cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PLAPACK Parallel Linear Algebra Package Design Overview

Over the past twenty years, dense linear algebra libraries have gone through three generations of public domain general purpose packages. In the seventies, the first generation of packages were EISPACK and LINPACK, which implemented a broad spectrum of algorithms for solving dense linear eigenproblems and dense linear systems. In the late eighties, the second generation package called LAPACK was developed. This package attains high performance in a portable fashion while also improving upon the functionality and robustness of LINPACK and EISPACK. Finally, since the early nineties, a third generation package which ports LAPACK to distributed memory networks of computers has been underway as part of the ScaLAPACK project.PLAPACK is a maturing fourth generation package which uses a more application-centric view of vector and matrix distribution, Physically Based Matrix Distribution. It also uses an "MPI-like" programming interface that hides distribution and indexing details in opaque objects, provides a natural layering in the library, and provides a straight-forward application interface. In this paper, we give an overview of the design of PLAPACK.
Endocannabinoids differentially modulate synaptic plasticity in rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons.

Background Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons receive two excitatory glutamatergic synaptic inputs: their most distal dendritic regions in the stratum lacunosum-moleculare (SLM) are innervated by the perforant path (PP), originating from layer III of the entorhinal cortex, while their more proximal regions of the apical dendrites in the stratum radiatum (SR) are innervated by the Schaffer-collaterals (SC), originating from hippocampal CA3 neurons. Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are naturally occurring mediators capable of modulating both GABAergic and glutamatergic synaptic transmission and plasticity via the CB1 receptor. Previous work on eCB modulation of excitatory synapses in the CA1 region largely focuses on the SC pathway. However, little information is available on whether and how eCBs modulate glutamatergic synaptic transmission and plasticity at PP synapses. Methodology/Principal Findings By employing somatic and dendritic patch-clamp recordings, Ca2+ uncaging, and immunostaining, we demonstrate that there are significant differences in low-frequency stimulation (LFS)- or DHPG-, an agonist of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), induced long-term depression (LTD) of excitatory synaptic transmission between SC and PP synapses in the same pyramidal neurons. These differences are eliminated by pharmacological inhibition with selective CB1 receptor antagonists or genetic deletion of the CB1 receptor, indicating that these differences likely result from differential modulation via a CB1 receptor-dependent mechanism. We also revealed that depolarization-induced suppression of excitation (DSE), a form of short-term synaptic plasticity, and photolysis of caged Ca2+-induced suppression of Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were less at the PP than that at the SC. In addition, application of WIN55212 (WIN) induced a more pronounced inhibition of EPSCs at the SC when compared to that at the PP. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest that CB1 dependent LTD and DSE are differentially expressed at the PP versus SC synapses in the same neurons, which may have an impact on synaptic scaling, integration and plasticity of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons.
The induction of interferon by temperature-sensitive mutants of reovirus, UV-irradiated reovirus, and subviral reovirus particles

Abstract The ability of temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of reovirus, UV-irradiated reovirus, and subviral particles of reovirus to induce interferon in mouse L929 fibroblasts was investigated. The following results were obtained: 1. 1. Nine ts mutants belonging to six recombination groups induced about the same amount of interferon as wild-type virus at the permissive temperature (31°), but only 1–17% as much at the nonpermissive temperature (38.5°). Mutants capable of synthesizing nearly normal amounts of double-stranded RNA, mRNA, and protein and blocked in a late state of morphogenesis, formed little more interferon than mutants completely blocked in the ability to synthesize double-stranded RNA. The amount of interferon induced did not correlate with any viral function except a very late one which resulted in the formation of intact virions. Although two mutants did induce more interferon (6–13% of wild type) than expected on the basis of their virus yield (about 0.1% of wild type), it was nevertheless concluded that interferon induction elicited by the lytic reovirus multiplication cycle is triggered by some event which depends on the formation of progeny virus particles. 2. 2. The ability to induce interferon is far more resistant to UV irradiation than infectivity: particles which have received 12 inactivating hits can still induce about 25% of normal interferon yields. The effect of UV irradiation on the interferon inducing ability of ts 447 is striking. This is a RNA − mutant which is normally incapable of inducing interferon at 38.5°; on UV-irradiation, it becomes a potent interferon inducer at 38.5°. Cells infected with UV-irradiated wild-type reovirus or ts 447 contain at the most 2% as much virus-specific RNA as cells infected with infectious wild-type virus, and may contain very much less. 3. 3. Reovirus top component particles (which lack RNA) and reovirus cores (which lack the outer capsid shell) induce no interferon, even at multiplicities of 100,000 particles/cell. The nature of the mechanism by which UV-irradiated reovirus induces interferon and of the changes caused in ts 447 by UV irradiation which convert it to a potent interferon inducer at 38.5° are discussed in the light of the lack of interferon inducing ability of empty virus particles and cores, and of the absence of virus-specific RNA in infected cells. The mechanism by which UV-irradiated reovirus induces interferon appears to differ from that by which interferon is induced during the productive lytic reovirus infection cycle.
Flat Discrete Modules Over Profinite Groups

