cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Of dogs and hot dogs: distractions in early cinema

AbstractIn Electric Animal, Akira Mizuta Lippit argues that when animals, understood in traditional Western thought as lacking language, become images on film, they are turned into languages or semiotic facilities. Inspired by Lippit’s claim, this study poses four interrelated questions. First, is Lippit referring to the animal in general or to specific kinds of animals? Second, how does cinema enact the process of signification? Third, are animals as filmic elements necessarily turned into signs? Finally, what does it mean for animals to be transformed into signs? I address these questions by tracing the appearances and functions of dogs in early cinema in relation to Tom Gunning’s paradigmatic account of early cinema as a medium of attractions. Certain dogs in film, I argue, function as distractions that disrupt viewers’ absorption into either attractions or narratives and push them into reconsidering the status of the image in relation to their own viewing positions.
The effect of perceived psychological stress on the immunogenicity of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine in males

ABSTRACTBackground: The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is recommended for male and female recipients aged 9–26 years, and is effective in preventing HPV infection and cancer precursors. However, there is variability in immunogenicity among recipients as measured by anti-HPV geometric mean titers. In this study, we explored the effect of stress level on the immunogenicity of the HPV vaccine among college age males. Methods: 220 males aged 18–25 y were randomly assigned to 6-month (0, 2, and 6) and 12-month (0, 2, and 12) dosing schedules. Antibody titers were measured before the first dose and 2–6 weeks following the final dose. We recorded participants' age and stress level, based on a 4-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4) questionnaire. Results: The average age of participants was 21.3 y old. Inspection of titers by quartile on the stress scale generally showed highest titers with highest stress. Spearman correlation coefficients revealed significant correlation between stress and titers for HPV-6, 1...
Globally Fit: Attending to International Users and Advancing a Sociotechnological Design Agenda for Wearable Technologies

This study investigates cultural perceptions toward the use and design of popular wearable technologies. Through surveys and qualitative interviews of 21 international college students, narrative data were collected and analyzed with a modified grounded theory methodology. This paper reports the preliminary findings from this study, including themes that indicate mismatch between designed features and user expectation due to sociocultural differences. Key distinctions involving cross-cultural literacy practices and technology expectations are discussed. Accordingly, I argue for a reenactment of a sociotechnological agenda as a culturally sensitive model for the research and design of wearables and emerging technologies.
Homestead Food Production and Maternal and Child Dietary Diversity in Nepal: Variations in Association by Season and Agroecological Zone.

Background:Suaahara, a large-scale integrated program, aimed to improve diets and nutritional status among women and children, in part by facilitating enhanced homestead food production (EHFP).Obje...
Voltage and pH sensing by the voltage-gated proton channel, HV1

Voltage-gated proton channels are unique ion channels, membrane proteins that allow protons but no other ions to cross cell membranes. They are found in diverse species, from unicellular marine life to humans. In all cells, their function requires that they open and conduct current only under certain conditions, typically when the electrochemical gradient for protons is outwards. Consequently, these proteins behave like rectifiers, conducting protons out of cells. Their activity has electrical consequences and also changes the pH on both sides of the membrane. Here we summarize what is known about the way these proteins sense the membrane potential and the pH inside and outside the cell. Currently, it is hypothesized that membrane potential is sensed by permanently charged arginines (with very high pKa) within the protein, which results in parts of the protein moving to produce a conduction pathway. The mechanism of pH sensing appears to involve titratable side chains of particular amino acids. For this purpose their pKa needs to be within the operational pH range. We propose a 'counter-charge' model for pH sensing in which electrostatic interactions within the protein are selectively disrupted by protonation of internally or externally accessible groups.
Entering the Pantheon of 21 st Century Molecular Biology Tools: A Perspective on Digital PCR

After several decades of relatively modest use, in the last several years digital PCR (dPCR) has grown to become the new gold standard for nucleic acid quantification. This coincides with the commercial availability of scalable, affordable, and reproducible droplet-based dPCR platforms in the past five years and has led to its rapid dissemination into diverse research fields and testing applications. Among these, it has been adopted most vigorously into clinical oncology where it is beginning to be used for plasma genotyping in cancer patients undergoing treatment. Additionally, innovation across the scientific community has extended the benefits of reaction partitioning beyond DNA and RNA quantification alone, and demonstrated its usefulness in evaluating DNA size and integrity, the physical linkage of colocalized markers, levels of enzyme activity and specific cation concentrations in a sample, and more. As dPCR technology gains in popularity and breadth, its power and simplicity can often be taken for granted; thus, the reader is reminded that due diligence must be exercised in order to make claims not only of precision but also of accuracy in their measurements.
The Functional Electrical Rehabilitation Patient Evaluation and Prescription Program

