cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response of soil bacteria to high temperatures and diurnal freezing and thawing.

PREVIOUS experiments1,2, both with known organisms and unidentified aerobic organisms isolated as airborne contaminants, indicated that spore forming organisms did not readily grow or survive in vegetative form in freeze–thaw conditions. Severe freeze–thaw conditions are thought to exist on Mars and spore forming organisms are most likely to survive attempts at sterilization, and so we speculated that spores remaining on spacecraft which have been subjected to sterilization procedures would not grow on Mars even if nutrients and water were present. Detailed experimentation with several different strains of Bacillus subtilis variety niger, however, revealed that certain strains could grow, at least marginally, in freeze–thaw conditions (+25° −70° C) where thaw periods were as short as 5 h, and growth was good when thaw periods were longer. This result was obtained only when a particularly favourable medium, heart infusion broth, was used. Nevertheless, this indicated that spore formers could survive and grow vegetatively in freeze–thaw conditions, if provided with an otherwise sufficiently favourable environment.
The Common Factors Model: Implications for Transtheoretical Clinical Social Work Practice

Direct practice social workers today are challenged to address the requirements of the complex array of professional, organizational, institutional, and regulatory demands placed on them in the broader socioeconomic context of fewer resources and diminished public support for social welfare services in the United States. The common factors model provides an accessible, transtheoretical, empirically supported conceptual foundation for practice that may help to resolve this conundrum and support effective practice. Common factors are conditions and processes activated and facilitated by strategies and skills that positively influence practice outcomes across a range ofpractice theories. The model provides an expanded conceptualization of the "active ingredients" required for change to include a focus on conditions and processes as well as practice strategies and to focus on all who are involved in the work. The model is described and implications for practice are discussed.
Comparison of aluminum mordants on the colorfastness of natural dyes on cotton

Two mordanting agents, aluminum potassium sulfate and aluminum acetate, in three concentrations (5%, 10%, and 20% owf) were evaluated for colorfastness to laundering and light of natural dye extrac...
Mesoporous titanium nitride supported Pt nanoparticles as high performance catalysts for methanol electrooxidation.

Mesoporous titanium nitride (TiN) with high surface area and good electrical conductivity was prepared by a novel solid–solid phase separation method from a Zn containing titanium oxide, Zn2TiO4. The PXRD shows single phase rocksalt structure of TiN with a domain size of 25 nm. The conductivity of mesoporous TiN at 35 bar is 395 S cm−1. The Pt/TiN catalyst exhibits more negative onset potential for methanol electrooxidation (0.15 V) than Pt/C (0.22 V), showing a higher intrinsic electrocatalytic activity, while its peak current density (228 mA mg−1 Pt) is ∼1.5 times higher than that of Pt/C (148 mA mg−1 Pt). The Pt/TiN catalyst also demonstrates excellent long-term stability. This work provides an efficient method to prepare mesoporous nitrides as a promising support towards oxidation of small organic molecules in fuel cells.
Some array features of CSMP III

Two applications are presented which illustrate some of the array features available in CSMP III. The applications show that the array statements not only simplify the programming aspects of systems described in vector-matrix form, but also provide a concise conceptual framework for interpreting the geometrical nature of such problems.
Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) Combined with Soil Solarization as a Methyl Bromide Alternative: Vegetable Crop Performance and Soil Nutrient Dynamics

Soil treatment by anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) combined with soil solarization can effectively control soilborne plant pathogens and plant-parasitic nematodes in specialty crop production systems. At the same time, research is limited on the impact of soil treatment by ASD + solarization on soil fertility, crop performance and plant nutrition. Our objectives were to evaluate the response of 1) soil nutrients and 2) vegetable crop performance to ASD + solarization with differing levels of irrigation, molasses amendment, and partially-composted poultry litter amendment (CPL) compared to an untreated control and a methyl bromide (MeBr) + chloropicrin-fumigated control. A 2-year field study was established in 2008 at the USDA-ARS U.S. Horticultural Research Lab in Fort Pierce, Florida, USA to determine the effectiveness of ASD as an alternative to MeBr fumigation for a bell pepper (Capsicum annum L.)-eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) double crop system. A complete factorial combination of treatments in a split-split plot was established to evaluate three levels of initial irrigation [10, 5, or 0 cm], two levels of CPL (amended or unamended), and two levels of molasses (amended or unamended) in combination with solarization. Untreated and MeBr controls were established for comparison to ASD treatments. Results suggest that ASD treatment using molasses as the carbon source paired with solarization can be an effective strategy to maintain crop yields in the absence of soil fumigants. For both bell pepper and eggplant crops, ASD treatments with molasses as the carbon source had equivalent or greater marketable yields than the MeBr control. The application of organic amendments in ASD treatment (molasses or molasses + CPL) caused differences in soil nutrients and plant nutrition compared to the MeBr control that must be effectively managed in order to implement ASD on a commercial scale as a MeBr replacement.
Effects of organic transition strategies for peri-urban vegetable production on soil properties, nematode community, and tomato yield