In this article, we consider the class of flat G-modules in the category of discrete modules over a profinite group G. We will appeal to a recent result of Enochs to prove that we have flat covers in this situation.
The acute and chronic effects of ethanol on cardiac muscle protein synthesis in the rat in vivo

Abstract An investigation was made into the acute and chronic effects of ethanol on rates of protein synthesis in the hearts of young rats (80–100 g body weight). Acute ethanol administration (75 mmol/kg body weight, IP) significantly reduced the fractional rate of protein synthesis by 20% after 2.5 hr, compared with saline-treated controls. Chronic ethanol feeding (36% of total calories) for 6 weeks significantly reduced cardiac wet weight by 11%, when compared to rats fed isovolumetric amounts of the same diet in which ethanol was substituted by isocaloric glucose. Neither the concentration nor the content of mixed cardiac proteins relative to body weight were overtly altered by chronic ethanol feeding, although, the total content of mixed cardiac proteins were significantly decreased. RNA concentrations and RNA relative to body weight increased slightly, but total cardiac DNA decreased. Indices for the capacity or potential of the heart to synthesis protein (indicated by the RNA/protein and RNA/DNA ratios) and the “DNA-unit” (protein/DNA ratio) were increased in response to chronic ethanol treatment. The fractional and absolute rates of mixed protein synthesis in the heart were (relatively) unaltered by chronic ethanol treatment, as was RNA efficiency and synthesis relative to DNA. It was concluded that the heart displays contrasting responses to acute and chronic ethanol exposure.
Computerization Can Create Safety Hazards: A Bar-Coding Near Miss

Increasing numbers of hospitals are implementing bar-coding systems to prevent errors in patient identification. In the present case, a diabetic patient admitted to a teaching hospital was mistakenly given the bar-coded identification wristband of another patient who was admitted at the same time. When a laboratory result that documented the diabetic patient's severe hyperglycemia was entered into the other patient's electronic medical record, the latter patient seemed to have a very high glucose level and was almost given what could have been a fatal dose of insulin. This near miss shows that computer systems, although having the potential to improve safety, may create new kinds of errors if not accompanied by well-designed, well-implemented cross-check processes and a culture of safety. Moreover, computer systems may have the pernicious effect of weakening human vigilance, removing an important safety protection. Researchers should continue to study real-world implementation of computerized systems to understand their benefits and potential harms, and administrators and providers should seek ways to anticipate these harms and mitigate them.
A commentary on the "New Approach to LP"

Probably the most eventful occurrence at the recent Mathematical Programming Symposium at Stanford was Dr. Hugo Scolnik's presentation of his New Approach to Linear Programming. This approach rapidly became the subject of much discussion, and a somewhat hastily written version (and later an addendum) of the presentation was distributed in response to the general clamor (this material was reproduced in the last issue of this Newsletter). By the end of the symposium the odds seemed to have shifted to the viewpoint that Scolnik may indeed have a major new result.
Ultrafast Phase Change During Femtosecond Laser Interaction with Gold Films: Effect of Film Thickness

Effects of film thickness on ultrafast phase change during femtosecond laser interaction with gold films were studied numerically. The laser pulses were generated in the form of single pulse, multiple pulses, and pulse train. The results show that the melting depth will increase significantly when film thickness is smaller than 600 nm, at the expense of a mild rise of the maximum temperature. When the thickness increases above 1100 nm, the effect of thickness on the laser-materials interaction is very limited. For multiple pulse irradiations, the dependence of melting depth on pulse number and pulse interval is decided by film thickness. When the film thickness is less than 600 nm, more pulses and larger intervals cause deeper melting, while for the thicker film the effects of pulse number and interval are opposite. For pulse train irradiation, the pulse number per train and repetition rate have very limited influence on temperature and melting depth. The pulse interval causes some change in temperature, ...
Remediation of Trichloroethylene in an Artificial Aquifer with Trees: A Controlled Field Study.

Poplar trees have been evaluated in the field for the control of contaminated groundwater movement, but to date, the fate of the contaminants has not been demonstrated. In the present study, we tested a hybrid poplar for the uptake and degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE). Plants were exposed to TCE-contaminated groundwater under field conditions in lined cells for three years. During the growing seasons, the trees were able to remove over 99% of the added TCE. Less than 9% of the TCE was transpired to the atmosphere during the second and third years, and examination of the tissue showed expected metabolites, but at low levels. Chloride did not significantly accumulate in the plant tissues, but chloride ion increased in the soil in amounts that approximately corresponded to TCE loss. These results demonstrate that treatment of TCE-contaminated groundwater with this poplar clone can result in efficient destruction of TCE.
In vitro effects of polyglutamine tracts on Ca2+-dependent depolarization of rat and human mitochondria: relevance to Huntington’s disease