This program is designed for physicians in the rehabilitation field. It allows them to store on disk the files that pertain to the prescription of active physical therapy for patients with spinal cord injuries. These files can then be viewed or printed as needed. The program also aids the physician in evaluating a patient’s fitness for a functional electrical rehabilitation program by comparing pertinent patient data to the medical criteria of Chapter 11, Section II. This chapter presents detailed instructions on the use of the program.
Conceptions of the Environment

Environmental objectives in land use policy incorporate several diverse concerns, each associated with different policies. A reverence for nature lies behind wilderness preservation and many urban park designs. A concern for aesthetics focuses most often on improving manmade environments, and its measure of value is in human perceptions. The utilitarian view contends that an environment’s worth lies in its ability to produce goods and satisfaction for people, and it motivates much public land and park management. Finally, the ecological perspective stresses that the environment is a delicately balanced system to which human actions must be adapted. This view, which has helped spawn the EIS approach, lies behind many anti-growth policies, and it can be difficult to reconcile with traditional economic trade-off analyses.
Strong succession in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities

The ecology of fungi lags behind that of plants and animals because most fungi are microscopic and hidden in their substrates. Here, we address the basic ecological process of fungal succession in nature using the microscopic, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that form essential mutualisms with 70-90% of plants. We find a signal for temporal change in AMF community similarity that is 40-fold stronger than seen in the most recent studies, likely due to weekly samplings of roots, rhizosphere and soil throughout the 17 weeks from seedling to fruit maturity and the use of the fungal DNA barcode to recognize species in a simple, agricultural environment. We demonstrate the patterns of nestedness and turnover and the microbial equivalents of the processes of immigration and extinction, that is, appearance and disappearance. We also provide the first evidence that AMF species co-exist rather than simply co-occur by demonstrating negative, density-dependent population growth for multiple species. Our study shows the advantages of using fungi to test basic ecological hypotheses (e.g., nestedness v. turnover, immigration v. extinction, and coexistence theory) over periods as short as one season.
Inferring Road Networks and Socio-Political Change through Elite Monuments of the Golconda Kingdom

In the study of medieval and early modern South Asia, archaeologists, historians, and art historians have studied selected monuments in depth or surveyed regions for monumental ruins and other feat...
E-Health als aanvulling voor chronisch zieken

Om het stijgend aantal chronisch zieken nu en in de toekomst adequaat te kunnen behandelen, biedt e-Health mogelijkheden om de patient daarin een actievere rol te geven. Er is tijd en inspanning van artsen en verpleegkundigen nodig om e-Health een volwaardige rol binnen de zorg te geven. Uiteindelijk is het doel van e-Health de gezondheidsstatus van patienten te verbeteren en de zorg efficienter te maken.
Diversity Regularized Adversarial Deep Learning

The two key players in Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), the discriminator and generator, are usually parameterized as deep neural networks (DNNs). On many generative tasks, GANs achieve state-of-the-art performance but are often unstable to train and sometimes miss modes. A typical failure mode is the collapse of the generator to a single parameter configuration where its outputs are identical. When this collapse occurs, the gradient of the discriminator may point in similar directions for many similar points. We hypothesize that some of these shortcomings are in part due to primitive and redundant features extracted by discriminator and this can easily make the training stuck. We present a novel approach for regularizing adversarial models by enforcing diverse feature learning. In order to do this, both generator and discriminator are regularized by penalizing both negatively and positively correlated features according to their differentiation and based on their relative cosine distances. In addition to the gradient information from the adversarial loss made available by the discriminator, diversity regularization also ensures that a more stable gradient is provided to update both the generator and discriminator. Results indicate our regularizer enforces diverse features, stabilizes training, and improves image synthesis.
Effect of temperature on the amino acid-assisted formation of metal islands

Understanding that life on this planet may have originated under extreme circumstances, such as high temperatures and acidic conditions, it would be extremely beneficial to study how simple biological molecules, like amino acids, behave under these scenarios. Importantly, this is possible through the use of electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy, which can be used to both image and electrochemically manipulate the model systems under consideration. Earlier reports have examined the similarities between studies conducted at ultrahigh vacuum or low temperature and electrochemical conditions with both finding that amino acid molecules trap diffusing metal atoms on surfaces to form 2D ad-islands. Critically, all of the past work was conducted at room temperature. In this report, it has been found that as the temperature of the Au(111) surface was increased, the islands grew by 14% at 300 K and 40% at 305 K, relative to room temperature. Additionally, the increased surface temperature allowed for the formation of islands that were one atomic step higher than those observed at room temperature. Higher surface temperatures not only allowed for the observation of larger immobilized adatom islands, but they also demonstrated how temperature can be used as another method to control surface modification and molecular assembly. Not only is this work critical for a basic understanding of the role between temperature and surface diffusion, but it also begins to mimic how surfaces may have behaved during the emergence of life on Earth. Understanding that life on this planet may have originated under extreme circumstances, such as high temperatures and acidic conditions, it would be extremely beneficial to study how simple biological molecules, like amino acids, behave under these scenarios. Importantly, this is possible through the use of electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy, which can be used to both image and electrochemically manipulate the model systems under consideration. Earlier reports have examined the similarities between studies conducted at ultrahigh vacuum or low temperature and electrochemical conditions with both finding that amino acid molecules trap diffusing metal atoms on surfaces to form 2D ad-islands. Critically, all of the past work was conducted at room temperature. In this report, it has been found that as the temperature of the Au(111) surface was increased, the islands grew by 14% at 300 K and 40% at 30...
Fibroblast heterogeneity and its impact on extracellular matrix and immune landscape remodeling in cancer