Four organic transition strategies including tilled fallow (FA), mixed-species hay (HA), low intensity open-field vegetable production (FV) and intensive vegetable production under high tunnels (HT), each with and without annual compost amendment, were analyzed for nematode communities and soil properties from 2003 to 2006. Tomato was grown in all plots at the end of the transition period (2006). Overall the enrichment opportunist bacterivore nematodes belonging to c–p 1 (colonizer–persister) and general opportunist c–p 2 classes were favored by compost amendment. Hay (HA) had the highest abundance of c–p 1 bacterivores followed by HT with compost compared to other compost treatments. HA and HT without compost showed similar levels of c–p 2 but lower c–p 1 bacterivores compared to their compost-amended counterparts. Nematode food webs in all strategies with and without compost had low structure (SI) and enrichment index (EI) values. The lack of increase in EI in compost-amended plots was mainly due to the higher abundance of c–p 2 bacterivores compared to c–p 1 bacterivores. A decline of SI in HA plots after the incorporation of hay and consistently low SI in HT where soil disturbance was more frequent and temperature profiles were significantly different from those in open-field settings demonstrate that compost amendment alone is insufficient to increase trophic linkages in the soil food web. Although compost application increased the organic matter, microbial biomass (MB) and N levels compared with non-amended controls in general, N and MB were the highest in HT and HA. In temperate climates, soil temperatures in high tunnels covered year-round tend to exceed those in open fields in spring and fall months. The soil food web, in turn, may remain more active in these settings contributing to enhanced N mineralization. In this study, tomato yield in HT plots exceeded yield in other treatments potentially due to the season extension and higher N availability.
Stabilization and destabilization of soil organic matter: mechanisms and controls

We present a conceptual model of the processes by which plant leaf and root litter is transformed to soil organic C and CO 2. Stabilization of a portion of the litter C yields material that resists further transformation; destabilization yields material that is more susceptible to microbial respiration. Stability of the organic C is viewed as resulting from three general sets of characteristics. Recalcitrance comprises, molecular-level characteristics of organic substances, including elemental composition, presence of functional groups, and molecular conformation, that influence their degradation by microbes and enzymes. Interactions refers to the inter-molecular interactions between organics and either inorganic substances or other organic substances that alter the rate of degradation of those organics or synthesis of new organics. Accessibility refers to the location of organic substances with respect to microbes and enzymes. Mechanisms by which these three characteristics change through time are reviewed along with controls on those mechanisms. This review suggests that the following changes in the study of soil organic matter dynamics would speed progress: (1) increased effort to incorporate results into budgets for whole soil (e.g., converting to a kg/ha basis) so that the relative importance of processes can be judged; (2) more attention to effects of inter-molecular interactions (especially Al complexation) on enzyme activity and substrate degradation; (3) increased effort to experimentally manipulate soils, preferably across a range of soil types; (4) study of stabilization and destabilization mechanisms under conditions that are well defined yet more relevant to soil environments than those used previously; and (5) experiments better designed to isolate mechanisms so results are not confounded by effects of other mechanisms operating simultaneously.
Kinetic analysis of ribozyme-substrate complex formation in yeast.

Many RNA-mediated reactions in transcription, translation, RNA processing, and transport require assembly of RNA complexes, yet assembly pathways remain poorly understood. Assembly mechanisms can be difficult to assess in a biological context because many components interact in complex pathways and individual steps are difficult to isolate experimentally. Our previous studies of self-cleaving hairpin ribozymes showed that kinetic and equilibrium parameters measured in yeast agree well with parameters measured in vitro under ionic conditions that mimic the intracellular environment. We now report studies of intermolecular reactions with ribozyme and target sequences expressed in yeast as separate chimeric U3 snoRNAs. In this system, intracellular cleavage rates reflect the kinetics of ribozyme-substrate complex formation through annealing of base-paired helices. Second-order rate constants increased with increasing helix length for in vitro reactions with 2 mM MgCl2 and 150 mM NaCl and in vivo but not in reactions with 10 mM MgCl2. Thus, efficient RNA complex formation required a larger extent of complementarity in vivo than in vitro under conditions with high concentrations of divalent cations. The most efficient intracellular cleavage reactions exhibited second-order rate constants that were 15- to 30-fold below rate constants for cleavage of oligonucleotides in vitro. Careful analysis of structural features that influence cleavage efficiency points to substrate binding as the rate-determining step in the intracellular cleavage pathway. Second-order rate constants for intermolecular cleavage agree well with diffusion coefficients reported for U3 snoRNPs in vivo suggesting that complex formation between chimeric ribozyme and substrate snoRNPs in yeast nuclei is diffusion limited.
THE MECHANISM OF ANTIGENIC STIMULATION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CLONAL PRECURSOR CELLS