The mechanisms by which neurons die in CAG triplet repeat (polyglutamine) disorders, such as Huntington's disease, are uncertain; however, mitochondrial dysfunction and disordered calcium homeostasis have been implicated. We previously demonstrated abnormal mitochondrial calcium handling in Huntington's disease cell lines and transgenic mice. To examine whether these abnormalities might arise in part from direct effects of the expanded polyglutamine tract contained in mutant huntingtin, we have exposed normal rat liver and human lymphoblast mitochondria to glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins containing polyglutamine tracts of 0, 19, or 62 residues. Similar to bovine serum albumin, each of the protein constructs nonspecifically inhibited succinate-supported respiration, independent of polyglutamine tract length. There was a small but significant reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential (state 4) only in the presence of the pathological-length polyglutamine tract. With successive addition of small Ca(2+) aliquots, mitochondria exposed to pathological-length polyglutamine tracts (approximately 5 microM) depolarized much earlier and to a greater extent than those exposed to the other protein constructs. These results suggest that the mitochondrial calcium handling defects seen in Huntington's disease cell lines and transgenic mice may be due, in part, to direct, deleterious effects of mutant huntingtin on mitochondria.
Aldocyanoin microspheres: Partial amino acid analysis of the microparticulates formed from simple reactants under various conditions

The work of Kenyon and Nissenbaum on aldocyanoin microspheres was repeated and extended. It was determined that the microspheres contained amino acids and that specific amino acids could be incorporated into the microspheres by adding the requisite aldehyde or ketone precursor to the model mixture. Microsphere formation was found to be dependent on the availability of oxygen. Under anaerobic conditions of synthesis, no micro-spheres formed in the time allotted and the amino acid composition of the macromolecular material was simple. Microparticulate material synthesized by C. Folsome using a quenched spark technique was analyzed and found to contain amino acids that had a qualitative composition similar to both a Miller-Urey discharge and the Kenyon-Nissenbaum microspheres.
Turbulence statistics in an open-channel flow over a rough bed

This paper presents the results of a large-eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent flow over a channel bed artificially roughened by hemispheres. The Reynolds number of the flow based on the channel depth is 13,680 at a relatively low submergence of 3.42. First- and second-order statistics are compared with corresponding laboratory experiments to validate the LES. The effect of roughness heterogeneity on higher-order statistics is quantified and discussed. The contribution of the dominating turbulent events (i.e., sweeps, ejections) to the Reynolds stress and the anisotropy of turbulence are quantified. Visualizations of the complex three-dimensional turbulence structures reveal the occurrence of a number of different vortex types in the flow. The contribution of turbulence structures to the turbulent kinetic energy and their scaling is assessed through proper orthogonal decomposition.
The effects of blocked versus randomized presentation orders on organization in paired-associate learning

Evidence for organization of paired-associates in terms of common-elements during learning was obtained in an experiment involving random versus blocked presentations of lists containing sets of formally similar items. Although more rapidly organized, blocked lists required more trials than random lists for postorganizational learning; in terms of total trials, blocked and random lists were learned at the same rates. A mathematical model which included organization as a process was found to describe the data reasonably well.
The proamphiregulin cytoplasmic domain is required for basolateral sorting, but is not essential for constitutive or stimulus-induced processing in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells.

Abstract In this study, the role of the amphiregulin precursor (pro-AR) cytoplasmic domain in the basolateral sorting and cell-surface processing of pro-AR in polarized epithelial cells has been investigated using Madin-Darby canine kidney cells stably expressing various human pro-AR forms. Our results demonstrate that newly synthesized wild-type pro-AR (50 kDa) is delivered directly to the basolateral membrane domain with >95% efficiency, where it is sequentially cleaved within the ectodomain to release several soluble amphiregulin (AR) forms. Analyses of a pro-AR cytoplasmic domain truncation mutant (ARTL27) and two pro-AR secretory mutants (ARsec184 and ARsec190) indicated that the pro-AR cytoplasmic domain is not required for efficient delivery to the plasma membrane, but does contain essential basolateral sorting information. We show that the pro-AR cytoplasmic domain truncation mutant (ARTL27) is not sorted in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, with ∼65% of the newly synthesized protein delivered to the apical cell surface. Under base-line conditions, ARTL27 was preferentially cleaved from the basolateral surface with 4-fold greater efficiency compared with cleavage from the apical membrane domain. However, ARTL27 ectodomain cleavage could be stimulated equivalently from either membrane domain by a variety of different stimuli. The metalloprotease inhibitor BB-94 could inhibit both base-line and stimulus-induced ectodomain cleavage of wild-type pro-AR and ARTL27. These results indicate that the pro-AR cytoplasmic domain is required for basolateral sorting, but is not essential for ectodomain processing. Preferential constitutive cleavage of ARTL27 from the basolateral cell surface also suggests that the metalloprotease activity involved in base-line and stimulus-induced ARTL27 ectodomain cleavage may be regulated differently in the apical and basolateral membrane domains of polarized epithelial cells.
Relative glucose tolerance and subsequent development of hypertension in pregnancy.

