cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perception of American English consonants /v/ and /w/ by Hindi speakers of English

Abstract This study examined perception of the American English (AE) /v/-/w/ consonant contrast by Hindi speakers of English as a second language (L2). A second aim was to determine whether residence in the US modulated perception of this difficult contrast for proficient bilingual Hindi-English listeners. Two groups of Hindi-English bilinguals (the first resided in the US for more than five years, the second lived in India) and a group of AE-speaking listeners participated in the study. Listeners’ identification and discrimination of nonsense words (e.g., “vagag” vs. “wagag”) were examined. Hindi listeners performed significantly less accurately than AE controls. Accuracy by Hindi listeners was near chance for identification and higher-than-chance for discrimination. Exposure to AE in the US did not improve performance. These results are consistent with previous studies of late L2 learners and extend findings to a population that was proficient in an L2 before arriving in the L2 environment.
Phenomics of cardiac chloride channels: the systematic study of chloride channel function in the heart.

Recent studies have identified several chloride (Cl−) channel genes in the heart, including CFTR, ClC-2, ClC-3, CLCA, Bestrophin, and TMEM16A. Gene targeting and transgenic techniques have been used to delineate the functional role of cardiac Cl− channels in the context of health and disease. It has been shown that Cl− channels may contribute to cardiac arrhythmogenesis, myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure, and cardioprotection against ischaemia–reperfusion. The study of physiological or pathophysiological phenotypes of cardiac Cl− channels, however, may be complicated by the compensatory changes in the animals in response to the targeted genetic manipulation. Alternatively, tissue-specific conditional or inducible knockout or knockin animal models may be more valuable in the phenotypic studies of specific Cl− channels by limiting the effect of compensation on the phenotype. The integrated function of Cl− channels may involve multi-protein complexes of the Cl− channel subproteome and similar phenotypes can be attained from alternative protein pathways within cellular networks, which are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, the phenomics approach, which characterizes phenotypes as a whole phenome and systematically studies the molecular changes that give rise to particular phenotypes achieved by modifying the genotype (such as gene knockouts or knockins) under the scope of genome/proteome/phenome, may provide a more complete understanding of the integrated function of each cardiac Cl− channel in the context of health and disease.
Mitochondrial DNA in Drosophila: An analysis of genome organization and transcription in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila virilis

Abstract R loop and Northern hybridization have been used to characterize and map transcripts of the Drosophila melanogaster mitochondrial genome. The most abundant transcripts are a set of at least ten poly(A)+ and one poly(A)− RNAs ranging in size from 2150 to 700 nucleotides. These include the large ribosomal RNA, much of which appears to be poly(A)+, and the small ribosomal RNA, predominantly poly(A)−. The abundant transcripts are homologous to some 70% of the genome, almost the entire length of the genome outside the A + T-rich region. In most cases, the transcripts map to regions large enough for them to fit side by side in a closely packed but non-overlapping fashion. However, in two places flanking the A + T-rich region, one of them within the large ribosomal RNA transcription unit, R loop hybridization is seen to both strands of the mitochondrial DNA, and Northern hybridization maps more than one transcript to the same site. One transcript, B6, has strong homology to two widely separated regions and it is not possible to determine unambiguously the site of its transcription. No interrupted transcription unit has been detected. The less abundant transcripts include four large RNAs, 3700 to 2450 nucleotides, all homologous to the sequence flanking the A + T-rich region opposite the ribosomal cistrons. These RNAs overlap at least three of the most abundant non-ribosomal transcripts and appear to be encoded on the same strand. In addition, at least three less abundant transcripts of 200 to 600 nucleotides have been detected. Comparison of restriction maps of D. melanogaster and D. virilis mitochondrial DNAs indicates significant sequence divergence outside of the ribosomal cistrons. However, there is little, if any difference in the number, size and map position of transcripts in the two species. The pattern of DNA renaturation in the A + T-rich region of D. melanogaster indicates a region of unique sequence, mapping at or near the origin of replication, flanked on both sides by direct tandem repeats. The smallest repeat unit detected is about 250 base-pairs. The minimum size detected, however, may be limited by the stability of the renaturation structures. A very rare R loop of approximately 800 base-pairs is detected within the A + T-rich region between the origin of replication and the initiation site of the small ribosomal RNA transcript.
Lorenz, Konrad Zacharias

Konrad Lorenz (1903–1989), an Austrian biologist whose comparative studies of animal behaviour provided the foundations for the science of ethology. Keywords: ethology; imprinting; instinct; Karl von Frisch; Nikolaas Tinbergen
UT austin villa 2014: robocup 3d simulation league champion via overlapping layered learning