Cell transfers to carrier-immunized irradiated mice have permitted an analysis of the in vitro stimulation of clonal precursors of anti-2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) antibody-producing cells derived from both immune and nonimmune mice. The results indicate that: (a) carrier-specific enhancement is obligatory for stimulation of primary precursor cells and increases both the size and number of detectable foci derived from secondary precursors. (b) This carrier-specific enhancement is most apparent in the stimulation of precursors of high-affinity antibody producer cells. (c) The antibody produced by primary foci, like that of secondary foci, appears homogeneous. (d) The frequency of clonal precursors in normal spleens is 38% that in spleens from mice 4-8 months after immunization, and the number of such precursors in normal spleens can be reduced fivefold by specific suppression of donor mice with soluble antigen. (e) The average of association constants of primary monofocal antibodies, like that of primary serum antibody produced in carrier-primed mice, is less than 10-fold lower than that of secondary clonal or serum antibody. (f) The affinity of primary monofocal antibodies shows a slight dependence on stimulating antigen concentration; however, a minimum threshold affinity consonant with stimulation is apparent. (g) Free hapten inhibits antigenic stimulation of primary precursor cells at a much lower concentration than is required for the inhibition of secondary precursors. These results are interpreted as indicating that (a) primary stimulation, like secondary stimulation, results from the selective stimulation by antigen of a population of cells differing from one another in their potential antibody product but each having only a single such product; (b) the antigen receptors of primary cells interact with antigen as if they are monovalent while receptors of secondary cells evidence multivalence; (c) antigenic stimulation appears to require both a relatively high affinity of receptors for bound antigen and an interlinking of receptors through such antigen; stimulation is thus seen as resulting from a stabilization of receptors within antigen-receptor aggregates to the cell surface; (d) T-cells appear to serve both in cross-linking antigens and in amplifying the size of stimulated clones.
SpiceC: scalable parallelism via implicit copying and explicit commit

In this paper we present an approach to parallel programming called SpiceC. SpiceC simplifies the task of parallel programming through a combination of an intuitive computation model and SpiceC directives. The SpiceC parallel computation model consists of multiple threads where every thread has a private space for data and all threads share data via a shared space. Each thread performs computations using its private space thus offering isolation which allows for speculative computations. SpiceC provides easy to use SpiceC compiler directives using which the programmers can express different forms of parallelism. It allows developers to express high level constraints on data transfers between spaces while the tedious task of generating the code for the data transfers is performed by the compiler. SpiceC also supports data transfers involving dynamic data structures without help from developers. SpiceC allows developers to create clusters of data to enable parallel data transfers. SpiceC programs are portable across modern chip multiprocessor based machines that may or may not support cache coherence. We have developed implementations of SpiceC for shared memory systems with and without cache coherence. We evaluate our implementation using seven benchmarks of which four are parallelized speculatively. Our compiler generated implementations achieve speedups ranging from 2x to 18x on a 24 core system.
AC vs. DC distribution: Maximum transfer capability

Many studies comparing AC and DC systems have focused on efficiency, stability, and controllability, but have not compared the maximum transfer capability. In this paper, the maximum transfer capability of an AC system and two DC systems, one with two lines and another with three, is determined through the continuation power flow method and compared. The results reveal that significant gains can be achieved by moving to a DC system with three lines.
Common measures of immune function vary with time of day and sampling protocol in five passerine species

Ecological immunology is a rapidly growing field of study that focuses on understanding variation in immune systems across species and how this relates to species ecology and evolution. Newly developed field methods aimed at studying variation in immune function in a field setting have yielded many insights. Nonetheless, there continues to be much debate regarding the interpretation of field measures of immune function. There is substantial evidence to suggest that handling stress could introduce variation into measures of immune function, yet no study has examined the impacts of incremental changes in handling times under 30 min on immune measures. Nor has any study examined variation in immune function with time of day, though other physiological measures, including glucocorticoids known to impact immune function, vary with time of day. Here, I used observational field data to test the hypothesis that innate immune function varies with handling stress. Furthermore, I tested the hypothesis that innate immune function changes over the course of the day. I show that measures of innate immune function vary with (1) handling stress over short time periods typical of sample collection in the field, and (2) the time of day that an individual is sampled. I discuss these findings from an ecological perspective and suggest that the observed variation is not random, but is likely to have important adaptive functions. I end with a summary of the practical implications of these findings for field studies of ecological immunology.
The Biology of Viroid-Host Interactions

