cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stromules, functional extensions of plastids within the plant cell

Stromules are thin tubular extensions of the plastid compartment surrounded by the envelope membrane. A myriad of functions have been proposed for them, and they likely have multiple roles. Recent work has illuminated aspects of their formation, especially the important of microtubules in their movement and microfilaments in anchoring. A variety of biotic and abiotic stresses result in induction of stromule formation, and in recent years, stromule formation has been strongly implicated as part of the innate immune response. Both stromules and chloroplasts relocate to surround the nucleus when pathogens are sensed, possibly to supply signaling molecules such as reactive oxygen species. In addition to the nucleus, stromules have been observed in close proximity to other compartments such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and the plasma membrane, potentially facilitating exchange of substrates and products to carry out important biosynthetic pathways. Much remains to be learned about the identity of proteins and other molecules released from chloroplasts and stromules and how they function in plant development and defense.
Successful interventions to improve efficiency and reduce patient visit duration in a retina practice.

Purpose To reduce the total clinic visit duration among retina providers in an academic ophthalmology department. Methods All patient encounters across all providers in the department were analyzed to determine baseline clinic visit duration time, defined as the elapsed time between appointment time and checkout. To increase photography capacity, a major bottleneck identified through root cause analysis, four interventions were implemented: training ophthalmic technicians to perform fundus photography in addition to optical coherence tomographies, relocating photography equipment to be adjacent to examination rooms, procuring three additional Optos widefield retinal photography units, and shifting staff schedules to better align with that of the providers. These interventions were implemented in the clinics of two retina providers. Results The average baseline visit duration for all patients across all providers was 87 minutes (19,550 patient visits). The previous average visit duration was 80 minutes for Provider 1 (557 patient visits) and 81 minutes for Provider 2 (1,246 patient visits). In the 4 weeks after interventions were implemented, the average visit duration decreased to 60 minutes for Provider 1 and 57 minutes for Provider 2. Conclusion A systematic approach and a multidisciplinary team resulted in targeted, cost-effective interventions that reduced total visit durations.
Cyclic behavior of sand under non-uniform shear stress waves

Abstract During an earthquake, soil deposits are often subjected to complex stress/strain time histories that are quite different from the simplified ones used in laboratory tests for evaluation of the stress-strain-strength of these soils. To mimic the stress/strain time histories experienced at different depths of a mildly sloping soil deposit, a series of direct simple shear tests were conducted on Ottawa F65 sand specimens. The trends observed in these experiments were then used to estimate the lateral spreading of mildly sloping saturated deposits of the same sand subjected to various base motion time histories measured in the centrifuge tests conducted as part of an international research project (Liquefaction Experiment and Analysis Project, LEAP-2015 and LEAP-2017). In each CDSS test, after imposing the initial stress state, the specimen was subjected to non-uniform stress waves that resembled the shear stress time histories likely to develop in the LEAP-2015 and LEAP-2017 centrifuge specimens. A total of 17 CDSS tests were performed on specimens with relative densities of approximately 66%. Initial vertical and shear stresses were imposed on each soil specimen to correspond to the state of stress in a mildly sloping soil layer at two depths of about 4 m and 3 m. A ramped sinusoidal shear stress wave similar to the ramped sinusoidal base motion used in the LEAP centrifuge experiments was employed. The test results displayed a consistent trend between the peak cyclic stress ratio and the permanent shear strain that developed in the soil. The effects of overburden stress on the magnitude of permanent deformations were observed. Smaller initial vertical stress resulted in a more dilative response and smaller permanent shear strain. The observed permanent shear strain vs. peak cyclic stress ratio curves were then used to predict the lateral spreading of mildly sloping deposits tested in the LEAP-2015 and LEAP-2017 centrifuge experiments. Reasonably close correlation between the predicted and measured displacements were obtained. The developed dataset, made publicly available on DesignSafe-CI, can be used for calibration, evaluation, and further development of constitutive models for liquefiable soils.
Emergency Voltage Regulation in Power Systems via Ripple-Type Control

With increasing penetrations of volatile renewable generation and cyber-physical disruptions, ensuring the safe operation of bulk power systems has become unprecedentedly challenging. Because communication and computational costs restrict centralized system dispatch to being called upon every few minutes, and because purely local schemes are shown to be insufficient, distributed controls have been advocated for handling unanticipated system conditions in real time. The applicability of distributed control schemes, however, is fundamentally limited by their need for widespread communication and model cognizance. In this context, we put forth a hybrid, low-communication, saturation-driven protocol for the coordination of control agents that are distributed over a physical system and are allowed to communicate with peers over a "hotline" communication network. Under this protocol, when agents observe a constraint violation based on local measurements, they respond locally until their control resources saturate, in which case they send a beacon for assistance to peer agents. The scheme ensures that minor violations are efficiently mitigated via fast local controls, whereas severe violations can be handled by collaboration among a relatively small set of agents. We evaluate the performance of this scheme via numerical tests on the IEEE 14-bus test feeder, where agents act upon noisy measurements under diverse scenarios of load variations and severe low-/high-voltage events.
Estimation of Optical Channel Signal Loss Following a Near-Surface Nuclear Detonation