Layered learning is a hierarchical machine learning paradigm that enables learning of complex behaviors by incrementally learning a series of sub-behaviors. A key feature of layered learning is that higher layers directly depend on the learned lower layers. In its original formulation, lower layers were frozen prior to learning higher layers. This paper considers an extension to the paradigm that allows learning certain behaviors independently, and then later stitching them together by learning at the "seams" where their influences overlap. The UT Austin Villa 2014 RoboCup 3D simulation team, using such overlapping layered learning, learned a total of 19 layered behaviors for a simulated soccer-playing robot, organized both in series and in parallel. To the best of our knowledge this is more than three times the number of layered behaviors in any prior layered learning system. Furthermore, the complete learning process is repeated on four different robot body types, showcasing its generality as a paradigm for efficient behavior learning. The resulting team won the RoboCup 2014 championship with an undefeated record, scoring 52 goals and conceding none. This paper includes a detailed experimental analysis of the team's performance and the overlapping layered learning approach that led to its success.
Bone Mineral Accrual Is Associated With Parathyroid Hormone and 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Levels in Children and Adolescents.

Context: Rapid bone accrual and calcium demands during puberty may result in compensatory increases in PTH and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] levels; however, these relations have not been established in longitudinal studies. Objective: To determine whether greater bone accrual velocity is associated with greater PTH and 1,25(OH)2D levels in healthy children and adolescents. Design: Prospective cohort study with baseline PTH, 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], and 1,25(OH)2D levels and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry whole-body bone mineral content (BMC) accrual over 12 months. Secondary analyses examined bone biomarkers and tibia quantitative computed tomography midshaft cortical-BMC. Participants: A total of 594 healthy participants, ages 5–21 years, with longitudinal measures in a subset of 145 participants. Main Outcome Measures: PTH and 1,25(OH)2D levels. Results: PTH levels were higher during Tanner stages 3 and 4 compared to Tanner 1 (P < .05) in males and females and were inversely and signific...
Property Rights, Innovation, and Constitutional Structure

The Industrial Revolution caused an expansion of our ideas of property to include other forms of wealth, such as innovations and productive techniques. And the modern age has caused a further expansion of our ideas of property to include inchoate items, particularly information. The Framers of the U.S. Constitution presumed that government not only took an expansive view of the nature of property rights, they also believed that such rights should be protected. To James Madison and the other Framers, property was a “broad and majestic term” that “embraces everything which may have a value to which man may attach a right.”
Teleconnections between tropical pacific sea surface temperature anomalies and North Carolina precipitation anomalies during El Niño events

Linear teleconnections of El Nino events and precipitation over a regional coastal land mass were analyzed. Two statistical techniques were used. First, the Empirical Orthogonal Function extracted major variances of the monthly tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies and coastal North Carolina precipitation anomalies. Second, the Canonical Correlation Analysis calculated the linear combinations of the anomaly data sets that were highly correlated. The results show that El Nino-related precipitation anomalies along the North Carolina coast were positive from November to May and negative between June and October consistent with large-scale studies. Results indicate simple, linear statistical techniques can be effectively adopted to determine teleconnections on a local scale.
Electroless Ni-P-PTFE Composite Coatings on Titanium Alloy and Their Tribological Properties

In this study, it was the first attempt to fabricate Ni-P-PTFE composite coatings on titanium alloy (manufactured through electroless composite plating). The effects of suspended PTFE concentration, temperature and surfactant concentration in the plating solution on the PTFE content in the resulting coatings were investigated. In addition, the friction and wear properties of the samples were analyzed. The results showed that co-deposition of Ni-P and PTFE can obviously decrease the friction coefficient of the coatings, reduce wear and improve lubricating property of the coatings.
The effect of bombesin and related peptides on prolactin and growth hormone secretion in the rat.

Bombesin and other related peptides isolated from the skin of anuran species and found in mammalian brain stimulate PRL and GH release in steroid-primed male rats. On a molar basis, bombesin and alytesin are the most active peptides in this assay system. Their PRL- and GH-releasing activity is not affected by the type of anesthetics used, but their minimal effective dose is lower after intravenous administration as compared with intracisternal administration. The in vivo stimulatory effect of bombesin on PRL secretion is not modified by the histamine antagonist diphenhydramine or the opiate antagonist naloxone. By contrast, naloxone reverses the GH-releasing activity of bombesin, suggesting an opiate-dependent mechanism of action of this peptide on GH secretion. The absence of an in vitro effect of bombesin and related peptides on PRL and GH secretion and a minimal effective dose of approximately 30 ng in bombesin and alytesin administered in steroid-primed rats, make them the most active peptides reporte...
An Infrared Spectroscopy System for Catalytic Reaction at Elevated Pressure and Temperature

Among a number of techniques used for the research of heterogeneous (gas-solid) catalysis, transmission infrared spectroscopy is one of the most widely used techniques for the characterization of surface species adsorbed on the catalyst. It offers useful information, particularly when the spectroscopy is carried out under reaction conditions. Various types of infrared cell have been designed so that the spectra of adsorbed species can be obtained during reactions at high temperatures. Most of them, however, have been used at atmospheric or reduced pressure, and less attention has been paid to high-pressure operations. Also one usually requires an efficient flow of gas in the cell in order to follow the kinetic behavior of the surface species.
The new era in oral contraception: pills containing gestodene, norgestimate, and desogestrel.