Viroids are single-stranded, circular, and noncoding RNAs that infect plants. They replicate in the nucleus or chloroplast and then traffic cell-to-cell through plasmodesmata and long distance through the phloem to establish systemic infection. They also cause diseases in certain hosts. All functions are mediated directly by the viroid RNA genome or genome-derived RNAs. I summarize recent advances in the understanding of viroid structures and cellular factors enabling these functions, emphasizing conceptual developments, major knowledge gaps, and future directions. Newly emerging experimental systems and research tools are discussed that are expected to enable significant progress in a number of key areas. I highlight examples of groundbreaking contributions of viroid research to the development of new biological principles and offer perspectives on using viroid models to continue advancing some frontiers of life science.
Reliability analysis of phased mission systems with common cause failures

This paper proposes an efficient approach for incorporating CCF in the reliability analysis of phased-mission systems. The proposed approach is based on the implicit CCF analysis method and is illustrated through the analysis of an example PMS. In PMS analysis, a binary decision diagram (BDD) based method is used, which applies phase algebra. During the traversal of a PMS-BDD, our approach correctly includes the effect of CCF, dealing with the phase dependent failures at the same time. Basing our method on the implicit CCF allows us to avoid the complication of expanding the CCF basic events as in the explicit CCF analysis, resulting in a fast and efficient traversal of PMS-BDD. The efficiency of our approach means that it can easily be applied to the accurate reliability analysis of large-scale PMS with CCF.
Effect of Chronic Hypernatremic Dehydration and Rapid Rehydration on Brain Carbohydrate, Energy, and Amino Acid Metabolism in Weanling Mice

: This is a study of the effects of chronic hypernatremic dehydration and rehydration on carbohydrate, energy, and amino acid metabolism in the brains of weanling mice. Chronic hypernatremic dehydration induced by 4 days of water deprivation and salt loading was associated with severe weight loss (no other observed clinical effects), increased brain Na+ levels, and a decreased brain water content. Changes in the concentrations of brain glucose, glycolytic and citric acid cycle metabolic intermediates, and phosphocreatine were compatible with reduced cerebral metabolic rate. In adaptation to chronic hypernatremia, there was a significant increase in the content of the measured brain amino acids. Rapid rehydration over a 4-h period with 2.5% dextrose in water returned plasma Na+ levels and brain Na+ and water contents to normal. After rehydration, metabolites were altered in a manner consistent with increased fluxes through the glycolytic pathway and citric acid cycle; the brain glycogen content almost tripled. Brain taurine and glutamine levels were not lowered by rehydration, and the total content of the measured amino acids in brain was still significantly higher than in controls. We speculate that these metabolic perturbations may relate to the development of cerebral edema and seizures or coma following rapid rehydration of humans with chronic hypernatremic dehydration.
Technology for Adults With Multiple Impairments: A Trilogy of Case Reports

Three persons with severe physical and cognitive im­ painnents, residents ofa faCility for persons with men­ tal retardation, learned to use sWitch-controlled assis­ tive devices. Previous case reports have described the technology and techniques used to enable these wom­ en to explore their surroundings. Material was collect­ ed, organized, and ana~yzed in three sections: clients, powered devices, and treatment approaches. The pur­ pose was to affirm tenets tbat often provide the basis for treatment when powered activities are used in oc­ cupational therapy with adults with severe impair­ ments. Client enthusiasm, responsiveness, and stam­ ina can be predictive ofsuccess in using technology. Powered devices can elicit a client's drivetor compe­ tence, aid therapists in assessing the cognitive level of adults with extreme physical disability, and allow per­ sons with multiple impairments to interact with ob­ jects in their environment. When clients learn to use powered deVices, success will be selfperpetuating. Per­ sons with multiple impainnents using powered devices are well served by conditional clinical reasoning
Magnetoelastic Behavior of Thin Ferromagnetic Films as a Function of Composition

A series of films of composition varying from 72% Ni, 28% Fe to 90% Ni, 10% Fe were evaporated at a pressure of the order of 10−5 mm Hg onto a heated glass substrate (250°C) in the presence of a magnetic orienting field in the plane of the film. The composition was controlled by placing a charge of the selected composition on the filament in an amount just sufficient to make the desired 3000 A film when all of the material was evaporated.
Local and systemic signaling of iron status and its interactions with homeostasis of other essential elements

Iron (Fe) is essential for plant growth and development. However, alkaline soils, which occupy approximately 30% of the world’s arable lands, are considered Fe-limiting for plant growth because insoluble Fe (III) chelates prevail under these conditions. In contrast, high bioavailability of Fe in acidic soils can be toxic to plants due to the ability of Fe ions to promote oxidative stress. Therefore, plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to sense and respond to the fluctuation of Fe availability in the immediate environment and to the needs of developing shoot tissues to preclude deficiency while avoiding toxicity. In this review, we focus on recent advances in our understanding of local and systemic signaling of Fe status with emphasis on the contribution of Fe, its interaction with other metals and metal ligands in triggering molecular responses that regulate Fe uptake and partitioning in the plant body.
Gross Bilateral Reflux in Infants: Gradual Decrease of Initial Detrusor Hypercontractility