We estimate the loss penalty for a free-space, ground to low earth orbit optical communications channel due to lofted atmospheric debris following a nuclear weapon explosion. These losses were estimated over time and compared to other loss sources like clouds and wildfire haze.
Vertebrate Genomes Compared

The complete genome sequence of the tiger pufferfish Fugu ( Aparicio et al.) should enable valuable comparisons to be made with the human genome. In a Perspective, Hedges and Kumar discuss how the Fugu genome sheds light on the genetics of human disease and on the evolutionary relationships of vertebrates.
The coagulation mechanism in labor at term induced with prostaglandin F2α

The prostaglandins, especially the PGE series, produce profound effects on platelet function in vitro. It has been reported that PGF2alpha and the PGE series do not affect the clotting mechanism when used to induce midterm abortion, in contrast to that induced with hypertonic saline but the effect of these drugs on the clotting mechanism when used to induce term labor has not been reported. Labor was induced with intravenous PGF2alpha in eight patients, at 32 to 41 weeks' gestation, with premature rupture of the membranes. Three samples were obtained: (1) anteceding the administration of the drug, (2) during the peak drug effect during active labor, and (3) approximately 12 hours post partum. No significant changes were seen in the prothrombin or partial thromboplastin times, platelet numbers or aggregation with ADP, fibrinogen levels, euglobulin lysis times, and circulating fibrin split products. The circulation of thrombin as shown by a specific test for fibrin monomer was not demonstrated.
Qualitative motion understanding

List of Figures. Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Framework for Qualitative Motion Understanding. 3. Effects of Camera Motion. 4. Decomposing Image Motion. 5. The Fuzzy FOE. 6. Reasoning About Structure and Motion. 7. The Qualitative Scene Model. 8. Examples. 9. Summary. Appendix: A.1. Geometric Constraint Method for Camera Motion. A.2. Estimating Absolute Velocity. References. Index.
Optimal realizations of finite wordlength digital controllers via affine matrix inequalities

The problem of finding state-space realizations that minimize the closed loop sensitivity to quantization noise of a finite wordlength digital controller, subject to scaling of the controller internal signals, is considered. Finite wordlength implementations which invoke quantization either before or after multiplication, and possibly include integer residue feedback, are represented in a unified framework. This framework is used to pose and solve four different optimal realization problems. These problems yield realizations that minimize the closed loop output roundoff noise gain subject to overflow or scaling constraints. Optimal realizations are derived based on either an /spl Hscr//sub 2/ or /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin//, roundoff noise gain subject to either /spl Hscr//sub 2/ or /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin//, scaling constraints. The /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// noise gain measures the departure from the ideal closed loop response, i.e. no signal quantization, when the quantization residual has fixed and known spectral characteristics, and the /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// noise gain measures worst-case deviation from ideal response when this latter assumption does not hold. The /spl Hscr//sub 2/ scaling constraints limit the power of the controller internal signals when the spectral properties of the exogenous input to the closed loop system are known, while /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin//, scaling restricts the maximum possible power of the internal signals when the spectral properties of the exogenous input are not precisely known. One of the optimization problems has a well known analytical solution, the other three are reduced to the problem of minimizing a linear function subject to affine matrix inequality constraints, which is a convex optimization problem whose global optimum may be readily found.
On the Multichannel Solution of the 2-D FIR Wiener Filtering Problem

Two-Dimensional Finite Impulse Response (FIR) Wiener filters are extremely useful in image processing and other 2-D signal processing problems. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, efficient algorithms for the determination of 2-D Wiener filters in case of homogeneous, isotropic and seperable random signals are introduced. Second, some interesting issues regarding the multichannel approach to 2-D problems are raised and discussed, from both the algorithmic and physical point of views.
Heterogeneous Coupling Along Alaska-Aleutians as Inferred From Tsunami, Seismic, and Geodetic Inversions

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the uses of tsunami waveforms to determine the source parameters of the five great Alaskan–Aleutian earthquakes. The chapter reviews the generation, propagation, and observation of tsunamis. The method of tsunami waveform inversion is also described in the chapter. The slip distribution and seismic moment of the 1965 Rat Islands earthquake are determined and the results of the seismic and tsunami wave inversions are compared. Using the tsunami waveforms to estimate source parameters of a tsunamigenic earthquake involves both a forward and an inverse problem. The forward problem consists of the generation, propagation, and recording of the tsunami waveforms. The inverse problem consists of using a Green's function technique to invert the waveforms to determine some number of source parameters. The chapter also explains the expansion of the tsunami waveform inversion method to include the geodetic data for the study of the 1964 Prince William Sound earthquake, the second largest earthquake of the 20th century, which occurred on the continental margin.
Sequential Analysis: A Guide for Behavorial Researchers