Abstract Objective: To test the hypothesis that relative carbohydrate tolerance, an indicator of insulin resistance, predicts subsequent risk for hypertension of pregnancy among previously normoglycemic, normotensive women. Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study in women enrolled at a large Colorado urban health maintenance organization. Subjects were previously healthy pregnant women who tested abnormal on their initial 50-g glucose screens and subsequently completed 3-hour, 100-g oral glucose tolerance tests. Cases were 54 previously normotensive women who subsequently developed hypertension and controls were 51 subjects with normotensive pregnancies, matched to cases on parity. Subjects diagnosed with gestational diabetes (17 cases, six controls) were excluded from the main analyses. Results: Among the 82 normoglycemic women (45 controls, 37 cases, 13 preeclampsia, 24 gestational hypertension), mean post-load glucose levels and total glucose area under the curve were significantly higher in cases than in controls ( P ≤ .04) and were positively correlated with peak mean arterial pressure. After adjustment for potential confounders, 2-hour post-load glucose levels remained strongly related to risk for hypertension (adjusted odds ratios = 1.48; 95% confidence interval 1.13, 1.92, per 10 mg/dL increase) and to peak mean arterial blood pressure ( r = .23, P = .04), as did total glucose area under the curve ( P ≤ .04). Cases were also more likely to have had one abnormal glucose tolerance test (28% versus 5%, P = .004). Stratifying analyses by case severity (preeclampsia and gestational hypertension) yielded similar results. Among all subjects, more cases than controls were also diagnosed with gestational diabetes (31% versus 12%, P = .008). Conclusion: These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that insulin resistance precedes the clinical onset of hypertension in pregnancy, and may be important in the etiology of hypertension.
Renal concentrating and diluting function in deficiency of specific aquaporin genes.

Aquaporins (AQP) are water-transporting proteins expressed in many fluid-transporting epithelia and endothelia. In kidney, AQP1 is expressed in plasma membranes of proximal tubule, thin descending limb of Henle and descending vasa recta, AQP2 in collecting duct luminal membrane, AQP3 and AQP4 in collecting duct basolateral membrane, AQP6 in intercalated cells, and AQP7 in the S3 segment of proximal tubule. Human mutations in AQP2 cause hereditary non-X-linked nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Transgenic mice lacking the renal aquaporins have been useful in defining their role. Mice deficient in AQP1 are polyuric and unable to form a concentrated urine because of defective proximal tubule fluid absorption and countercurrent multiplication. Mice lacking AQP3 are markedly polyuric due to low water permeability across the cortical and outer medullary collecting duct. However, mice lacking AQP4, which is expressed mainly in inner medullary collecting duct, manifest only a mild defect in maximum urinary concentrating ability. The aquaporin null mice have normal urinary diluting ability. From many renal and extrarenal phenotype studies of aquaporin null mice, we conclude that aquaporins are important for rapid near-isosmolar transepithelial fluid absorption/secretion and for rapid vectorial water movement driven by osmotic gradients. The renal phenotype in aquaporin null mice suggests the utility of aquaporin blockers as novel aquaretic-diuretic agents.
Intermediate- and long-term earthquake prediction.

Abstract Progress in long- and intermediate-term earthquake prediction is reviewed emphasizing results from California. Earthquake prediction as a scientific discipline is still in its infancy. Probabilistic estimates that segments of several faults in California will be the sites of large shocks in the next 30 years are now generally accepted and widely used. Several examples are presented of changes in rates of moderate-size earthquakes and seismic moment release on time scales of a few to 30 years that occurred prior to large shocks. A distinction is made between large earthquakes that rupture the entire downdip width of the outer brittle part of the earth's crust and small shocks that do not. Large events occur quasi-periodically in time along a fault segment and happen much more often than predicted from the rates of small shocks along that segment. I am moderately optimistic about improving predictions of large events for time scales of a few to 30 years although little work of that type is currently underway in the United States. Precursory effects, like the changes in stress they reflect, should be examined from a tensorial rather than a scalar perspective. A broad pattern of increased numbers of moderate-size shocks in southern California since 1986 resembles the pattern in the 25 years before the great 1906 earthquake. Since it may be a long-term precursor to a great event on the southern San Andreas fault, that area deserves detailed intensified study.
ENERGY USE, TIME AND PRODUCT YIELD OF TURKEY ROLLS AT THREE OVEN LOADS AND COOKING TEMPERATURES IN A CONVECTION OVEN1

The energy consumption, cooking time and product yield of turkey rolls under three oven loads (2, 4, or 6 turkey rolls) and three oven temperatures (105, 135, and 165C) were investigated. The energy impact of three different holding loads (4, 8, or 12 pans) in the hot-holding cabinet after one and two hours of hot-holding was studied as well. The energy consumption and cooking time were significantly different among three oven loads and among three oven temperatures. However, further statistical analysis indicated that there was a significant cooking time difference between loads 2 and 4, but there was no significant difference between loads 4 and 6. The product yield was significantly different among three oven loads. Lower oven temperatures with longer cooking times resulted in greater product yields. Results also showed that the size of the loads does not affect the energy consumption during hot holding. Some considerations were identified for managers when making decisions in the foodservice operation.
Structural damage detection of nuclear reactor sites using sensor networks