AbstractPurpose: We performed followup investigations of the urodynamic patterns of 11 boys with gross bilateral reflux, which are sometimes characterized by low bladder capacity and hypercontractility of the detrusor.Materials and Methods: Urodynamic evaluations were done a mean of 2 years after the initial assessment during infancy.Results: Initial hypercontractility resolved and bladder capacity increased from below normal to high in the majority of cases. The number of children with instability did not change significantly.Conclusions: The urodynamic pattern at followup was similar to that previously reported as the most common dysfunction in older children with reflux.
Risk factors for 1-year mortality among patients with cardiac implantable electronic device infection undergoing transvenous lead extraction: the impact of the infection type and the presence of vegetation on survival

Aims Infections of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are infrequent but carry significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to assess risk factors for 1-year mortality among patients with CIED infection and to evaluate if the type of infection and the presence of vegetation affect survival. Methods and results We reviewed records of all patients with infected CIEDs who underwent transvenous lead extraction at our tertiary care centre between 2002 and 2008. Patients who presented with infection involving the device pocket were classified as ‘pocket infection’, and those who presented with bacteraemia with or without vegetation and a pocket that looked benign were classified as ‘endovascular infection’ (EVI). One-year mortality was examined using the social security death index. Five hundred and two patients were identified (68.5 ± 15 years); 289 (58%) had pocket infection and 213 (42%) had EVI. One-year mortality rate was 20%. Using multivariable Cox regression model, EVI was associated with significantly higher 1-year mortality (hazard ratio 2.1, P -value 0.0008). Among patients with EVI, 100 patients had vegetation on transoesophageal echo; however, there was no difference in 1-year mortality between patients with EVI and vegetation compared with patients with EVI and no vegetation (27, 27 vs. 40, 35%; P -value 0.188). Risk factors for 1-year mortality among patients with EVI included renal failure, worse functional class, and bleeding requiring transfusion. The presence of vegetation was not associated with increased 1-year mortality. Conclusion One-year mortality is higher among patients with EVI compared with patients with pocket infection; this increased mortality does not seem to be related to the presence of vegetations.
Roots of Revolution: Radical Thought in Cuba

Concerned with what Cuban radicals have thought about their na-tion's protracted struggle for independence, Sheldon B. Liss looks at each one's mode of analysis, position on the class struggle, ideas on reform or revolution, and search for community. Each writer's beliefs about ethics, morality, religion, social mobility, political control, aesthetics, and quality of life are subjected to scrutiny by Liss. He also considers their views on Cuban-United States relations, their perceptions of the state and power, and their relationships to the means of production and workers' movements.
Does pulsatile and sustained neck pressure or neck suction produce differential cardiovascular and sympathetic responses in humans

Although square-wave sustained and R wave-triggered pulsatile stimuli have been used to assess carotid baroreflex (CBR) function in humans, it remains unclear whether these different stimulus protocols elicit comparable responses and whether CBR responses adapt during prolonged stimulation. Thus, we measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in response to +30 Torr neck pressure (NP) and -30 Torr neck suction (NS) delivered for 20 s either as a sustained or pulsatile stimulus. CBR-mediated changes in MSNA, HR and MAP were similar with sustained and pulsatile stimuli. The time course of MSNA and HR responses identified that significant changes occurred during the initial 5 s and were better maintained over 20 s with NP than with NS. Changes in MAP exhibited a slower onset with the peak increase during NP occurring at 10 s (sustained, 7 +/- 1 mmHg; pulsatile, 7 +/- 1 mmHg; P > 0.05) and the nadir during NS occurring at 20 s (sustained, -7 +/- 1 mmHg; pulsatile, -9 +/- 2 mmHg; P > 0.05). These data demonstrate that sustained and pulsatile NP and NS produce comparable CBR-mediated responses. Furthermore, despite MSNA and HR returning towards baseline during NS, CBR-mediated changes in MAP are well maintained over 20 s of NS and NP.
Sensorial interfaces

Sensorial interfaces are based on augmenting existing physical objects with digital information. We propose sensorial activity theory to relate multi-sensory mappings to the context of device physicality and rituals of use. We share a design process for creating sensorial mappings, relationships between digital information and sensory information. We present and analyze some design projects: musicBottles, LumiTouch and comTouch, which illustrate the idea of sensorial interfaces. By utilizing the physical constraints of an object and creating sensorial mappings these devices offer novel ways for efficiently interacting with digital information. We believe the principal result enhances the user's sensory experience of the object. Finally, we discuss perspectives and limitations of our sensorial interface design process.
Influence of nitrogen mustards on the antibody response.