Tumor progression is marked by dense collagenous matrix accumulations that dynamically reorganize to accommodate a growing and invasive tumor mass. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an essential role in matrix remodeling and influence other processes in the tumor microenvironment, including angiogenesis, immunosuppression, and invasion. These findings have spawned efforts to elucidate CAF functionality at the single-cell level. Here, we will discuss how those efforts have impacted our understanding of the ways in which CAFs govern matrix remodeling and the influence of matrix remodeling on the development of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
THz-range Faraday rotation in the Weyl semimetal candidate Co2TiGe

The Co 2 family of ferromagnetic Heusler alloys has attracted interest due to their fully spin-polarized nature, making them ideal for applications in spintronic devices. More recently, the existence of room temperature time-reversal-breaking Weyl nodes near the Fermi level was predicted and confirmed in these systems. As a result of the presence of these Weyl nodes, these systems possess a non-zero momentum space Berry curvature that can dramatically influence transport properties such as the anomalous Hall effect. One of these candidate compounds is Co 2 TiGe. Recently, high-quality molecular beam epitaxy-grown thin films of Co 2 TiGe have become available. In this work, we present a THz-range measurement of MBE-grown Co 2 TiGe films. We measure the THz-range Faraday rotation, which can be understood as a measure of the anomalous Hall effect. We supplement this work with electronic band-structure calculations showing that the principal contribution to the anomalous Hall effect in this material stems from the Berry curvature of the material. Our work shows that this class of Heusler materials shows promise for Weyl semimetal based spintronics.
Physical mechanisms in hybrid additive manufacturing: A process design framework

Abstract This study defined hybrid additive manufacturing (AM) as “in-situ or series combination of an additive manufacturing process and secondary energy sources in which physical mechanisms are fundamentally altered/controlled to affect the resulting properties of material and/or part.” This definition includes in-situ secondary processes as well as process chains, and it is anchored in multi-physical mechanisms such that new hybrid-AM processes can be freely and systematically sought or invented through a systems approach epitomized by the “property – mechanism – energy source – hybrid-AM process (PMEH)” thought process. The sequence of driving forces in this framework are as such: desired material properties determine which mechanism is utilized and, in turn, the energy source to be applied, which ultimately defines the hybrid-AM process. The five unifying physical mechanisms that were identified in this study are: melt pool dynamics, microstructure development, stress state, surface evolution, and thermal gradients. Analysis of properties, mechanisms, energy sources, and processes was conducted on more than 100 papers, and the results ultimately show the effect of mechanisms on material properties. Mechanisms are further classified by energy source, which are in turn broken down by hybrid-AM process. Additionally, each mechanism was defined and reviewed in detail, highlighting the PMEH relationship for metal hybrid-AM materials. Further analysis compares reported mechanical property values for hybrid-AM processes to both AM only and wrought properties for 316 L, Alloy 718, and Titanium Gr 5. Finally, future directions of research as well as clear gaps in knowledge are identified, which includes lack of variety in utilized energy sources, lack of material diversity, process chain integration and improvement, and promising hybrid-AM processes. With the presented analysis and PMEH framework, it is determined that metal AM hybrid processes are well suited to address current problems and show promise in creating superior and versatile materials. Further growth in this field is expected to be exponential, and the developed PMEH framework will aid in framing these innovative processes.
Incroyable and Merveilleuse: The Politics of Fashion in Balzac’s Les Chouans