The latest advance in the 30-year evolution of oral contraceptives (OCs) is the development of 3 new progestogens: desogestrel norgestimate and gestodene. These 3 new agents are derivatives of levonorgestrel a gonane hormone and have been used to develop pills that provide effective pregnancy prevention at lower doses than OCs using the older steroids. Desogestrel is a prohormone that must first be metabolized into its biologically active form. Norgestimate is already active but it will be metabolized in part to levonorgestrel. Gestodene is biologically active in its native form. Among the improvements in metabolic parameters seen with this new generation of progestogens are a lack of impact on blood pressure a balanced effect on coagulation and a reduced impact on carbohydrate metabolism compared with earlier higher-dose formulations. The new pills also seem to produce no negative effects on lipid an lipoprotein biosynthesis and perhaps even improve the ratio of low-density lipoprotein to high-density lipoprotein. Cycle control with all 3 progestogens is improved with much lower incidence of intermenstrual bleeding (IMB). Efficacy is as good as with other OCs. Another benefit of the new low-dose progestogens however is the low incidence of minor side effects observed in women using these contraceptives. Low incidences of weight gain headache and nausea were reported and the dropout rate because of side effects was low in both international and US trials. Serious side effects are rarely seen with pills containing the new progestogens. The development of gestodene desogestrel and norgestimate will provide expanded OC choices for women with the promise of efficacy equal to and safety and cycle control improved over previous higher-dose OCs. (authors)
Photorefractive properties of doped strontium-barium niobate

Abstract Transition-metal dopants of chromium and rhodium altered the photorefractive properties of strontium-barium niobate. Beam- coupling experiments were performed to determine photorefractive parameters such as the effective charge density, the grating formation rate, and dark conductivity.
Identification of Molecular Markers Associated with Root-Knot Nematode Resistance in Upland Cotton

Cotton breeding for resistance to root-knot nematode (RKN) [Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood] is hindered by the lack of convenient and reliable screening methods for resistant plants. The identifi cation of molecular markers closely linked to RKN resistance will facilitate the development of RKN resistant cultivars through marker-assisted selection (MAS). Our objective was to identify and develop new DNA markers that are associated with RKN resistance in cotton. Using three pairs of nearisogenic (NIL) resistant (R) and susceptible (S) lines, two AFLP markers, two RAPD markers, and three RGA markers were identifi ed to be polymorphic between the NIL-R and NIL-S lines. One RAPD marker was converted into a sequence-tagged site (STS) marker. In an F 2 population of ‘ST 474’ × ‘Auburn 634 RNR’, the two RAPD markers and the STS marker were mapped to the same linkage group containing several markers that were previously reported to be linked with the RKN resistance gene rkn1 on chromosome 11 in ‘Acala NemX’. All these markers were found to be associated with a major RKN resistance gene, presumably Mi 2 in the resistant line Auburn 634 RNR, suggesting that rkn1 and Mi 2 are either allelic or closely linked. In addition, no susceptible recombinants were found in a resistance screen of 200 F 2 plants from the cross Acala NemX × Auburn 634 RNR. The utility of the two RAPD markers and the converted STS marker were evaluated using 23 R and 8 S germplasm lines. The RAPD and STS markers, along with other previously reported markers associated with RKN resistance will be useful in germplasm screening, MAS for RKN resistance, and map-based clon
Combined low-dose flutamide plus finasteride vs low-dose flutamide monotherapy for recurrent prostate cancer: a comparative analysis of two phase II trials with a long-term follow-up

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and tolerability of peripheral androgen blockade using combined low-dose flutamide plus finasteride vs low-dose flutamide monotherapy for treating biochemical relapse after the definitive management of prostate adenocarcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-six men treated for biochemical relapse of prostate cancer were enrolled prospectively in a phase II trial at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center from 1997 to 2001. Thirty-six men were treated with flutamide (125 mg twice daily) and finasteride (5 mg twice daily), and 20 men received low-dose flutamide only after biochemical recurrence (prostate-specific antigen, PSA, level ≥0.4 ng/mL). Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to compare the risk of progression between the groups. RESULTS Patients on combined and monotherapy had a median follow-up of 54 and 43.5 months, respectively. Seven men (19%) in the combined arm remain in the study with no progression, while five (25%) on monotherapy continue and are progression-free. Men on combined therapy had a greater decrease in their PSA level (P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that men on combined therapy had significantly less risk of progression than men on monotherapy (hazard ratio 0.21, 95% confidence interval 0.07–0.63, P = 0.005). There was no significant difference in the frequency of side-effects between the groups. Toxicities were reported to be mild. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis suggests the therapeutic value of low-dose flutamide alone or combined with finasteride as first-line agents in a possible graduated approach for treating PSA-only recurrent prostate cancer. Due to unwanted metabolic effects associated with traditional hormonal agents, phase III trials comparing both regimens with current therapies are warranted.
Antarctic Ice Sheet: Preliminary Results of First Core Hole to Bedrock