Preface Reading this book quickly Part I. Introduction: 1. Advertisement 2. History 3. The language of sequential analysis Part II. Fitting the Timetable: 4. The order of the Markov chain 5. Stationarity of the Markov chain 6. Homogeneity 7. Everyday computations of stationarity, order and homogeneity 8. Sampling distributions 9. Lag sequential analysis Part III. The Timetable and the Contextual Design: 10. Log-linear models 11. Log-linear models: review and examples 12. A single case analysis of the timetable 13. Logit models and logistic regression 14. The problem of autocontingency and its solutions 15. Recent advances: a brief overview 16. A brief summary References Index.
Effects of constraint-induced movement therapy on hand skills and muscle recruitment of children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

Background: Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is a therapeutic intervention using constraint of the less-affected limb and intensive use of the hemiplegic extremity in individuals with hemiplegia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether children with cerebral palsy (CP) who have undergone a 2-week function-based CIMT show improved hand function and underlying muscle activation changes associated with functional gains. Methods: Six children with hemiplegic CP participated in the study, receiving 4 hours of therapy 5 days a week coupled with bi- valve casts worn 8-12 hours for 14 days. Outcome measures of grip strength, pinch strength, dexterity tests and electromyography (EMG) were compared before, immediately post- and 3 months post-intervention. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc paired t-tests showed significant group improvements in all strength and dexterity measures ( p< 0.05). EMG analysis showed significant increases in muscle activation on pinch measures (p = 0.05). Visual inspection of the EMG data suggested increased muscle activation during grip and a decrease in the muscle activation required during dexterity tasks. Conclusions: Our preliminary results support CIMT for improving strength and dexterity in children with hemiplegic CP. Further studies with greater sample sizes and longer study periods are recommended to determine muscle activation changes post CIMT.
Analysis of communicating processes for non-progress

The problem of testing two processes (specified as finite-state machines) communicating asynchronously with each other using send and receive commands over a set of message types is considered for two forms of nonprogress: deadlock and unspecified reception. Since the nonprogress problem is undecidable, a dataflow approach is used to obtain sufficient conditions under which the two processes are free of deadlock and unspecified reception. The approximation analysis is based on weakening the receive operation. Polynomial time algorithms are presented to perform the analysis. This problem arises in the context of dataflow analysis of the processes that communicate by message passing and in the context of showing correctness of protocol specifications. Diagrams are provided for some networks that can be certified to be free of unspecified receptions using the algorithms. The problem of testing for deadlock in more than two processes still remains open. >
Gerhard Heberer (1901–1973) Sein Beitrag zur Biologe im 20. Jahrhundert.; Evolutionsbiologie von Darwin bis heute.; Die Entdeckung der Evolution. Eine revolutionare Theorie und ihre Geschichte.

Gerhard Heberer (1901-1973) Sein Beitrag zur Biologe im 20. Jahrhundert. Uwe Hossfeld. Berlin: VWB—Verlag fur Wissenschaft und Bildung, 1997. 209 pp. Evolutionsbiologie von Darwin bis heute. Rainer Bromer. Uwe Hossfeld. and Nicolaas A. Rupke. eds. Berlin: VWB. Verlag flir Wissenschaft und Bildung, 2000. 425 pp. Die Entdeckung der Evolution. Eine revolutionare Theorie und ihre Geschichte. Thomas Junker and Uwe Hossfeld. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2001. 264 pp.
A Not-So World Wide Web: The Internet, China, and the Challenges to Nondemocratic Rule

Abstract Can the Internet and nondemocratic rule coexist? A number of key features of the Internet can be corrosive to nondemocracies. In particular, the scope and ease of obtaining information on the Web, as well as the communication capabilities available to users, provide the means for undermining the pillars of nondemocratic rule. Furthermore, the decentralized nature of the Internet complicates the task of state control of the medium. Nevertheless, despite the risks that may exist from joining the global computer network, nondemocratic regimes have not shunned this technology because it promises to be the key to development, prosperity, and influence. However, their strategies of containment may prevent a complete usage of the capabilities of the Internet. The case of China illustrates the attractions of the Internet, the measures the ruling Chinese Communist Party has implemented to make this technology politically reliable, and the impact of these measures on the full use of the Internet.
Incorporation of a Dietary Omega 3 Fatty Acid Impairs Murine Macrophage Responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Background Beside their health benefits, dietary omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) might impair host resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) by creating an immunosuppressive environment. We hypothesized that incorporation of n-3 PUFA suppresses activation of macrophage antimycobacterial responses and favors bacterial growth, in part, by modulating the IFNγ-mediated signaling pathway. Methodology/Principal Findings Murine macrophage-like J774A.1 cells were incubated with bovine serum albumin (BSA)-conjugated docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) or BSA alone, activated with recombinant IFNγ, and infected with a virulent strain (H37Rv) of M. tuberculosis. The fatty acid composition of macrophage membranes was modified significantly by DHA treatment. DHA-treated macrophages were less effective in controlling intracellular mycobacteria and showed impaired oxidative metabolism and reduced phagolysosome maturation. Incorporation of DHA resulted in defective macrophage activation, as characterized by reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-6 and MCP-1), and lower expression of co-stimulatory molecules (CD40 and CD86). DHA treatment impaired STAT1 phosphorylation and colocalization of the IFNγ receptor with lipid rafts, without affecting surface expression of IFNγ receptor. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that DHA reduces the ability of J774A.1 cells to control M. tuberculosis in response to activation by IFNγ, by modulation of IFNγ receptor signaling and function, suggesting that n-3 PUFA-enriched diets may have a detrimental effect on host immunity to tuberculosis.
Effect of insulin and plasma amino acid concentration on leucine metabolism in cirrhosis.