In Les Chouans, Balzac casts two central characters – Corentin and Marie de Verneuil – as an Incroyable and a Merveilleuse, extravagantly-dressed figures from the revolutionary era. Analysing the h...
History of Sexual Violence Victimization and Weapon Carrying Among Adolescents: Findings from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Although prior studies have examined the association between sexual violence victimization and violent behaviors, few studies have investigated the association between sexual violence victimization and weapon carrying among adolescents in the United States. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between sexual violence victimization and weapon carrying among adolescents. Data for this study came from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 13,605 adolescents aged 12–18 years old was analyzed using binary logistic regression. The outcome variable investigated in this study was weapon carrying during the past 30 days, and the main explanatory variable investigated was sexual violence victimization during the past year. Of the 13,605 adolescents, 13.6% reported carrying a weapon at least once during the past 30 days. A little over one in ten adolescents (11.8%) experienced sexual violence victimization during the past year. In the multivariable logistic regression, adolescents who were victims of sexual violence had 1.82 times higher odds of reporting carrying a weapon when compared to their non-victimized counterparts (AOR = 1.82, p < .001, 95% CI = 1.44–2.30). Symptoms of depression partially attenuate the association between sexual violence victimization and weapon carrying. Other significant factors associated with weapon carrying include male gender, bullying victimization, obesity, and substance use. Adolescents who self-identified as Black/African American, Hispanic, or Asian were significantly less likely to carry a weapon. The findings of this study underscore the importance of improving safety in schools by developing appropriate interventions to reduce sexual violence and weapon carrying among adolescents.
MRI Staging in an Evolving Management Paradigm for Rectal Cancer, From the AJR Special Series on Cancer Staging.

Please see the Editorial Comment by Candice Bolan discussing this article. The treatment of rectal cancer centers around the distinct but related goals of management of distant metastases and manag...
The LbcA lipoprotein and CtpA protease assemble an oligomeric complex to control peptidoglycan hydrolases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa CtpA is a carboxyl terminal–processing protease that partners with the outer membrane lipoprotein LbcA to degrade cell wall cross-link hydrolases. This activity plays an important role in supporting P. aeruginosa virulence. However, almost nothing is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying CtpA and LbcA function. Here, we used structural analysis to show that CtpA alone assembles into an inactive hexamer comprising a trimer of dimers, which limits its substrate access and prevents nonspecific degradation. The adaptor protein LbcA is a right-handed open spiral with 11 tetratricopeptide repeats, which might wrap around a substrate to deliver it to CtpA for degradation. We found that up to three LbcA molecules can bind to one CtpA hexamer to assemble a giant, active protease complex that degrades its peptidoglycan hydrolase substrates both in vitro and in vivo. This work reveals an intricate protease activation mechanism that is substrate delivery-dependent and enables targeted removal of the peptidoglycan hydrolase substrates.
Regulation of Lens Gap Junctions

Gap junctions are membrane specializations that contain groups of intercellular channels. These channels are permeable to ions and small molecules up to 1,000 Da. They communicate the cytoplasm of adjacent cells, thereby providing a direct pathway for the passage of ions, nutrients, metabolites and second messengers between coupled cells. Gap junctional channels are made of oligomeric assemblies of members of a family of related proteins called connexins (Cx). These proteins cross the plasma membrane four times leaving the amino and carboxyl termini on the cytoplasmic side (reviewed by Beyer)1.
Bernardo de Aldrete, humanist and laminario

The humanist scholar and philologist Bernardo de Aldrete had a contradictory relationship to the Sacromonte affair. His first book in 1606 was a pathbreaking history of the Spanish language. Notable for its rigorous methods of linguistic inquiry, that work demonstrated the Latin origins of Spanish and rejected its existence before the time of the Visigoths. Aldrete's thesis was attacked for impugning the authenticity of the Turpiana parchment. In a second book Aldrete defended both his earlier work and the Sacromonte discoveries. He assisted Archbishop de Castro in the defense of the lead books, but that role has received little attention from historians. This article draws together Aldrete's published work and his correspondence with the Archbishop's house- hold to bring his role in the Sacromonte case into focus. It attempts to identify the continuities as well as the more often noted contradictions between Aldrete's roles as laminario and humanist scholar.
Assessment of Interventricular Dyssynchrony by Real Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiography: An In Vitro Study in a Porcine Model

Background: Loss of synchronous contraction between or within the right and left ventricle (RV, LV) leads to adverse ventricular function. We used real time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) for evaluation of severity of interventricular dyssynchrony and function in a porcine heart model. Methods: Six fresh in vitro porcine hearts were used to create a controlled model of LV and RV dyssynchrony using two sets of pulsatile pumps. Synchronized and dyssynchronized pump settings were used with two different dyssynchronized settings: LV filled first and RV filled first. Results: There was good correlation between actual measurement and RT3DE for interventricular time difference (r = 0.95, P < 0.0001) and stroke volume (SV) for LV and RV (0.89, 0.85; P < 0.0001, respectively). RT3DE data showed a small but significant underestimation for actual volume (P < 0.05). The intra- and interobserver variabilities are 2.9 ± 1.5% and 3.1 ± 5.4% for LV and RV SVs, and 1.7 ± 2.4% and 2.2 ± 3.2% for time differences by RT3DE. There was significant difference in RV SV between synchrony and dyssynchrony when the RV filled first (P < 0.05), but not in other groups. The same pattern was found in RT3DE derived SVs (synchrony versus dyssynchrony with RV filled first, P < 0.05). Conclusions: There is no compromise in LV SV during interventricular dyssynchrony; but RV SV was significantly diminished when the RV filled first. RT3DE is a feasible, robust and reproducible method to identify interventricular dyssynchrony and to evaluate ventricular SVs. (Echocardiography 2010;27:709-715)
Carolina Thunder Revisited: Toward a Transcultural View of Winston Cup Racing*