The Antarctic ice sheet at Byrd Station has been core-drilled to bedrock; the vertical thickness of the ice is 2164 meters. Liquid water-indicative of pressure melting-was encountered at the bed. Heat flow through the base of the ice sheet is estimated at 1.8 microcalories per square centimeter per second. The minimum temperature was -28.8°C at 800 meters; maximum ice density, 0.9206 at 1000 meters. Core studies reveal the existence of a chemically pure, structurally stratified sheet comprising bubbly ice to 900 meters that transforms to bubble-free deformed ice, with substantially vertically orientated c-axis structure, below 1200 meters. Below 1800 meters the deformed ice structure gives way to large annealed crystals. Several thin layers of dirt between 1300 and 1700 meters are tentatively identified as volcanic ash, and horizontally banded debris, including fragments of granite, is present in the basal ice.
The Application of Synthetic Biology to Elucidation of Plant Mono-, Sesqui-, and Diterpenoid Metabolism

Plants synthesize a huge variety of terpenoid natural products, including photosynthetic pigments, signaling molecules, and defensive substances. These are often produced as complex mixtures, presumably shaped by selective pressure over evolutionary timescales, some of which have been found to have pharmaceutical and other industrial uses. Elucidation of the relevant biosynthetic pathways can provide increased access (e.g., via molecular breeding or metabolic engineering) and enable reverse genetic approaches toward understanding the physiological role of these natural products in plants as well. While such information can be obtained via a variety of approaches, this review describes the emerging use of synthetic biology to recombinantly reconstitute plant terpenoid biosynthetic pathways in heterologous host organisms as a functional discovery tool, with a particular focus on incorporation of the historically problematic cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases. Also falling under the synthetic biology rubric and discussed here is the nascent application of genome-editing tools to probe physiological function.
Historical Evolution of Transurethral Resection at the University of Iowa: Alcock and Flocks

Purpose: In 1935 Nathaniel G. Alcock proclaimed that transurethral resection of the prostate “…cannot be taught and can be learned only by hard, tedious experience.” However, his resident assistant, Rubin H. Flocks, added basic science and anatomical knowledge to Alcock's surgical experience to create a body of work that even today provides insight into the complexities of transurethral prostatic resection.Materials and Methods: Even as Alcock studied preoperative and postoperative urethrography images to provide demonstration of the enlarged prostate, he firmly believed in the learning curve of surgical proficiency. However, when Alcock and Flocks began studying autopsy material they were able to pinpoint distribution of the prostatic blood supply, and demonstrate techniques to control bleeding and perform transurethral resection in an organized fashion. Autopsy specimens also demonstrated the previously unrecognized correlation between incomplete resection and complicated wound healing. Flocks' further ...
On the calculation of hyperthermic temperatures for cancer therapy.

Abstract Using the idea that random repression of the genome occurs in a neoplastic cell I have calculated the temperature at which the protein repressor no longer binds anywhere on the genome. The “melting temperature”, T m , occurs when the Gibbs free energy for binding vanishes. For mice the observed value gives T m = 42.5° C. Using the experimental result for mice, T m is calculated for humans to be 40.55° C. At such temperatures the immune system should have a maximum efficiency for eliminating neoplastic cells. Experiments on rats have confirmed the fact that the immune system is stimulated by elevated temperatures as well as the fact that outright killing occurs because of thermal effects.
Reactions of Aromatic Bifunctional Molecules on Silicon Surfaces: Nitrosobenzene and Nitrobenzene

Chemical control of interfaces formed on silicon surfaces is important for many practical applications. In this work, the reaction of nitrosobenzene with a clean Si(100)- 2 × 1 surface by [2 + 2] cycloaddition at room temperature is investigated. This reaction is compared to the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrobenzene on the same surface and to the cyclocondensation reaction of nitrobenzene with hydrogen-terminated Si(100) surfaces. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT) methods were used for this study. For both nitrosobenzene and nitrobenzene on Si(100)- 2 × 1, oxygen migrates subsurface, despite substantial kinetic barriers. The effects of oxygen migration are addressed by combining DFT cluster modeling and XPS in the N 1s region. The reaction pathways of these nitrogen-containing bifunctional molecules on a clean Si(100)- 2 × 1 surface lead to the phenylnitrene adduct as the dominant surface species, while ...
Optical novelty filters

