesis of the right half, and its analog E7389, of halichondrin B, an efficient and scalable synthesis of the two major building blocks is reported. In addition, a new synthesis of the C20-C26 segment via a regiospecific and stereoselective S N 2' process is presented. A sulfonamide class of ligands is shown to be effective for asymmetric Ni/Cr-mediated reactions under both stoichiometric and catalytic conditions, and the X-ray structure reveals this class of ligands to be tridentate. On the basis of three X-ray structures, a possible mechanism is suggested for this process. Stable and crystalline Cr(III)/sulfonamide complexes are shown to be effective for catalytic Cr-mediated coupling reactions of allyl, alkenyl, and alkyl halides with aldehydes, and some examples for application of the stoichiometric and catalytic asymmetric processes are pre- sented.
The Bond Valence Method in Crystal Chemistry

The concept of bond valence is defined and the dependence of bond lengths on valences described. The use of these correlations for the prediction and interpretation of bond lengths in crystals is then discussed. The crystal-chemical implications of rules for predicting bond valences of crystals are illustrated.