Abstract Almost three decades ago, cultural geographer Richard Pillsbury documented the national expansion of NASCAR and what he considered the erosion of major-league stock car racing as a unique southern tradition. This claim is reassessed in light of recent research, leading us to suggest that the sport is actually “transcultural” in nature. It is influenced simultaneously by tradition and transition, as well as regional and national forces. In revisiting Pillsbury's seminal work, we document major changes and continuities in Winston Cup racing and briefly examine two North Carolina cases that provide contradictory views on the current relationship between the sport and the American South. North Wilkesboro illustrates how the changing geography of track locations can devalue and demoralize places associated with the tradition of southern stock car racing. The greater Charlotte area demonstrates that the South remains an important part of NASCAR, serving as a gathering place and “knowledge community” fo...
The EU-Japan Strategic Partnership in the 21st Century: Motivations, Constraints and Practice

This article examines the strategic partnership between the EU and Japan in the post-Cold War era by focusing on the bilateral political and security cooperation. To this end, the discussion explores both sides’ motivations for strengthening ties, the constraints on cooperation and the main joint initiatives. The article demonstrates that on the basis of shared values and common goals, as well as the two partners’ focus on soft power, Euro-Japanese partnership has since the early 1990s become more action-oriented and has acquired a certain strategic dimension. Nevertheless, different foreign policy priorities and structural limitations concerning the role Japan and the EU each can assume as international political and security actors suggest that the bilateral partnership is not likely to move far beyond its current “paper value” and hence become a more intense, and genuinely strategic one, in the years to come.
Corporate and Brand Web Sites as Customer Relationship Management Tools

ABSTRACT The explosive proliferation of Internet technologies, combined with the rapid acceptance of these technologies by consumers, has enticed nearly every organization to construct and implement a corporate and/or brand Web site. These Web sites allow businesses to communicate and transact with customers in new ways and with dramatically improved efficiency. Further, the marriage of Customer Relationship Management software with these Internet technologies is yielding unparalleled benefits to both organizations and consumers. Yet many of the efforts to implement either simple or complex relationship management systems have proceeded without a fundamental understanding of the specific benefits available to individual firms. While Internet-based relationship management technologies can provide powerful competitive and operational opportunities to nearly all organizations, only some forms of these approaches are appropriate for any unique firm. The goal of this paper is to provide a general overview and ...
Repulsive and attractive Casimir forces in a glide-symmetric geometry

We describe a three-dimensional geometry in which both attractive and repulsive Casimir forces arise using ordinary metallic materials, as computed via an exact numerical method (no uncontrolled approximations). The geometry consists of a zipperlike, glide-symmetric structure formed of interleaved metal brackets attached to parallel plates---because of the interleaving pattern, a net repulsive force can arise from a combination of attractive interactions. Depending on the separation, the perpendicular force between the plates and brackets varies from attractive (large separations) to repulsive (intermediate distances) and back to attractive (close separations), with one point of stable equilibrium in the perpendicular direction. This geometry was motivated by a simple intuition of attractive interactions between surfaces, and so we also consider how a rough proximity-force approximation of pairwise attractions compares to the exact calculations.
Tracking presynaptic Ca2+ dynamics during neurotransmitter release with Ca2+-activated K+ channels.

Tracking presynaptic Ca 2+ dynamics during neurotransmitter release with Ca 2+ -activated K + channels
Sources of regional inefficiency An integrated shift-share, data envelopment analysis and input-output approach

This paper develops and tests an integrated set of models to investigate sources of (in)efficiencies in regional industry sectors. First, following the Haynes and Dinc (1997) extension of the shift-share model, leading regional industrial sectors are identified for analysis based on their scale, productivity and sources of productivity change. Second, by employing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), the efficiency of these lead sectors is investigated and the future competitiveness of these sectors is evaluated. Finally, by incorporating input-output analysis into the model the impact of intersectoral transactions on sectoral efficiency is assessed.
Facial Reanimation with the VII–XII Anastomosis: Analysis of the Functional and Psychologic Results:

The VII-XII anastomosis has been employed for more than a decade by The Otology Group, P.C., In the facial reanimation of patients undergoing extirpation of tumors involving the cerebellopontine an...
Direct recording of nicotinic responses in presynaptic nerve terminals.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are widely expressed in the nervous system, but their functions remain poorly understood. One attractive hypothesis is that the receptors act presynaptically to modulate synaptic transmission. We provide a direct demonstration of presynaptic nicotinic receptors in situ by using whole-cell patch-clamp techniques to record currents in large presynaptic calyces that midbrain neurons form on ciliary neurons. Bath application of nicotine induced inward currents in the calyces capable of generating action potentials that overrode the limited space clamp achievable. The inward currents reversed near 0 mV and showed inward rectification common for neuronal nicotinic receptors. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) blocked the action potentials but not the inward currents. α-Bungarotoxin blocked both, consistent with the presynaptic receptors containing α7 subunits. Recording from the postsynaptic ciliary neurons during nicotine exposure revealed EPSCs that TTX blocked, presumably by blocking presynaptic action potentials. The postsynaptic cells also displayed bimodal inward currents caused by their own nicotinic receptors; the bimodal currents were not blocked by TTX but were blocked partially by α-bungarotoxin and completely byd-tubocurarine. Dye-filling with Lucifer yellow from the recording pipette confirmed the identity of patched structures and showed no dye transfer between calyx and ciliary neuron. When calyces or ciliary neurons were labeled en mass with neurobiotin and biocytin through nerve roots, dye transfer was rarely observed. Thus, electrical synapses were infrequent and unlikely to influence calyx responses. Immunochemical analysis of preganglionic nerve extracts identified receptors that bind α-bungarotoxin and contain α7 subunits. The results unambiguously document the existence of functional presynaptic nicotinic receptors.
Compact multicast routing

In a distributed network, a compact multicast scheme is a routing scheme that allows any source to send messages to any set of targets. We study the trade-off between the space used to store the routing table on each node and the stretch factor of the multicast scheme - the maximum ratio over all sets of nodes between the cost of the multicast route induced by the scheme and the cost of a steiner tree between the same set of target nodes. We obtain results in several variants of the problem: labeled - in which the designer can choose polylogarithmic node names, name-independent - in which nodes have arbitrarily chosen names, dynamic - an online version of the problem in which nodes dynamically join and leave the multicast service and the goal is to minimize both the cost of the multicast tree at each stage and the total cost of control messages needed to update the tree.
The postsynaptic inhibitory control of lumbar motoneurons during the atonia of active sleep: effect of strychnine on motoneuron properties.

The present study examined the effects of strychnine on the tonic hyperpolarization and the changes in membrane properties of lumbar motoneurons that occur during active sleep. To carry out these studies, intracellular recordings from lumbar motoneurons were combined with the juxtacellular microiontophoretic application of strychnine in chronic, undrugged, normally respiring cats. During active sleep, compared to quiet sleep, motoneurons that were not exposed to strychnine exhibited tonic hyperpolarization, a decrease in cell excitability, and an increase in membrane conductance; they were also bombarded by high- frequency, large-amplitude IPSPs. In conjunction with the juxtacellular application of strychnine, there was a marked reduction in the degree of hyperpolarization during active sleep; motoneuron excitability was no longer suppressed, and there was a reduction in the increase in membrane conductance. In addition, the large-amplitude IPSPs were blocked. These results identify glycine as the neurotransmitter responsible for the state-dependent changes in membrane properties and the hyperpolarization of motoneurons that takes place during active sleep.
Anastamosing channels in the lower Neches River valley, Texas

Active and semi-active anastomosing Holocene channels upstream of the delta in the lower valley of the meandering Neches River in southeast Texas represent several morphologically distinct and hydrologically independent channel systems. These appear to have a common origin as multi-thread crevasse channels strongly influenced by antecedent morphology. Levee breaching leads to steeper cross-valley flows toward floodplain basins associated with Pleistocene meander scars, creating multi-thread channels that persist due to additional tributary contributions and ground water inputs. Results are consistent with the notion of plural systems where main channels, tributaries, and sub-channels may have different morphologies and hydrogeomorphic functions. The adjacent Trinity and Sabine Rivers have similar environmental controls, yet the Trinity lacks evidence of extensive anastomosing channels on its floodplain, and those of the Sabine appear to be of different origin. The paper highlights the effects of geographical and historical contingency and hydrological idiosyncrasy. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The amino and carboxyl termini of perilipin a facilitate the storage of triacylglycerols.