A novelty filter detects what is new in a scene and may be likened to a temporal high-pass filter. The current status of optical novelty filters and related devices, based upon four-wave mixing and two-beam coupling in photorefractive media, is reviewed. A detector that shows only what is not new, a monotony filter, may be likened to a temporal low-pass filter. Demonstrations of high- and low-pass and bandpass temporal image filters are then discussed. An analytical treatment of the two-beam coupling devices is given in a Laplace transform framework in the undepleted pump approximation assuming plane wave inputs. This allows a unified treatment of the various filter characteristics. >
Development of a Lubrication System for the T800-LHT-800 Turboshaft Engine

The T800-LHT-800 is a modern technology 1300 shp (975 kW) class turboshaft engine developed for the U.S. Army’s LH helicopter which has great potential for application in various civil air vehicles. As one of its significant features, the engine has a self-contained dry sump, pressure and temperature regulated, recirculating lubrication system. Contractually specified operational attitude and loss of oil requirements impose considerable complications on the design/development of the T800’s lubrication system.Characteristically, lubrication systems provide cooling and lubrication to all bearings, gears, seal rotors, and working splines at all engine operating conditions. The T800-LHT-800 lubrication system must provide continuous lubrication for an engine operational attitude envelope range of 120 deg noseup, 90 deg nosedown, and 48 deg rolls in either direction. Development of the lubrication system attitude capabilities has been accomplished via testing on a lubrication simulator rig and a series of both development and qualification engine attitude tests. A formal engine attitude qualification test, which will demonstrate both military qualification test (QT) and civil (FAA) certification requirements, will be conducted in 1991.Contractually required engine protection against loss of oil conditions lasting up to six min provided a significant design challenge for the T800 lubrication system and an emergency oil system was designed to meet this requirement. This emergency oil system was developed via multiple design iterations, bench testing on a lubrication simulator rig, and loss of oil development engine testing. As part of the qualification process, a formal qualification loss of oil engine test will be conducted in mid-1991 to verify this design capability.This paper describes the basic T800 engine and discusses the lubrication system requirements. It emphasizes the design evolution of the main oil tank attitude capabilities, the emergency oil system, and the planned qualification/certification testing.Copyright © 1991 by ASME
Effects of interlayer coupling on the magnetic and transport properties of superconducting multilayers and high-temperature superconductors

We show experimental evidence that the associated flux motion occurs as a result of a crossover from 3D vortex lines to 2D independent pancake-like vortices, residing in the Cu-O layers. This 3D to 2D crossover occurs after k B T exceeds the Josephson coupling energy.
Seasonal mitotic activity and wound healing in a teleost (Opsanus tau) ocular lens

The toadfish lens epithelium is essentially amitotic from January to May. From June to August mitotic activity is noted. The onset of proliferation approximately corresponds to the time of year when the fish enter the shallow water to spawn. The epithelial mitotic response to needle injury is not propagated in a wave-like manner from the site of insult.
A dielectric resonator antenna based on high dielectric constant composites for high power UHF antenna applications

Dielectric resonator antennas incorporating newly developed high dielectric constant composite materials have been investigated as compact high power antennas for UHF operation. The dimensions of dielectric resonators can generally be reduced by the inverse of the square root of the dielectric constant. Through this fundamental relationship, compact and low profile designs are possible with significantly lower volume and weight requirements than traditional antennas. By combining the benefits of the composite materials' high dielectric constants and their ability to be manufactured to the required size and shape of the resonator geometry, the frequency range of solid dielectric resonator antennas can be reduced below the conventional bands of operation. The resonators are coupled with a microstrip feed, enabling the antenna input impedance and operating voltage to be designed through the microstrip parameters. This paper provides an analysis of the use of high dielectric constant composite materials in microstrip-coupled dielectric resonator antennas, and the potential for high power operation at frequencies below 1 GHz is discussed. An overview of the design of a high power dielectric resonator antenna incorporating high dielectric constant composite materials developed at the University of Missouri is given along with simulation and experimental data on its performance.
Slow crack growth in ternary B2 iron aluminides at room temperature

While the humidity-induced embrittlement has been studied extensively, it is not clear at the present time how to best alleviate or eliminate it in FeAl. While protective coatings may improve ductilities they will lose their effectiveness once macroscopic cracks have formed. Humidity-induced embrittlement may also be alleviated by processing designed to develop more resistant microstructures, or possibly by adding alloying elements capable of trapping hydrogen in order to keep it away from crack tips. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of macroalloying additions on slow crack growth in B2 iron aluminides. Since the fracture toughness testing technique employed is most reliable for low fracture toughnesses, a high Al content of 45 at. % was chosen [it is well known that the fracture toughness of FeAl decreases as the Al content increases]. Small amounts of B and Zr were added in order to strengthen the grain boundaries. Since Al is thought to be the primary element responsible for humidity-induced embrittlement, its concentration was chosen to be the same in all three alloys investigated. Care was taken to process the alloys in the same way, and to make sure that they had comparable microstructures. It was also verifiedmore » that there were no significant amounts of second phases which might invalidate a comparison between the different alloys.« less
The spermatogenesis of drosophila melanogaster