Civil structures undergo many physical loads and environmental effects which can cause damage. Failing to identify the damage may lead to irreparable property and life loss. Thus, investments and efforts are being taken to develop an efficient structural health monitoring (SHM) technology. The objective of this research was to implement an embedded thermocouple sensor network under controlled and variable conditions to assess the location of the damage inside the structure. In this study, a civil structure embedded with thermocouple sensors at 4 different levels was analyzed with statistical tools to detect possible damage locations. This research is the first to implement a statistical pattern recognition methodology to detect damage in nuclear structures.
Intertidal sand macrofauna from Long Island, New York

This constitutes a faunal list of intertidal macrofauna collected from Long Island sand habitats during fall 1967. A total of 265 animals in 12 species was collected, of which 218 (82%) were members of four haustoriid amphipod species. These amphipods make up 50–90% of the standing crop of macrofaunal animals from aerobic intertidal sands from Maine to Georgia. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A00BY037 00005
Sucrose transport at the tonoplast

Abstract Sucrose that leaked from maize scutellum slices upon transfer of slices from a hexose or hexitol solution to water or upon placing the slices in a buffered EDTA solution was considered to be cytoplasmic in origin; residual (after leakage) tissue sucrose was considered to be stored in the vacuoles. This paper presents a study of the movement of sucrose across the tonoplast between the vacuoles and the cytoplasmic compartment. It is concluded that; (a) sucrose transport into the vacuoles is directly linked to sucrose synthesis in such a way that free sucrose is not an intermediate in the coupled process, (b) cytoplasmic sucrose is not (cannot be?) stored, (c) sucrose transport out of the vacuoles is linked to the metabolic demand for sugar, and (d) the transport process removing sucrose from the vacuoles does not release free sucrose into the cytoplasm. The sucrose fluxes at the plasmalemma and at the tonoplast are calculated, and the transport processes at the two membranes are compared.
NeoGeography and the nature of geographic expertise

NeoGeography has been defined as a blurring of the distinctions between producer, communicator and consumer of geographic information. The relationship between professional and amateur varies across disciplines. The subject matter of geography is familiar to everyone, and the acquisition and compilation of geographic data have become vastly easier as technology has advanced. The authority of traditional mapping agencies can be attributed to their specifications, production mechanisms and programs for quality control. Very different mechanisms work to ensure the quality of data volunteered by amateurs. Academic geographers are concerned with the extraction of knowledge from geographic data using a combination of analytic tools and accumulated theory. The definition of NeoGeography implies a misunderstanding of this role of the professional, but English lacks a basis for a better term.
Motion of elliptic ballooning for a traveling string

Abstract Motion of elliptic ballooning for a traveling string at equilibrium is treated in detail. Some invariants of motion are derived. General solutions for axial velocity of the string and the velocity of wave propagation, based on a transformation in terms of the particle function, are presented. A set of particular solutions is then sought to investigate physical aspects of the problem. Properties of solutions for the transverse displacement in the characteristic plane are analyzed.
Commutative semi-coherent and semi-regular rings

Throughout this paper all rings considered will be commutative rings with identity. We shall consider the consequences for a ring of the flatness of certain classes of its modules. Since flatness is determined by the finitely generated ideals of a ring we shall in a real sense be studying conditions on these ideals. A coherent ring is a ring whose finitely generated ideals are finitely presented. Chase has proved [3, Theorem 2.11 that a ring is coherent if and only if any direct product of its flat modules is flat. In [8, Theorem 1 J we proved that a ring R is coherent if and only if Hom,(B, C) is flat whenever B and C are injective R-modules. We define a ring R to be semicoherent if Hom,(B, C) is a submodule of a flat R-module whenever B and C are injective R-modules. This is a property shared by both integral domains and Noetherian rings. We prove in Proposition 1.1 that a reduced ring R is semi-coherent if and only if min R is compact. Proposition 1.3 states that if R is a semi-coherent ring, then a finitely generated submodule of a free R-module is flat if and only if it is projective. A regular ring is a ring whose finitely generated ideals are direct summands of the ring. Equivalently it is a ring such that every one of its modules is flat. Inspired by our definition of semi-coherent we define a ring to be semi-regular if every module is a submodule of a flat module. Proposition 2.2 states that if the total ring of quotients of a ring R is semiregular, then R is a semi-coherent ring. An even stronger connection with the notion of coherence is provided by Proposition 2.3: A ring R is semiregular if and only if R is coherent and RM is semi-regular for every maximal ideal M of R. Proposition 2.7 states that if R is a reduced ring, then R is semi-regular if and only if R is regular; and Proposition 3.4 states that if R is a Noetherian
Liesegang ring formation in gels

Abstract The paper describes a microcomputer implementation which permits a detailed description of Liesegang Ring systems in gels, and includes provision for varying precipitation criteria, as well as the conditions of subsequent deposit growth and re-solution. In this way, the growth of “rings” can be followed as a function of time, and also the movement of rings caused by re-solution on one side and growth on the other. Deterministic as well as probabilistic models are considered, and mass distributions are calculated, using “infinite” as well as depleted source reservoirs.
Effect of a Sinusoidal Excitation Amplitude on the Performance of an Atomic-Beam Spectrometer

A theoretical analysis has been made of the transition probabilities for a Rabi-type atomic-beam spectrometer in which the exciting field amplitude seen by the atoms has a sinusoidal rather than a rectangular envelope. The time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation was integrated numerically and a velocity average of the transition probabilities performed. The results indicate that the linewidth increases as the fourth root of the excitation power and that frequency shifts due to coupling of the exciting field with other atomic states are reduced by an order of magnitude at excitation powers much above optimum.
Some studies on the fluorescence of mast cells after paraformaldehyde treatment.