Summary1. The lymphocytoxic effect of the nitrogen mustards will not produce an anamnestic reaction or summation of the antibody titre in the rabbit.2. Pretreatment and concurrent administration of nitrogen mustard suppress the antibody response to typhoid antigen.
Consolidating guided wave simulations and experimental data: a dictionary learning approach

Modeling and simulating guided wave propagation in complex, geometric structures is a topic of significant interest in structural health monitoring. These models have the potential to benefit damage detection, localization, and characterization in structures where traditional algorithms fail. Numerical modelling (for example, using finite element or semi-analytical finite element methods) is a popular approach for simulating complex wave behavior. Yet, using these models to improve experimental data analysis remains difficult. Numerical simulations and experimental data rarely match due to uncertainty in the properties of the structures and the guided waves traveling within them. As a result, there is a significant need to reduce this uncertainty by incorporating experimental data into the models. In this paper, we present a dictionary learning framework to address this challenge. Specifically, use dictionary learning to combine numerical wavefield simulations with 24 simulated guided wave measurements with different frequency-dependent velocity characteristics (emulating an experimental system) to make accurate, global predictions about experimental wave behavior. From just 24 measurements, we show that we can predict and extrapolate guided wave behavior with accuracies greater than 92%.
Film Stability during Postassembly Morphological Changes in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers Due to Acid and Base Exposure

The mechanism of the transition from a continuous morphology to a porous morphology within polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) of linear poly(ethylene imine) (LPEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and PAA assembled by the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique is examined. These morphological changes were created by both acidic and basic postassembly treatments. Basic postassembly treatment is shown to create different types of porosity than acidic postassembly treatment. The morphological variation from the introduction of porosity to the collapse of these porous structures and the dissolution of films under postassembly treatments was observed by AFM, optical microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and SEM. These morphological transitions which are a result of structural rearrangement of weak polyelectrolytes due to pH changes are closely related to the neutralization of the polycations and the ionization of polyanions. Results obtained from FTIR spectroscopy and QCM ...
A College Graduate Confesses to a Murder He Did Not Commit: A Case of a Voluntary False Confession

ABSTRACTJuries and judges are persuaded by confession evidence. Unfortunately, some of these confessions are false and result in the conviction of an innocent person. Most false confession cases involve police interrogations. On the other hand, a spontaneous or voluntary false confession involves a person confessing to a crime he or she did not commit, absent police interrogation. This case is one in which Mr. Johnson, a college graduate, confessed to a serious crime he did not commit. Although his confession was inconsistent with the facts of the crime, the police arrested Mr. Johnson. The following case study describes the forensic evaluation conducted in Mr. Johnson’s case, the outcome of his case, and the impact of voluntary false confessions.
Thyroid Hormones, Iodine and Iodides and Antithyroid Drugs

Abstract The Side Effects of Drugs Annuals forms a series of volumes in which the adverse effects of drugs and adverse reactions to them are surveyed. The series supplements the contents of Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs: the International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions. This review of the January 2012 to June 2013 publications on adverse reactions to thyroid hormones, iodine and antithyroid drugs (ATDs) covers levothyroxine, the thyroid hormone analogue eprotirome, iodine and radioactive iodine and thionamide ATDs. Until recently, liver transplantation was the only therapy available to suppress the main source of the transthyretin amyloidogenic mutant. However, several drug treatments are emerging, including transthyretin tetramer stabilisers, small molecules that bind to the native form of transthyretin, preventing its dissociation and subsequent aggregation and deposition. One of these compounds, tafamidis, has been approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy. Other drug candidates are being evaluated.
Genetic Variation in Populations

Interest in variation has shifted with technological advances, moving from classic studies of morphological variation to increasing resolution on the molecular level to more recent studies that connect whole genome information back to morphological traits again. Throughout this rich history has been an important interplay between analysis of variation and the development of newer and more refined models of the evolutionary processes that shape variation within and between populations over time. In the end, increasing resolution has not always yielded definitive answers to important questions in evolutionary biology and controversies remain about the exact nature and types of variation that are the most meaningful.
Conversation and common ground

Stalnaker’s conception of context as common ground (what he calls CG-context) possesses unquestionable explanatory power, shedding light on presupposition, presupposition accommodation, the behavior of certain types of conditionals, epistemic modals, and related phenomena. The CG-context approach is also highly abstract, so merely pointing out that it fails to account for an aspect of communication is an inconclusive criticism. Instead our question should be whether it can be extended or modified to account for such a phenomenon while preserving its spirit. To that end, this essay assesses the prospects of the CG-context approach for making sense of the variety of ways in which interlocutors accept propositions as well as non-propositional contents, some different types of conversation and the norms distinctive of these different types, some pre-illocutionary pragmatic phenomena, conversational injustice, and fictional discourse.
Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated With Hypertension in von Willebrand Disease