1. The difficulties encountered in the spermatogenesis ofDrosophila melanogaster in regard to pseudo-chromatic inclusions in the nucleus and cytoplasm have been eliminated by the Feulgen nuclear reaction and other special cytologic methods. 2. The chromatin disappears in the early growth period of the primary spermatocyte by diffusing into the karyoplasm. It remains in this condition to the appearance of the leptotene threads. 3. The large nucleolus present in the primary spermatocyte and other nuclear inclusions which stain black with hematoxylin have nothing to do with the chromosomes. 4. A definite leptotene stage is present, but there is not polarization of threads. Synapsis is incomplete and abortive, its duration is extremely brief. 5. Meiotic divisions are typical. In the first meiosis the sex chromosomes are lagging. Interkinesis is very brief. Judging by the behavior of the sex chromosomes, the first meiosis is reductional. 6. The XY pair is never as closely apposed as the components of the autosomal tetrads. 7. Conclusions derived from this investigation substantiate the genetic evidence that there is no crossing-over of factors in the male ofDrosophila melanogaster.
Controlled Cyclic Stretching of Tissue Engineered Heart Valves: Effects on Mechanical Properties and ECM Organization

Tissue engineering provides a means to create fully functional tissue-equivalents that can grow, repair and remodel in vivo. Our laboratory’s approach to fabricating artery- and heart valve-equivalents utilizes cell-seeded fibrin gels. However, even after 4–5 weeks of static incubation, the mechanical properties of these constructs are below those of native tissue. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown a significant role of mechanical stretching in improving properties of collagen-based tissue constructs (Isenberg and Tranquillo, 2003). We examined the effects of cyclic distention (CD) of cell-seeded fibrin-based tubular constructs (TC) and valve-equivalents (VE) after five weeks of culture. We used human dermal fibroblasts and porcine valve interstitial cells as the cell sources. Circumferential strain amplitudes from 2.5% to 15% were applied to evaluate the effects of CD on remodeling of the TC. We further hypothesized that during long-term conditioning, cells adapt to CD of constant strain amplitude, diminishing the remodeling into tissue. We tested this hypothesis by applying step-wise incremental CD (ICD) from 5%–15% strain amplitude and compared this group to a set of samples subject to CD of constant strain amplitude in this range. Based on the outcome of the cyclic distension study with tubular constructs, we applied CD to VE in a novel bioreactor.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Hydration and properties of calcium silicate pastes

Abstract Microstructures developed in hydrated tricalcium and β-dicalcium silicates paste are related to physical properties of strength, rigidity and shrinkage. Paste microstructure was altered by the use of admixtures and by temperature variations during hydration. Strength, both compressive and tensile, is essentially independent of changes in microstructure and depends primarily on porosity. However, the paste rigidity as estimated from the modulus of elasticity, measured by a new ultrasonic pulse velocity technique, is affected by changes in the CSH material promoted by some admixtures, e.g., calcium chloride. The size of calcium hydroxide crystals may influence total paste shrinkage, although other factors, such as pore size distribution, have not yet been fully assessed.
Using Alerts as Outreach to Professionals in Health Care: A Practical How-To Guide

Professionals in health care are on information overload. On a daily basis, administrators, laboratory technicians, physicians, nurses, and those in risk management and quality improvement are over...
Making the Case for Night Work Legislation in Progressive Era New York, 1911-1915

In 1907 the New York Court of Appeals considered a bindery company's challenge to a night work law passed by New York's legislature in 1898 and amended in 1903. The statute stated that “no female shall be employed, permitted, or suffered to work in any factory in this state before six o'clock in the morning, or after nine o'clock in the evening of any day.” The outcome of the case was preordained, for New York's highest court was famous for advocating the legal “freedom of contract” principle, which negated state efforts to limit workers' hours. From 1878 through 1904 the Court of Appeals had held that any restriction on laborers' hours was unconstitutional. The only exception, Lochner v. New York, had been reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court on appeal.
Chlorinated hydrocarbons in sediments from southern Greece

Abstract Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can be used as tracers of long-term integrated flow of comtaminants in the sea. They have been used to map the distribution of effluents from sewage outfalls on the southern Greek coast.
Enzymes adsorbed on an ion exchanger as a post-column reactor: application to acetylcholine measurement.