Air dried peritoneal fluid and tissue spreads from rat, mouse, hamster, rabbit, guinea pig, cat, chicken, and frog were treated with paraformaldehyde (pCHO) at 80 ° C for 1 hr. Only rat and mouse mast cells fluoresced. In the rat, mast cells fluoresced whether present in vascular or avascular areas of mesentery, in fat depots, or in peritoneal fluid. Photographs were obtained by fluorescence microscopy, the preparations were then stained and the same fields rephotographed in white light. Comparison of the photographs showed that every fluorescent rat mesentery mast cell also stained with acidified toluidine blue and with Astrablau; a few fluorescent cells did not stain with toluidine blue and an occasional cell that did not fluoresce stained with this dye or with Astrablau. Paraformaldehyde depressed somewhat toluidine blue, inhibited strongly Astrablau, and abolished Alcian blue binding. It had no effect on the staining of purified heparin in model experiments. Reserpine administration in the rat did not prevent visualization of mast cells by the pCHO method. These experiments indicate that all rat mast cells contain serotonin, regardless of cell size (age ?) or site and suggest that no massive, cyclic release of this amine occurs either physiologically or in response to reserpine treatment.
The electronic states in molybdenum

A method is given for calculating the electronic states in molybdenum. The formalism of the multiple scattering theory (SCF-Xα-SW) forms the basis of this method. The charge densities in each point of a cluster of nine Mo atoms are determined by superimposing atomic densities calculated by the Dirac-Slater formalism. For the purpose of comparison similar results are obtained from the relativistic and non-relativistic Hartree-Fock model. From photo-emission and optical reflectance measurements of Mo it is concluded that the energy levels are at −0.037, −0.118, −0.287 Ryd below and 0.290 Ryd above the Fermi level. The corresponding values calculated are −0.041, −0.128, −0.238 Ryd below and 0.209 Ryd above it. The results are in good agreement with those obtained using APW technique. Es wird eine Methode fur die Berechnung der Elektronenzustande in Molybdan beschrieben. Der Formalismus der Mehrfach-Streutheorie (SCF-Xα-SW) bildet die Grundlage dieser Methode. Die Ladungsdichte in jedem Punkt einer Gruppe von neun Mo-Atomen wird durch Superposition der Atomdichte bestimmt, die mittels des Dirac-Slater-Formalismus berechnet wird. Zum Vergleich werden ahnliche Ergebnisse mit dem relativistischen und nicht-relativistischen Hartree-Fock-Modell berechnet. Aus Photo-Emissions- und Reflexionsmessungen von Mo wird geschlossen, das sich die Energieniveaus bei −0,037; −0,118; −0,287 Ryd unterhalb und 0,290 Ryd oberhalb des Fermi-Niveaus befinden. Die korrespondierenden, berechneten Werte sind −0,041; −0,128; −0,238 Ryd unterhalb und 0,209 Ryd oberhalb des Fermi-Niveaus. Die Ergebnisse befinden sich in guter Ubereinstimmung mit denen, welche durch die APW-Technik erhalten werden.
WATER, AND SALT AND WATER: A DISTINCTION SHOULD BE MADE

It is nearly fifty years since Blackfan and Maxcy1 reported the recovery of nine infants with diarrheal dehydration who had been given isotonic saline intraperitoneally. The dramatic impact this had on the recovery rate of this disease is made apparent by noting that in the two previous years there had been reports describing the high mortality in infants with diarrheal dehydration when given alkali to correct the acidosis but nothing to correct the dehydration. Schloss and Stetson noted that mortality remained at 86% despite correction of chemistry. Howland and Marriott commented that "the administration of soda . . . will often overcome both the clinical and laboratory evidence of acidosis.
Trypsin activation peptide (TAP) in acute pancreatitis: from pathophysiology to clinical usefulness.