Clinically stable patients with cirrhosis demonstrate insulin resistance with regard to glucose metabolism. However, much less is known about the two major factors, insulin and plasma amino acid concentration, that regulate protein metabolism in cirrhotic patients. To examine this question, we performed paired euglycemic insulin clamp studies in combination with 14Cleucine and indirect calorimetry. In the first study insulin alone was infused, and the plasma amino acid concentration was allowed to decline, During the second study a balanced amino acid solution was infused with insulin to increase the total plasma amino acid concentration approximately twofold. Insulinmediated glucose disposal (4.68 vs. 6.45 mg/kg-min, p < 0.01) was significantly impaired by 30% in cirrhotic patients during both insulin clamp studies. In the postabsorptive state, cirrhotic patients manifested low plasma leucine (76 vs. 102 μmol/L) and α-ketoisocaproate (19 vs. 30 μmol/L) concentrations, but all parameters of leucine turnover were normal. When insulin alone was infused, the endogenous leucine flux (an index of protein degradation) declined similarly in cirrhotic patients (30.8 μmol/m2-min) and control (26.9) subjects, and this was accompanied by a similar decrease in plasma leucine concentration (31% vs. 33%). The decline in circulating leucine concentration was accompanied by a parallel decline in leucine oxidation (5.1 vs. 4.6 μmol/m2-min) and nonoxidative (28.9 vs. 26.0 μmol/m2-min) leucine disposal, which were of similar magnitude in cirrhotic patients and control subjects, respectively. In both cirrhotic patients and control subjects, combined hyperinsulinemia/hyperaminoacidemia elicited a similar stimulation of nonoxidative leucine disposal (an index of protein synthesis) and leucine oxidation while causing a greater suppression of endogenous leucine flux than observed with insulin alone. Thus the suppressive effect of insulin on protein degradation and the stimulatory effect of insulin/amino acid infusion on protein synthesis are not impaired in cirrhotic patients, demonstrating a clear-cut dissociation between the effects of insulin on protein and glucose metabolism.
Motivating smoking cessation among dental patients: Smokers' interest in biomarker testing for susceptibility to tobacco-related cancers

This study examined interest in receiving biomarker testing for tobacco-related cancer susceptibility among 148 smokers seeking routine oral health care in a public dental clinic. Patients completed a brief, self-report survey assessing their smoking history, tobacco-related illness history, readiness to quit smoking, perceived risk and worry about cancer, and their interest in being tested for genetic susceptibility for tobacco-related cancers. Participants were socioeconomically and ethnically diverse, and were primarily long-standing, nicotine-dependent smokers. Most reported (83%) interest in biomarker feedback, and most (86%) understood that a certain genetic make-up could place them at increased risk for tobacco-related cancers. Those participants who felt that quitting smoking would reduce future cancer risk, were at least in the contemplation stage of quitting readiness, felt more worried and more at risk for developing cancer, women and younger smokers were more interested in genetic testing (all ps < 0.20). Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that gender and risk perceptions were associated with interest in testing. The public dental clinic setting holds potential for innovative smoking cessation interventions using personalized risk feedback.
Re: promotion of family-centered birth with gentle cesarean delivery.

Because we promote “gentle” cesarean delivery,[1][1] I trust it is in the larger context[2][2],[3][3] of avoiding cesarean delivery,[4][4],[5][5] whenever feasible, by “active conservative” management of labor (eg, partographs and decision making that considers alternatives to cesarean
Simulation of GOES-8 imager IR striping due to 1/f noise

The present GOES imager exhibits East-West stripes in IR images due to low frequency errors in the calibration of the adjacent North-South detectors. Striping makes delineating boundaries of structures in images difficult, especially in the case of cold scenes. A computer program has been developed that generates simulated IR images using detector noise parameters as inputs. The simulation includes errors due to background drift between space clamps, drift during a space clamp, and errors determining the first order gain during the internal blackbody calibration. The results of the simulation agree well with on orbit measurements of GOES 8 and 9 striping in channels 4 and 5. These simulations can also predict striping performance of future GOES imagers from detector noise parameters allowing for improved detector selection constraints.
Waiwai fractality and the arboreal bias of PES schemes in Guyana: what to make of the multiplicity of Amazonian cosmographies?