Abstract Enzymes can be used in high-performance liquid chromatography post-column reactors to improve sensitivity and specificity of detection for some compounds by converting the compounds to easily detectable products. The enzymes can be covalently bound to a post-column reactor, but a simpler approach is to bind them by adsoption to an ion exchanger or a hydrophobic interaction support. This technique has been applied to electrochemical detection of acetylcholine by using adsorption of choline oxidase and cholinesterase to a 3-cm long commercially available weak anion-exchange cartridge. Conversion of acetylcholine to peroxide is quantitative during the 10-sec residence time in the cartridge. Enzyme elution from the cartridge is negligible when low ionic strength mobile phases are used. Fresh enzyme needs to be added to the cartridge at only 1–2 week intervals.
Numerical simulation of wet scavenging of air pollutants—I. Modeling of sequential precipitation rates at the ground

Abstract A one-dimensional Eulerian transport/transformation/removal model is developed to explain and predict existing field data and chemical compositions of precipitation. The PLUVIUS model is used as the framework for the proposed model with significant modifications. In Part I, cloud dynamics and microphysics, and water phases have been considered in the model. The equation of motion is solved to generate a vertical wind velocity profile for convective precipitation. The upwind scheme is used to handle the convective, non-linear transport problem. The modeling results of ground precipitation rates for a summer convective shower indicate that the precipitation rate is sensitive to the following precipitation parameters: autoconversion rate, cloud water concentration, relative humidity, entrainment rate, and the heights of cloud base and cloud top. The modeling results for pollutant rain concentrations will be presented in Part II of this series.
Augmentation of natural killer cytotoxicity by alpha or gamma natural and recombinant interferons and interferon inducers. Effect of monocytes.

We investigated the effect of human peripheral blood monocytes on the augmentation of natural killer cytotoxicity by α or γ natural and recombinant interf erons (
A landscape-based distribution model for fallfish (Semotilus corporalis) in the Great Lakes drainage of New York

Abstract Fallfish ( Semotilus corporalis ) is a large native minnow that can be both an important food source and a predator on juvenile stream fishes, including salmonids. We developed a fallfish abundance-habitat neural network model. The model explained a large fraction of observed fallfish abundance class variation (R 2 = 0.91) and predicted optimal habitat in relatively flat, low elevation, cool to warm streams associated with forested landscapes. The distribution of optimal habitat areas was limited to 9% of the stream network, but one concentration overlapped with the best salmonid production habitat in the Lake Ontario basin. These model results can help managers better understand fallfish distribution and habitat requirements, as well as help them better assess potential interspecific interactions with gamefish in the Lake Ontario–St. Lawrence drainage.
Graph mining and influence propagation

How do graphs look like? How do they evolve over time? How can we generate realistic-looking graphs? We review some static and temporal 'laws', and we describe the ``Kronecker'' graph generator, which naturally matches all of the known properties of real graphs. We also describe some case studies.The first is on influence and virus propagation on real graphs, where we show that the so-called ``epidemic threshold'' of a graph depends only on the first eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix. The second shows how to spot patterns in e-bay interaction graphs, indicative of the ``non-delivery'' type of fraud. The last is analysis on blog cascades and some surprising patterns there.
Sarkosyl block of transcription reinitiation by RNA polymerase II as visualized by the colliding polymerases reinitiation assay

Abstract There are indications that different concentrations of Sarkosyl can block transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II in vitro at different functional steps [Hawley and Roeder (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 8163-8172]. Consequently, this reagent could be a very useful tool for mechanistic studies. So far, however, evidence for the selectivity of Sarkosyl effects on RNA polymerase II transcription has been only indirect. To directly investigate the effect of Sarkosyl on transcription initiation and reinitiation by RNA polymerase II, we employed the reinitiation assay based on utilization of templates containing G-free cassettes (colliding polymerases reinitiation assay, or CoPRA). These experiments showed unambiguously that, under the appropriate conditions, Sarkosyl can be used to block transcription reinitiation by RNA polymerase II while allowing a first round of initiations from preassembled initiation complexes. This inhibition is not due to a disruption of the SII-dependent elongation of the reinitiated transcripts, and the levels of Sarkosyl that prevent transcription reinitiation coincide with the levels that block preinitiation complex assembly. However, Sarkosyl addition to transcription reactions reconstituted with partially purified transcription factors was found to have several undesirable side effects. The usefulness and limitations of the Sarkosyl-based and CoPRA assays for measurements of transcription reinitiation are discussed.
Nucleoside Analogs: Similarities and Differences