Acute pancreatitis is a common digestive disease which is usually diagnosed when there is acute abdominal pain associated with a concomitant rise of serum amylase and lipase levels [1, 2]. However, up to 20% of patients with acute pancreatitis may have normal serum enzyme concentrations [3]. After exposure to a trigger event (mainly alcohol and gallstone migration into the common bile duct), injury to the gland occurs extremely rapidly and is usually complete at the time of admission. For the past 10 years, research aimed at understanding the early events which initiate acute pancreatitis has provided new information which has led to the recent development of potentially useful diagnostic tools. In the mid 1990s, the urinary concentration of trypsinogen and trypsinogen activation peptide (TAP) was shown to be more sensitive and specific in diagnosing acute pancreatitis than serum amylase and lipase concentrations [4, 5, 6]. Since then, urinary trypsinogen and urinary TAP represent good alternative tools for clinicians in this situation, but the detection kits are expensive and not available in every hospital. Acute pancreatitis is also a disease of variable severity, while approximately 80% of patients experience mild attacks which resolve themselves with little morbidity, the remaining 20% [7] suffer from severe disease with mortality rates as high as 30% [8]. Early prediction of the severity of an attack of acute pancreatitis remains the main goal for clinicians in charge of such patients. The complexity of using multifactorial scales, including Ranson [9], Glasgow [10] and APACHE II [11] scoring systems, and the fact that CT scanning is expensive, exposes the patient to ionizing radiation and lacks sensitivity and specificity in the early stage of the disease [12], account for the increasing interest shown in serum markers to predict the severity of an attack. If severe attacks were detected at an early stage, aggressive and efficient measures could be implemented without undue delay. Thus, such patients will probably benefit from admission to tertiary center, prophylactic antibiotic administration [13], early enteral nutrition [14] and early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in pancreatitis of suspected biliary origin [15]. In the recent study of Neoptolemos et al. [16], urinary TAP concentration measurement is proposed as a valuable predictive factor inasmuch as it provided accurate severity prediction in 172 patients with acute pancreatitis (35 with a severe form) 24 hours after the onset of an attack (70% accuracy at 24 hours). In this article, we would like to briefly review the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis and try to determine the effectiveness in using TAP either as a diagnostic tool or prognostic indicator in acute pancreatitis.
Catherine the Great: Coleridge, Byron, and Erotic Politics on the Eastern Front

Catherine II of Russia, a glamorous, enlightened Romanticist figure in her own right, enraged both Coleridge and Byron. Coleridge, who reported her bloody campaigns in The Watchman, cursed her cruelty at the battle of Ismail in “Ode on the Departing Year” just as she was dying. Twenty-seven years after her death, Byron, in Don Juan cantos 6 to 10, which cover the Russian wars and the St. Petersburg court, attacked her even more vituperatively. Thus, Coleridge’s decision not to be a “Historiographer of Hell” is taken up by Byron in his decision to be that historiographer. The two poets’ responses to Catherine’s brutality and sexuality are intertwined. At the basis of their anger is Catherine’s use of human persons as things. Both show their disgust by reducing the Tzarina to her sexual body, vindictively turning her into a “thing” through rhetorical plays on her body parts.
Language consistency: a missing link in theory, research and reasoning?

webber p.b. (2010) Language consistency: a missing link in theory, research and reasoning? Journal of Advanced Nursing66(1), 218–227. Abstract Title. Language consistency: a missing link in theory, research and reasoning? Aim. This paper is a report of a study conducted to determine if there is a lack of language consistency in nursing texts and among nursing educators related to theory, research and reasoning. Background. Analysis of international language, communication and nursing literature revealed the essential role language consistency plays in promoting competency and desirable behavioural outcomes. It also revealed the difficulty nursing has had in gaining consistency of language associated with theory, research and reasoning. Method. Six nursing theory, research and terminology texts with international circulation were analysed to identify key words related to theory, research and reasoning and to determine consistency of definitions among texts. Next, 97 nursing educators were surveyed to determine their ability to define the same key words. Educators were recruited during three national nursing education meetings in the United States of America between 2006 and 2007. Findings. Analysis revealed significant variability in definitions of key words among texts and in nursing educators’ ability to match any defining words used by the texts and by each other. Conclusion. Epistemologically, the use of inconsistent language among texts and educators may be playing a role in the continuing marginalization of theory, research and reasoning in nursing education and practice; ultimately, hindering the profession’s epistemological growth. Recommendations include a call for consensus of key words and meanings associated with theory, research and reasoning and the development of a language essentials document to support development of competency.
Markers of Cholesterol Metabolism in the Brain Show Stronger Associations with Cerebrovascular Disease than Alzheimer's Disease

Cholesterol metabolism is believed to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Oxysterol metabolites of cholesterol, 24S-hydroxycholesterol (24-OHC, a brain-derived oxysterol) and 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC, a peripherally derived oxysterol) cross the blood brain barrier and have been associated with AD. We investigated whether oxysterols were associated with markers of cerebrovascular disease prior to the onset of cognitive impairment. Oxysterols were quantified in 105 participants (average age: 80 ± 4 years) from the Pittsburgh Cardiovascular Health Study Cognition Study who remained cognitively normal at blood draw in 2002, had MRI in 1992 and 1998, and annual cognitive assessment for incident AD and mild cognitive impairment made by consensus conference between 1998 and 2010. Higher plasma levels of 24-OHC were associated with age, gender, the presence of high grade white matter hyperintensities, and brain infarcts on prior MRI. Participants with higher plasma 24-OHC and a greater ratio of 24-OHC/27-OHC were also more likely to develop incident cognitive impairment over 8 years of follow-up. Higher levels of 24-OHC suggest increased cholesterol metabolism occurring in the brains of participants with cerebrovascular disease prior to the onset of cognitive impairment. Measurement of oxysterols may provide information about cholesterol metabolism and brain disease over the cognitive impairment process.
Cost Attribution in Unlimited Access Transit Programs: Case Study on the UConn Prepaid Fare Program Failure