This paper concerns the often-assumed universal translatability of the environment as it exists in conservation discourses and policies in Amazonia. It focuses on Guyana's Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), a government-led strategy to achieve socioeconomic development goals through foreign capital investment and trading in rights over “eco-services” provided by the country's forests. Guyana's indigenous peoples have been identified as one of the largest stakeholder groups for the LCDS and as such, are particular targets for translating it. Drawing from my research with indigenous Waiwai, I explore some cosmographic and cosmological differences between the arboreal, unilinear, and commodified environment portrayed in the LCDS and the fractal, recursive, and mediated environment portrayed in Waiwai discourse and practice. The way in which I understand the Waiwai lived environment is informed by their very ways of moving through it: along meandering and indirect interpretations shaped by social memorie...
Isolation of a gastrin releasing peptide receptor from normal rat pancreas.

Abstract The presence of a putative GRP receptor on rat pancreatic particulate membranes was demonstrated by covalent cross-linking to 125 I-gastrin releasing peptide (GRP), which revealed a radioactive band with M r = 80–90 kDa on reduced SDS-PAGE. Fresh rat pancreatic membranes contained a GRP receptor which was solubilized with Triton X-100 as assessed by its failure to sediment at 100,000 × g for one hour and its ability to pass through a 0.22 μ filter. When 125 I-GRP binding was studied using Sephadex G50 gel filtration chromatography to separate bound from unbound ligand, substantial amounts of 125 I-GRP binding were observed in rat crude solubilized pancreatic membranes, but essentially no specific binding was observed until the crude solubilized membranes were fractionated by ammonium sulfate precipitation. Specific 125 I-GRP binding was 500, 700 and 1400 fmol/mg protein, respectively, in the 0–25%, 25–50% and 50–80% saturated ammonium sulfate fractions ( 125 I-GRP concentration = 1 nM). Specific binding was temperature dependent, saturable and of high affinity ( (K D = 2.3 nM). A unique 70 kDa band was visualized by silver staining of the SDS-PAGE of eluates of GRP(14–27) affinity gels compared with eluates of control affinity gels incubated with the 25–50% (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 fraction. The lower M r than that observed with covalent cross-linking may represent the binding subunit of a larger receptor protein. This ligand-affinity isolated protein is thus a good candidate for the GRP receptor, or the binding subunit of it, from normal rat pancreas.
Primary cardiac amyloidosis with 20-year survival.

Abstract Background The natural history of primary amyloidosis is poor, and for patients with symptomatic cardiac involvement, survival is generally less than 6 months. Even among treated patients with amyloid heart disease, survival beyond 5 years is rare. Case report We report a patient with primary cardiac amyloidosis who is currently alive 20 years after his initial diagnosis. The extent and subtype of amyloid were documented by endomyocardial biopsy both at the time of initial diagnosis and 20 years later. To our knowledge, this is the longest survival ever reported for a patient with cardiac involvement by primary amyloidosis. Conclusion The remarkably long stabilization of amyloid deposition in this patient may be attributed to early diagnosis, early institution of therapy, and, possibly, favorable genetic factors.
Toward cost-effective care for persons with dual diagnoses.

Implementing services that controlcosts and improve client functioning for persons with both severe psychiatric and substance disorders is paramout in a managed care environment. In this clinical trial, standard mental health care augmented by the behavioral sills intervention was more effective than two other approaches (case management and modified 12-step recovery) in interventions with persons with dual diagnoses across indicators of psychosocial adjustment, psychiatric and substance abuse symptoms, and mental health service costs. These findings reinforce the need to address mental health and substance disorders concomitantly; to provide skill-building interventions as the primary ingredient of active treatment to address various instrumental, coping, and social skill deficits that clients with dual diagnoses have; and to monitor the effectiveness of the services and client progress every six months on multiple adjustment and symptomatology dimensions.
Contrasting resource allocation patterns in Sedum lanceolatum Torr.: Biomass versus energy estimates

Biomass determinations and microbomb calorimetry were used to assess resource allocation in Sedum lanceolatum Torr. between 2,257 and 3,726 m above sea level in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA. In general, energy values did not differ within a tissue among sites, but did differ among tissue types. Flowers and leaves had the greatest energy content per gram ashfree dry weight. Total kilojoules per plant were homogeneous along the elevational gradient.Allocation patterns based on kilojoules of energy and grams of biomass were not highly correlated, with the exception of the percent investment in sexual tissues. Allocations to sexual tissues based on dry weight and energy were negatively correlated, revealing opposing trends of sexual investment with the increase in elevation. Due to the greater biomass investment in high energy leaves and flowers by populations of Sedum lanceolatum at higher elevations, allocation to sexual reproduction based on calorimetric analysis increased from 18.3 to 38.3% along the 1,469 m change in elevation. Although biomass can represent energy allocation in some taxa, for those species that change morphologically or physiologically along an environmental gradient, these two methods may not reveal similar trends.
Rotor motion in the dynamic finite element analysis of rotating electrical machinery