Perilipin A is the most abundant lipid droplet-associated protein in adipocytes and serves important functions in regulating triacylglycerol levels by reducing rates of basal lipolysis and facilitating hormonally stimulated lipolysis. We have previously shown that the central region of perilipin A targets and anchors it to lipid droplets, at least in part via three moderately hydrophobic sequences that embed the protein into the hydrophobic core of the droplet. The current study examines the roles of the amino and carboxyl termini of perilipin A in facilitating triacylglycerol storage. Amino- and carboxyl-terminal truncation mutations of mouse perilipin A were stably expressed in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, which lack perilipins. Triacylglycerol content of the cells was quantified as a measure of perilipin function and was compared with that of cells expressing full-length perilipin A or control cells lacking perilipins. The amino-terminal sequence between amino acids 122 and 222, including four 10-11-amino acid sequences predicted to form amphipathic β-strands and a consensus site for cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and the carboxyl terminus of 112 amino acids that is unique to perilipin A were critical to facilitate triacylglycerol storage. The precocious expression of full-length perilipin A in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes aided more rapid storage of triacylglycerol during adipose differentiation. By contrast, the expression of highly truncated amino- or carboxyl-terminal mutations of perilipin failed to serve a dominant negative function in lowering triacylglycerol storage during adipose differentiation. We conclude that the amino and carboxyl termini are critical to the function of perilipin A in facilitating triacylglycerol storage.
Replication of plasmids with the p15A origin in Shewanella putrefaciens MR‐1

The plasmid pACYC184 was introduced into Shewanella putrefaciens MR-1 by electroporation. In 100% of the transformants examined, the plasmid was maintained as a free replicon outside the chromosome. This was the case whether or not the plasmid contained a 224-bp DNA insert derived from an open-reading frame of MR-1 genomic DNA. Therefore, in contrast to a report in the literature, plasmids containing the p15A origin of replication can replicate freely in S. putrefaciens MR-1, and do not make convenient vectors for gene replacement in this bacterium. However, we found that plasmids with the pMB1 origin of replication (e.g. pBR322) cannot replicate in MR-1 and could therefore have potential as vectors for gene replacement.
A new algorithm for 3D registration and its application in self-monitoring and early detection of lymphedema

Abstract Early detection and management of lymphedema (LE) can significantly reduce the potential of new symptoms and complications. In fact, effective diagnostic of LE can potentially affect the lives in the U.S. of nearly 500 000 current LE patients and over 2.4 million breast cancer survivors who are at-risk for developing this disease at some point in their lives. However, many cancer patients fail to seek medical assistance at the first sign of the disease in part due to the additional burden that constant monitoring imposes on patients. In that sense, a self-monitoring system could represent a major improvement in health-care management and delivery. The main challenges in self monitoring limb volume are in the design of a system that is at the same time inexpensive, easy to use, and accurate, despite being operated by a person without any training. In this paper, we present such a system. The proposed framework relies on off-the-shelf video gaming devices – the Kinect infrared device with a set of inertial sensors. In order to achieve high accuracy despite the typical low-texture and smoothness of the human skin, a new algorithm for 3D registration of clouds of points – Iterative Clustered Closest Points (ICCP) – is also proposed. The final result is a device that can be operated in the comfort of the patient's homes – i.e. it can be operated by professionals as well as non-professionals. In order to validate the system, we first tested its individual parts, more specifically the proposed ICCP algorithm for 3D registration and reconstruction of challenging objects. Then, we tested the complete system for the target application of limb-volume measurement by comparing our system against the gold standards: water displacement and perometer.
Josephson quantum interference computer devices

Josephson devices are potential elements for ultra-fast computers. Rather complex logic and memory circuits have been realized. Here quantum interference devices with improved speed and power performance are discussed. Latching and non-latching logic operation is possible and experiments with non-latching circuits are reviewed. Memory applications of quantum interference devices are also considered.
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SCORES ON THE B FACTOR AND THE WISC-R FOR GIFTED STUDENTS'

Summary.-The correlations between the sten B Factor scores of the Children's and the High School Personality Questionnaires and the WISC-R Full Scale IQs for 121 gifted (IQ > 120) students in Grades 4 to 7 were low. Caution should be utilized in interpreting the B Factor as a valid measure of intellectual functioning of gifted youth. Several researchers (3, 4, 6, 7, 8) have conducted studies to 'determine the relationship between measures of intelligence and the B Factor for adult groups on the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF). The B Factor is purported as a measure of general intelligence on the 16 PF (2). Results have been conflicting for atypical adult groups; correlation coefficients have ranged from .19 (6) to .51 (7) and were .39 (8) with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and .59 with the Standard Progressive Matrices (4). Also, Karson and Pool (3) did not find significant correlations with the WAIS for a sample of USAF officers whose mean IQ was 121.98. This study employed the personality measures, the Children's Personality Questionnaire ( 5) and the High School Personality Questionnaire ( 1 ) , to assess the correlation of the B Factor with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in a group of gifted students of elementary and junior high school age. There were 121 students, 59 girls and 62 boys, who had completed Grades 4 through 7 and who had been determined to be gifted according to state policy by scoring 120 IQ or above on the WISC-R. These students, aged 11 yr. and younger, were administered the children's scale; the other scale was administered to students, aged 12 yr. and over, in their classrooms by the same examiner. Means and standard deviations were calculated for the Full Scale WISC-R and the B Factor sten scores. Also, Pearson product-moment coefficients were computed to determine the relationship between the WISC-R Full Scale IQ and the B Factor. For all calculations, students were divided into groups by age and test given. Means and standard deviations for the Full Scale IQ and the B Factor are reported in Table 1. The standard deviations suggested a somewhat truncated range as expected. The product-moment correlations computed benveen the Full Scale IQ and the B Factor on the children's questionnaire were nonsignificant for girls 'Request reprints from F. A. Karnes, Ed.D, Director, Center for Gifted Studies, Deparcment of Special Education, University of Southern Mississippi, Southern Station, Box 51 15, Hattiesburg, MS 39401.
Acquisition of Unsteady Pressure Measurements From a High Speed Multi-Stage Compressor