BACKGROUND von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a biomarker for endothelial damage. Increased VWF levels are observed in hypertension (HTN) and disorders of endothelial dysfunction, for example, atherosclerotic heart disease (ASHD) and diabetes. Whether low VWF protects against HTN is unknown. METHODS To determine prevalence and risk factors for HTN in patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD), we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of discharge data from the National Inpatient Sample, 2009 to 2011. Group comparisons were performed by Rao-Scott χ2 test. Odds of HTN and HTN outcomes in VWD were estimated by weighted multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS The prevalence of hypertension in patients with VWD (N = 7556), 37.35%, was significantly lower than that in non-VWD patients (N = 19 918 970), 49.40%, P < .0001. Hypertension risk factors (hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, hepatitis C, and HIV) and HTN outcomes (ASHD, myocardial infarction [MI], ischemic stroke, and renal failure) were less common in patients with VWD than in non-VWD patients, all P ≤ .0001. Patients with VWD were younger, 49.67 versus 57.30 years, Caucasian, 82.23% versus 68.35%, and female, 75.44% versus 59.61%, P < .0001. Patients with HTN were older, 67.55 versus 47.29 years, male, 45.99% versus 34.90%, and had more HTN risk factors and HTN outcomes than those without HTN, all P < .0001, including male and female subgroups, each P < .0001. The unadjusted odds of HTN in patients with VWD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.611, P < .0001) and of HTN outcomes in patients with VWD (ASHD, OR = 0.509; MI, OR = 0.422; ischemic stroke, OR = 0.521; renal failure, OR = 0.420, all P < .0001) became insignificant after adjustment for HTN risk factors plus demographics (age/race/gender), OR = 1.035, P = .260. CONCLUSION The risk of HTN is reduced in patients with VWD, but not after adjustment for HTN risk factors plus demographics, as patients with VWD not having HTN are also typically young, Caucasian, and female.
Hippocampal Abnormalities with Cortical Malformations in Epilepsy Patients

The occurrence of various types and MRI appearance of hippocampal abnormalities in 220 patients with malformations of cortical development (MCD) were studied in various centers and large public hospital outpatient clinics in Germany and Austria.
A backscatter-based method for treatment targeting in the application of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) has been investigated as a non-invasive ablation method for morbid tissue in various diseases. It is of great importance to know where the focus would be in HIFU treatment planning to ensure that only the desired tissue is ablated while sparing normal tissue. We investigated a method for HIFU targeting based on the change in radiofrequency (RF) signals at pre-ablative HIFU intensity levels. In ex vivo experiment, HIFU was applied to chicken tissue at low intensity levels for 5 seconds, during which no tissue damage was observed. RF data were collected during this period and the amplitude change was analyzed. High intensity was then applied to induce lesion in tissue and hyperecho in B-mode images. Focus estimated from RF data was compared with that obtained from hyperechoic region. Results showed that RF amplitude of the focal region increased immediately after the start of HIFU exposure, even at pre-ablative intensity levels. The difference between focus locations based on RF data and B-mode images was 1.92 plusmn 1.02 mm (mean plusmn standard deviation). No statistically significant difference was found between focus coordinates in the axial and lateral dimensions (axial: p = 0.50 and lateral: p = 0.07). The increasing rate in RF amplitude was shown to be a signature of HIFU focus and could be used for HIFU treatment planning.
Nonboolean Pattern Recognition Using Chains of Coupled CMOS Oscillators as Discriminant Circuits

Networks of weakly coupled oscillators are special cases of Hopfield networks and as such may be used in building physical systems capable of associative memory recall and pattern recognition. However, the existing architectures are not suitable for hardware implementation mainly due to the complexity of required couplings between the oscillators. In this paper, we propose an alternative way of using coupled oscillators in what we call “discriminant circuits” in analogy to the concept of “discriminant functions” in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The main advantage of our system is in the simplicity of its architecture, which relies only on local couplings between adjacent oscillators. Using this architecture, we design a network of coupled CMOS oscillators as the core of a physical non-Boolean pattern recognition engine. The simplicity of the proposed circuit makes it readily implementable on any standard CMOS technology.
An algorithmic approach to music retrieval by emotion based on feature data

Emotions evoked in response to music are not easy to quantify. While the feature data for a particular music excerpt is concrete, the emotions felt by a person are subjective. Although personal experiences can influence a person's perception of music, the combination of music features, such as timbre, tonality and rhythm all contribute to the perceived emotion. In addition, humans often associate multiple emotions with a particular piece of music making it difficult to measure the emotions evoked by music using only a small subset of emotions. This research defines a set of algorithms to map detailed feature data extracted from a group of instrumental music excerpts to a complex combination of emotion categories. In this way, feature data can be used to represent emotion as a blend of moods, simulating a more authentic flow of human emotion.
Fate of Renin Cells During Development and Disease.