In the analysis of rotating electrical machinery, the need often arises to analyze machines at different rotor positions. This may be for simple studies such as for obtaining the direct and quadrature axes reactances in a synchronous machine, or for a more complex time domain analysis, where the rotor assumes different positions with time. The obstacle to allowing the rotor to rotate, is that the integrity of the mesh is disturbed as the nodes of a finite element mesh cross edges. Indeed, in studies of electromechanical dynamics, a two-fold challenge is posed in first rotating the rotor and secondly in doing so to a position which may be revealed only as computation proceeds. This paper presents a novel method of rotating the mesh which is made adaptive through the application of the Delaunay criterion for optimality. The application of such adaptive rotating meshes in machine dynamics is then investigated. It is shown that the methodology of this paper paves the way to constructing general software models of rotating machines.
Systematic Studies of the Cathode-Electrolyte Interface in SOFC Cathodes Prepared by Infiltration

In this study, the effect of the morphology and ionic conductivity of the electrolyte material in SOFC composite cathodes is systematically studied. The specific surface area of prous yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) scaffolds was varied by almost two orders of magnitude using different pore formers and surface treatment with hydrofluoric acid (HF). The effect of ionic conductivity on the performance of SOFC cathodes was studied for electrodes prepared by infiltration of 35 wt % LSF into 65% porous scandiastabilized zirconia (ScSZ), YSZ, or yttria-alumina co-stabilized zirconia (YAZ) scaffolds of identical microstructure cathodes. Disciplines Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering | Chemical Engineering | Engineering Comments Suggested Citation: R. Kungas, J.M. Vohs and R.J. Gorte. (2011). Systematic Studies of the Cathode-Electrolyte Interface in SOFC Cathodes Prepared by Infiltration. ESC Transactions, 35(1) 2085-2095). © The Electrochemical Society, Inc. 2011. All rights reserved. Except as provided under U.S. copyright law, this work may not be reproduced, resold, distributed, or modified without the express permission of The Electrochemical Society (ECS). The archival version of this work was published in ESC Transactions, Volume 35, Issue 1, 2011, pages 2085-2095. Publisher URL: http://scitation.aip.org/ECST/ This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/cbe_papers/147
a Three-Dimensional Simulation of Brittle Solid Fracture

This paper describes an extension into three dimensions of an existing two-dimensional technique for simulating brittle solid fracture. The fracture occurs on a simulated solid created by "gluing" together space-filling polyhedral elements with compliant interelement joints. Such a material can be shown to have well-defined elastic properties. However, the "glue" can only support a specified tensile stress and breaks when that stress is exceeded. In this manner, a crack can propagate across the simulated material. A comparison with experiment shows that the simulation can accurately reproduce the size distributions for all fragments with linear dimensions greater than three element sizes.
Kohlstedt receives 2003 Harry H. Hess Medal

David L Kohlstedt was awarded the Hess Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on 10 December 2003, in San Francisco, California. The medal honors “outstanding achievements in research in the constitution and evolution of Earth and sister planets.”
Herbicide effects on AIBA uptake and efflux in tobacco cell suspension cultures

Abstract The herbicides 4-chloro-2-butynyl-m-chloro-carbanilite (Barban), pentachlorophenol (PCP), and 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-iso-propylamino-s-triazine (atrazine) were examined for their effects on uptake and efflux of α-(1−14C)aminoisobutyric acid (AIBA) by tobacco cells in suspension culture. PCP at 5 × 10−5 M almost totally inhibited uptake. Barban required a 50-fold greater concentration for the same degree of inhibition, while atrazine had only a slight effect. PCP also caused much greater efflux of preloaded 14C-AIBA than Barban at a given concentration. Michaelis-Menton kinetic analysis of AIBA uptake showed that Barban and PCP reduced Vmax, but only PCP reduced the Km value.
The use of TLDs for brachytherapy dosimetry

Abstract Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) are routinely used to measure the dose around brachytherapy sources due to their small size and high precision. This work presents a concise overview of the use of LiF:Mg,Ti TLDs for brachytherapy dosimetry including the experimental procedures required to achieve high-precision measurements as well as new results regarding the intrinsic energy dependence with some of the commonly used brachytherapy sources. Equations to correct TLD light output to air kerma are outlined and a description of the method to determine the intrinsic energy dependence is presented. For the intrinsic energy dependence investigation, a review of previously published results is presented as well as new experimental results using 125 I, 103 Pd, 192 Ir, and miniature x-ray brachytherapy sources at the University of Wisconsin Medical Radiation Research Center (UWMRRC). The results of these experiments are consistent with previous work and give valuable insight to investigators using TLDs for brachytherapy measurements.
Distinguishing Date Palm Gender Using DNA Based Assays

Abstract The date palm is one of the oldest cultivated trees and is critical to the development of arid land. The date palm is a dioecious monocot with separate male and female trees, however only the female trees produce the fruit that is sought after in farming. This presents a challenge in crop development, as it is impossible to distinguish trees until they flower approximately 5–8 years after planting. We have developed two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based assays capable of sex differentiation in multiple date palm cultivars. The primers are designed across gender specific polymorphisms and demonstrated greater than 90% accuracy in distinguishing date palm gender across multiple varieties. These assays should be helpful in rapidly distinguishing date palm gender from the earliest stages that DNA can safely be collected. As the sex-linked region is fine mapped these assays will be refined to take into account this information. For now, our assays provide a vast savings in time and effort over exi...
Clinical pharmacology of methotrexate.