Two methods for acquiring transient pressure measurements from a high speed multi-stage compressor are presented. Data were obtained from upstream, inter-stage and downstream measurement locations on the compressor during unsteady operation. The two methods of data acquisition were real time digital conversion of close coupled pressures and frequency modulated (FM) analog recording of high response measurements. The close coupled measurements provide for a nominal frequency response of 70 Hz while the high response measurements provided 200 Hz nominal response. A description of both acquisition systems is provided with discussion of the limitations involved in both methods. Examples and comparisons of data obtained by both methods are presented.Copyright © 1988 by ASME
Effect of hand mixing tobramycin on the fatigue strength of Simplex P

Abstract In a recent study, we showed that the presence of gentamicin in Palacos R or erythromycin plus colistin in Simplex P bone cement did not significantly decrease the fatigue strength of the cement. [J.P. Davies, D.O. O'Connor, D.W. Burke, and W.H. Harris, "Influence of antibiotic impregnation on the fatigue life of Simplex P and Palacos R acrylic bone cements, with and without centrifugation," J. Biomed. Mater. Res., 23, 379-397 (1989)] However, the commercially prepared Palacos R with Gentamicin and AKZ (Simplex P with colistin and erythromycin) which were tested are not approved by the FDA for use in the United States. Because of this, many surgeons in the United States hand mix tobramycin with the cement in the operating room if a case calls for the use of antibiotic-impregnated cement. In this study, we determined the effect of adding 1.2 g of tobramycin to one pack (40 g) of Simplex P powder on the fatigue strength of the cement. The effect of centrifugation on the fatigue strength of Simplex P with the tobramycin added was also assessed. Simplex P was prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions with and without the addition of 1.2 g tobramycin per 40-g pack and with and without centrifugation. Fifteen specimens of each of the four cement preparations were tested in fully reversed tension-compression fatigue at +/- 15 MPa, 2 Hz. The fatigue strength of the uncentrifuged and centrifuged Simplex P was not significantly reduced by the tobramycin. Centrifugation significantly increased the fatigue life of Simplex P both with and without the addition of tobramycin. The fatigue life of the Simplex P with tobramycin was increased by a factor of 8 by centrifugation.
History of the FIGO World Report on Women's Health.

This editorial discusses the topic of the next issue of International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics which will comprise the 2009 FIGO World Report on Womens Health.
Of Mice and Men (and More): 2003 International Gap Junction Meeting

(2003). Of Mice and Men (and More): 2003 International Gap Junction Meeting. Cell Communication & Adhesion: Vol. 10, No. 4-6, pp. 169-172.
Glucagon adsorption on polymer surfaces with α-helical and extended β-strand conformations: A computational approach

The adsorption of glucagon with alpha-helical and extended beta-strand conformations on polymer surfaces was investigated using a computer simulation approach. An X-ray crystallographic structure of glucagon was employed in the study of the alpha-helical glucagon adsorption. The X-ray structure was then modified to simulate an extended beta-strand structure in the study of the beta-strand glucagon adsorption. Totally, 1632 different adsorption orientations of glucagon with each conformation were examined on polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and poly(vinyl alcohol) surfaces. The calculation of the average adsorption energies among different orientations did not reveal any marked difference between the two conformations. However, when the lowest-energy orientations were compared, the adsorption energy of the extended beta-strand glucagon was always much lower than that of the alpha-helical glucagon, indicating that the adsorption of extended beta-strand glucagon was more energy favorable. The lower adsorption energy for the extended beta-strand glucagon than for the alpha-helical glucagon appeared to be contributed by the lower interaction potential energy of the former conformation. A greater number of the surface atoms in the extended beta-strand glucagon than in the alpha-helical glucagon was also observed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) studies in the literature showed conformational changes in adsorption of various larger proteins. Our study appears to provide a theoretical insight for the results from the FTIR studies.