Among the steps in the replication cycle of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that are potential targets for antiviral chemotherapy, the viral DNA polymerase or reverse transcriptase has been a target of choice in research on anti-HIV drugs. Nucleoside analogs--the agents studied in relation to this target--have no intrinsic activity against HIV and must be metabolized to their respective 5'-triphosphates by means of kinases, nucleotidases, or other activating enzymes present naturally in cells. The presence and activity of the intracellular enzymes necessary for activation of nucleoside analogs are highly dependent on host species, cell type, and stage in the cell cycle. A great advantage of 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides is their intracellular pharmacokinetic profile. The multifactorial mechanisms of toxicity associated with this class of drugs likely explain the different spectra of toxicity observed with the various individual nucleoside analogs and exemplify the uniqueness of each compound. Recently, strains of HIV resistant to 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (zidovudine) were isolated from patients who had been treated with this drug; this resistance probably reflects sequential acquisition of amino acid mutations in the HIV reverse transcriptase.
Estimating new production in the equatorial Pacific Ocean at 150°W

A major goal of the WEC88 cruise of the R/V Wecoma to the equatorial Pacific (made in February-March 1988) was to establish rates of new production along a meridional section at 150 deg W and to compare these measured rates with the relatively high values for the equatorial Pacific that had been reported previously using indirect methods and models. Production values were obtained from the traditional approach using N-15 labeled nitrate uptake, and by using C-14 fixation values multiplied by f (proportion of new production) from various sources: from N-15 data, from a C-14 fixation-versus-f relationship, or from a nitrate-versus-f relationship. The ratios of directly measured nitrate and carbon uptake and the ratios of nitrate to nitrate plus ammonium uptake, i.e., values of f, agree well; values of f calculated from carbon uptake or from nitrate concentration are overestimates for the equatorial upwelling region. Carbon-to-nitrogen uptake ratios measured with C-14 and N-15, respectively, approximate the Redfield molar ratio, 6.6 C:N. The overall mean value of f (0.17) helps confirm the view that the low primary production in the enriched eastern equatorial Pacific is due to failure of the nitrate-uptake system.
A two-stage classification procedure for near-infrared spectra based on multi-scale vertical energy wavelet thresholding and SVM-based gradient-recursive feature elimination

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been extensively used in classification problems because it is fast, reliable, cost-effective, and non-destructive. However, NIR data often have several hundred or thousand variables (wavelengths) that are highly correlated with each other. Thus, it is critical to select a few important features or wavelengths that better explain NIR data. Wavelets are popular as preprocessing tools for spectra data. Many applications perform feature selection directly, based on high-dimensional wavelet coefficients, and this can be computationally expensive. This paper proposes a two-stage scheme for the classification of NIR spectra data. In the first stage, the proposed multi-scale vertical energy thresholding procedure is used to reduce the dimension of the high-dimensional spectral data. In the second stage, a few important wavelet coefficients are selected using the proposed support vector machines gradient-recursive feature elimination. The proposed two-stage method has produced better classification performance, with higher computational efficiency, when tested on four NIR data sets.
Mathematical evaluation of process schedules for aseptic processing of low-acid foods containing discrete particulates.

A quantitative methodology was developed for evaluating thermal process schedules for low-acid foods containing particulates of any shape. The methodology uses finite element analysis to determine temperature distributions within particulate foods subjected to timevarying boundary conditions. Simulations were conducted to study the effects of particle size, residence time distributions within heat exchanger and holding tube, and convective heat transfer coefficients. Results indicate that all these factors have significant effects on the thermal process schedule required to achieve commercial sterility. For large particles, simulations indicate that little credit can be given for lethality within the heating section.
THE MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES CELL: THE SKIN WINDOW IN MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES

SUMMARY.— The skin-window technique was applied to normal und involved skin sites of 17 patients with mycosis fungoides, 8 patients with parapsoriasis en plaque, and 6 patients with cutaneous lymphomata, and also to normal skin of 25 controls. Large mononuclear cells rapidly migrated in large numbers from plaques of mycosis fungoides and parapsoriasis. Identical cells were seen in skin windows from control sites at later intervals. No malignant cells were found in any of the skin windows of mycosis fungoides or purapsoriasis. Malignant cells were found in cases of malignant cutaneous lymphoma. Comparison of cells found on the skin windows from mycosis fungoides plaques to lymph node imprints indicates that the former are immature reticular cells without neoplastic features. We conclude that mycosis fungoides is a proliferation of these benign immature reticular cells in the skin.
DNA Probe and Enzyme Analysis in Periodontal Diagnostics

Recent research in periodontology has indicated that a finite number of bacterial species are associated with periodontal disease. This has generated the hypothesis that periodontal disease is essentially an infection due to one or more of the putative periodontopathogens; i.e., the specific plaque hypothesis (SPH). This microbial specificity paradigm has already changed the way researchers and some clinicians view periodontal disease. The clinician must heed several cautions signs, however, if he is to use the SPH to provide treatment options that could enhance the delivery of care. There are several diagnostic technologies that can be used to detect and semi-quantitate those bacterial species that have been identified as periodontopathogens. This paper discusses diagnostic tests based upon the detection in plaque of DNA segments or enzyme activity(ies) that are unique for one or more of the suspected periodontopathogens. J Periodontol 1992; 63:1102- 1109.