Methotrexate (MTX), a potent folate antagonist by virtue of its ability to inhibit the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase [1], continues to be a useful cancer chemotherapeutic agent [2]. Information not only on its mechanism of action, but also its pharmacology has led to improved dosage schedules of this drug alone and in combination. The use of high (gm) doses of MTX followed by leucovorin “rescue” has required close attention to the blood levels of this drug and has stimulated further studies of its clinical pharmacology, especially of high-dose regimens. This review summarizes the present status of the clinical pharmacology of MTX.
Gas Metal Arc Welding Process Modeling and Prediction of Weld Microstructure in MIL A46100 Armor-Grade Martensitic Steel

A conventional gas metal arc welding (GMAW) butt-joining process has been modeled using a two-way fully coupled, transient, thermal-mechanical finite-element procedure. To achieve two-way thermal-mechanical coupling, the work of plastic deformation resulting from potentially high thermal stresses is allowed to be dissipated in the form of heat, and the mechanical material model of the workpiece and the weld is made temperature dependent. Heat losses from the deposited filler-metal are accounted for by considering conduction to the adjoining workpieces as well as natural convection and radiation to the surroundings. The newly constructed GMAW process model is then applied, in conjunction with the basic material physical-metallurgy, to a prototypical high-hardness armor martensitic steel (MIL A46100). The main outcome of this procedure is the prediction of the spatial distribution of various crystalline phases within the weld and the heat-affected zone regions, as a function of the GMAW process parameters. The newly developed GMAW process model is validated by comparing its predictions with available open-literature experimental and computational data.
The changing trends of HIV-1 prevalence and incidence from sentinel surveillance of five sub-populations in Yunnan, China, 2001–2010

Yunnan is one of the provinces hardest-hit by HIV in China. To understand HIV epidemic dynamics and evaluate prevention effectiveness, we studied the changing trends in HIV-1 prevalence and incidence among five sub-populations in Yunnan.
Existence of a statistical equilibrium for an economy with endogenous offer sets

A statistical equilibrium consists of distributions over offer sets of agents that can be achieved in the greatest number of ways. Although it is known that a unique equilibrium exists when the offer sets are finite and exogenous, the general case has been an open question. This paper (1) generalizes the concept of statistical equilibrium to the case where offer sets are endogenous and not necessarily finite, (2) proves the existence of equilibrium, (3) discusses a computational algorithm to obtain the equilibrium, and (4) applies the theory to the labor market and analyzes the implication of the minimum wage policy.
Predictors of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control among Mexican American women and men.

BACKGROUND The burden of hypertension and related health care needs among Mexican Americans will likely increase substantially in the near future.
Influencing birth outcomes in Nepal.

In this issue of The Lancet Dharma Manandhar and colleagues report a cluster-randomised trial of the effect of women’s groups on birth outcomes in Nepal. They studied 12 matched pairs of geopolitical clusters in the Makwanpur district—a poor rural population—with random assignment of one cluster in each pair to participate in the intervention. During the 2-year study control clusters had 37 neonatal deaths per 1000 live-births. With a low-cost participatory intervention Manandhar and colleagues showed a 30% reduction in neonatal mortality the primary outcome and an even more substantial reduction in maternal mortality a secondary outcome of this study. This improvement is likely to have occurred because womens group activities in the intervention clusters influenced women to have more antenatal care institutional delivery trained birth-attendance and hygienic care. The most common causes of neonatal death were complications of preterm birth presumptive birthasphyxia and infection. Infection-related deaths were less common in intervention clusters than in control clusters. (excerpt)
ASTRO 45th annual meeting presidential address: medicine's arrow, medicine's cycle: lessons for radiation oncology

Two years ago, ASTRO was fortunate to have Stephen Jay Gould speak to the society as a keynote speaker. This was a thrill to me, for, as a few people may be aware, I have been a fan of his for many years, with his depth of knowledge on a wide variety of topics and his ability to develop important insights from apparently unrelated areas. The title of my talk today is clear plagiarism from a book that Gould wrote 16 years ago entitled Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle. In this book, he describes how many cultures have viewed time. Whereas at the present, in our culture, we think of time as a linear event, never repeating, other cultures have viewed time as a cycle where all things repeat themselves. And it is not unusual that they would think of it in this manner, because so much of life is repeating, from the daily cycle of the rising and setting of the sun, the monthly lunar cycle, and the seasons of the year, as well as the constant cycles of birth and death of all living things. In reality, time is a composite of cycles as well as the arrow of progression and change. As this is true for time, so it is also true in many ways for medicine. For while we tend to think of the change in medicine as an arrow, where science progresses in a linear fashion, it is really a combination of the arrow of linear progression combined with the cycling of ideas and concepts from our past. By understanding what has preceded us, we can better modify our actions to the advantage of all. In fact, we are not moving in a straight line of scientific development but are indebted to the old ideas of our predecessors and are recycling their ideas in new and better ways. There are many examples in the medical literature of how we have recycled old ideas into better and newer ways.
FASTING AS A METABOLIC STRESS PARADIGM SELECTIVELY AMPLIFIES CORTISOL SECRETORY BURST MASS AND DELAYS THE TIME OF MAXIMAL NYCTOHEMERAL CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS IN HEALTHY MEN