Using a case study approach, this article explores the potential to increase public transit ridership via the expansion of Unlimited Access (UA) from a university- or employer-based program to a community-based program. UA partners universities or employers with regional transit organizations to provide free or discounted public transit service to students as well as employees and, potentially, to local community residents. A case study on the only known UA program failure highlights the importance of equitable cost attribution as well as stakeholder coordination and dedicated operations funds to the long-term success of community-based UA programs.
Expression and structures of human placental hormone genes as a function of placental development.

One important function of the human placenta is the synthesis of peptide hormones during pregnancy (Boime et al., 1978). -The major ones elaborated by the trophoblast are human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human placental lactogen (hPL). Their time course of appearance in maternal serum during pregnancy is quite different; hCG peaks in the first trimester, while hPL reaches maximal levels near term. The factors controlling their synthesis appear not to be the same. Thus, the human placenta represents a convenient and unique tissue for studying expression of human hormonal genes during development. Placental lactogen is a single nonglycosylated polypeptide chain which shares greater than 90% homology with human growth hormone. Chorionic gonadotropin consists of two nonidentical glycosylated subunits (alpha and beta) linked noncovalently. The amino acid sequence of hCGa is virtually identical to that of the a-subunits contained in human pituitary gonadotropins, and in thyrotropin (Bahl, 1977). The $3-subunit confers the unique biologic action on each hormone, although there is also significant homology between the $3-subunits (Bahl, 1977). The 13-subunit of hCG$3 contains an extra 30 amino acid peptide at the carboxyl end of the molecule, which is not found in the other $3-subunits (Morgan et al., 1975). The amounts of aand 13-subunits secreted
Synchrotron Radiation and the Determination of Atomic Arrangements in Amorphous Materials

Synchrotron radiation (SR) makes feasible a number of new techniques for the determination of atomic arrangements in amorphous materials using x-ray absorption and scattering. It also provides marked improvements in established techniques. These result from the extremely high x-ray intensities as well as the continuous spectrum, which allows measurements to be taken at photon wavelengths determined by the nature of the experiment rather than by the availability of an appropriate x-ray tube anode material. In this paper, we review these improvements and new capabilities, with an emphasis on the types of information which can be obtained. The techniques discussed are radial distribution functions (RDF’s), EXAFS, anomalous x-ray scattering for the determination of the coordinations of specific atomic species in polyatomic amorphous materials and grazing incidence scattering (GIS) for the determination of atomic arrangements in thin amorphous films on substrates.
Comments on "A linear-sweep MOS-C technique for determining minority carrier lifetimes"

Statements in the above paper1regarding quantitative agreement between theory and experiment are elaborated on, and a simplified graphical method for calculating the lifetime is presented.
Lipid Rafts and Pseudotyping

Specific interactions between envelope and core proteins govern the membrane assembly of most enveloped viruses. Despite this, mixed infections lead to pseudotyping, the association of the viral cores of one virus with the envelopes of another. How does this occur? We show here that the detergent-insoluble lipid rafts of the plasma membrane function as a natural meeting point for the transmembrane and core components of a phylogenetically diverse collection of enveloped viruses. As a result, viral particles preferentially incorporate both the envelope components of other viruses as well as the extra- and intracellular constituents of host cell lipid rafts, including gangliosides, glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored surface proteins, and intracellular signal transduction molecules. Pharmacological disruption of lipid rafts interferes with virus production.
Taste-independent detection of the caloric content of sugar in Drosophila

Feeding behavior is influenced primarily by two factors: nutritional needs and food palatability. However, the role of food deprivation and metabolic needs in the selection of appropriate food is poorly understood. Here, we show that the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, selects calorie-rich foods following prolonged food deprivation in the absence of taste-receptor signaling. Flies mutant for the sugar receptors Gr5a and Gr64a cannot detect the taste of sugar, but still consumed sugar over plain agar after 15 h of starvation. Similarly, pox-neuro mutants that are insensitive to the taste of sugar preferentially consumed sugar over plain agar upon starvation. Moreover, when given a choice between metabolizable sugar (sucrose or d-glucose) and nonmetabolizable (zero-calorie) sugar (sucralose or l-glucose), starved Gr5a; Gr64a double mutants preferred metabolizable sugars. These findings suggest the existence of a taste-independent metabolic sensor that functions in food selection. The preference for calorie-rich food correlates with a decrease in the two main hemolymph sugars, trehalose and glucose, and in glycogen stores, indicating that this sensor is triggered when the internal energy sources are depleted. Thus, the need to replenish depleted energy stores during periods of starvation may be met through the activity of a taste-independent metabolic sensing pathway.