Although renin cells are crucial for blood pressure homeostasis, little is known about their nature. We now know that renin cells are precursors that appear early and in multiple tissues during embryonic development. They participate in morphogenetic events, vascular development and injury, tissue repair, and regeneration. When confronted to a homeostatic threat, renin cell descendants have the capability to switch the renin gene on or off. This poorly understood switch or molecular memory enables the organism to maintain constancy of the internal milieu and tissue perfusion. Here, we discuss briefly the major events that govern the acquisition and maintenance of renin cell identity and how manipulations that alter the fate of renin cells can lead to serious disease. We also advance the concept that renin cells are at the center of an ancestral system of defense linking the endocrine, the immune, and the repair responses of the organism. The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is crucial in the regulation of blood pressure and fluid–electrolyte homeostasis.1,2 In the traditional view of the RAS, renin is released by the kidney juxtaglomerular cells, and on reaching the circulation, it acts on its only known substrate, angiotensinogen, produced mainly in the liver to yield angiotensin I (Ang I), a decapeptide and Des-Ang I-angiotensinogen, a large molecule of unclear function. Thereafter, Ang I is hydrolyzed by angiotensin-converting enzyme to yield the octapeptide Ang II, a fast acting and powerful vasoconstrictor that regulates peripheral vascular resistance, renal hemodynamics, and sodium reabsorption via several mechanisms, including the stimulation of aldosterone secretion by the adrenal glands. Most of the known cardiovascular and renal actions of the RAS are achieved by the actions of Ang II on its receptors, mainly AT1 receptors. It should be noted that for the system to operate properly, it needs to respond accurately …
The Prehistoric Archeology of Mammoth Cave

The prehistory of the Mammoth Cave area has been of interest to archeologists for more than a century because of the remarkable preservation in the dry cave environment. Beginning with the antiquarian search for mummified bodies in the early nineteenth century up to the most modern scientific research, Mammoth Cave has revealed important information about the Native Americans who lived near and explored these cave systems beginning more than 5000 years ago. The first interest in Mammoth Cave may have simply been human curiosity, but by 3000 years ago Native Americans began mining several exotic minerals that form in the large, dry passages. They left behind tools and other remains from this mining effort that has been important for understanding the beginnings of the first farming societies in eastern North America and provides insight into their ritual and ceremonial life. By 2000 years ago, that mining ceased and Native Americans do not seem to have returned to the cave in any large numbers, although other caves in the area continued to be visited for other purposes. This is the story of the archeology of Mammoth Cave and what we have learned about the first Native Americans who explored its passages.
Improvement in the quantification of reducing sugars by miniaturizing the Somogyi-Nelson assay using a microtiter plate

Measuring reducing sugar is a common practice in carbohydrate research, and the colorimetric assay developed by Somogyi and Nelson has a high sensitivity in a broad concentration range. However, the method is time-consuming when analyzing a large number of samples. In this study, a modified Somogyi-Nelson assay with excellent accuracy and sensitivity was developed using a 96-well microplate. This microassay greatly improves the analytic capacity and efficacy of the method.
Developing and Validating Simplified Predictive Models for CO2 Geologic Sequestration

Abstract The objective of this study is to develop and validate a portfolio of simplified modeling approaches for CO 2 sequestration in deep saline formations. It is important to ensure that the simplified models, developed using reduced physics or statistical learning-based approaches, are also capable of reproducing the full spectrum of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results from detailed numerical simulators. A 97-run LHS design with the full-physics numerical model is used to generate the reference cumulative distribution function (CDF) of two key outcomes: plume radius and average pressure buildup in the reservoir. This is compared against CDFs from 10,000-run LHS designs with three different simplified models: (a) response surface from a Box-Behnken design and quadratic meta-model, (b) response surface from a maximin LHS design and kriging meta-model, and (c) simplified physics based methodology. The differences are quantified using two statistical measures: (1) Earth-movers distance and (2) Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic. The statistical learning-based simplified models are found to provide a more robust representation of the reference CDF, particularly with respect to outliers.
Beyond the Hall Effect: Practical Engineering from Relativistic Quantum Field Theory

To glimpse what lies beyond,behind or beneath the quantum theory, a fruitful approach-indeed, the traditional one-has been to delve deeply into the guts of the Schrodinger theory. I would like to discuss below another promising path which has been developed in collaboration with M.H.Friedman and A.Widom of Northeastern University.