Serum cortisol concentrations are increased in fasted or malnourished human subjects. The dynamic mechanisms underlying this adaptive response have been investigated in eight normal men by analyzing serum cortisol concentrations measured in blood obtained at 5-min intervals over 24 h on a control (fed) day and on the fifth day of a fast (water only) assigned in randomized order. A multiple parameter deconvolution method was used to simultaneously resolve endogenous cortisol secretion and half-life. Five days of fasting induced a 1.8-fold increase in the 24-h endogenous cortisol production rate (fed, 2504 +/- 308; fasted, 4528 +/- 488 nmol/L distribution volume; P < 0.006). This enhanced cortisol production rate was accounted for by a 1.6-fold increase in the mass of cortisol secreted per burst (fed, 115 +/- 12.1; fasted, 183 +/- 17.3 nmol/L; P < 0.02). Cortisol secretory event amplitudes (maximal rates of cortisol release attained within a burst) increased in seven of eight men, and mean secretory burst durations remained unchanged by fasting. Moreover, the number of computer-resolved cortisol secretory bursts per 24 h (fed, 22 +/- 1.4; fasted, 25 +/- 2.0; P = NS) and the interburst interval (fed, 65 +/- 4.0; fasted, 57 +/- 4.4 min) did not change significantly during a 5-day fast. The calculated half-life of endogenous cortisol was not significantly altered by fasting (fed, 108 +/- 9.7; fasted, 129 +/- 11 min). There was no significant change in the nyctohemeral pattern of varying adrenocortical secretory burst frequency in response to fasting. However, the mean (mesor) mass of glucocorticoid secreted per burst over 24 h rose significantly in response to fasting. In addition, by cosinor analysis, maximal serum cortisol concentrations occurred (95% confidence intervals) between 0930-1334 h in the fed state and between 1116-1612 h in the fasted state (P < 0.04). Fasting augmented the mesor (average value about which the diurnal rhythm oscillates; P < 0.0008 compared with fed state) and the amplitude (P < 0.04) of the 24-h serum cortisol concentration profile. Linear regression analysis disclosed a significant inverse relationship between mean serum cortisol and GH concentrations in fasted men (r = -0.76; P < 0.02). In conclusion, the present data indicate that starvation-induced enhancement of cortisol secretion in young healthy men is mediated by an increased glucocorticoid secretory burst mass, rather than changes in secretory burst frequency or duration or in cortisol half-life. In addition, fasting modifies the diurnal secretory pattern of cortisol by delaying maximal serum concentrations to the early afternoon. The inverse relationship between serum cortisol and GH responses to fasting suggests differential regulation of the corticotropic and somatotropic axis by the metabolic stress of fasting and/or feedback interactions between these two axes when they are both activated.
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE MONITORING REVEALS A 6.1 DAY PERIOD FOR AN ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE IN NGC 1313

Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in nearby galaxies have X-ray luminosities of 1039-1041 erg s?1, and are possibly intermediate mass black holes of 102-105 M ?. NGC 1313 X-2 is an extreme ULX with a maximum luminosity of 3 ? 1040 erg s?1, and a frequent target of X-ray and optical observations. Here we report our Hubble Space Telescope Guest Observer (GO) program to monitor its optical counterpart in a search of its period. The 20 monitoring observations over three weeks exhibited periodic modulations at the 6? level with a period of P = 6.12 ? 0.16 days and an amplitude of A = 0.102 ? 0.016 mag. The periodicity is understood as from the orbital motion of the gravitationally distorted secondary that is unevenly irradiated by the X-ray radiation from the primary accretion disk. This is the first photometric period ever discovered for a ULX counterpart. The periodicity rules out a radiation mechanism through relativistic beaming effects. Combined with the photometry, the periodicity suggests that the secondary is most likely a giant branch star with a mass of 11.3-21.0 M ? and a radius of 14.4-18.3R ?.
Envisioning a Monastery: A Seventeenth-Century Buddhist Fundraising Appeal Album

This article is devoted to an early seventeenth-century folio album (now mounted as a handscroll) assembled to invite potential donors to contribute to the reconstruction of Fuyuan Monastery, located on an island in Lake Tai, near Suzhou. The album included two paintings representing the monastery as it might look after reconstruction as well as a set of calligraphies by Suzhou luminaries recording the efforts of the monk who had initiated the fund-raising campaign and encouraging contributions. The artistic and social circumstances of the endeavor are analyzed on the basis of the texts in the album and other contemporary sources.