cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Separation factors for solvent extraction processes: The system of 1 M di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phosphoric acid (in amsco 125-82)-Pr-Nd salts as an example

Abstract The separation factors of Nd with respect to Pr for 1 M di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phosphoric acid in Amsco 125-82 were obtained for the perchlorate, chloride, nitrate and chloride-nitrate mixture systems. It was shown that the separation factors can be expressed by an equation which consists of two parts: the separation ability of the solvent itself and the ligand-dependent term. The former is the ratio of the equilibrium constants for the extraction reaction, and the latter is the fraction of the Nd present that is in the completely ionized form (Nd3+, the extractable species) divided by the fraction of Pr present that is completely ionized.
In-situ observation of radiation damage in nano-structured amorphous SiOC/crystalline Fe composite

Abstract The radiation tolerance property of amorphous silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) and crystalline Fe nanocomposites were examined by in-situ transmission electron microscope at 50 Kelvin (K), room temperature and 573 K. Results showed that intermixing between Fe and SiOC was most severe for irradiation at 50 K. However, for irradiations at 573 K, a demixing process was observed. The results indicated thermodynamic stability and radiation tolerance of Fe/SiOC nanocomposite at elevated temperature. Compared with thin Fe/SiOC multilayers, thick Fe/SiOC multilayer exhibited better irradiation stability. Discussion cover two possible reasons for these observations including the composite interface energy and collision cascade size.
Progesterone enhances an estradiol-induced increase in Fos immunoreactivity in localized regions of female rat forebrain

In female rats, the onset of reproductive behavior depends on the sequential presence of estradiol followed by progesterone. Although treatment with high doses of estradiol has been shown to increase immunostaining for the Fos protein, an immediate early gene product that is expressed upon cellular activation, another report conflicts with this finding. However, the previous reports agree that subsequent treatment with progesterone has no apparent effect on Fos expression. In order to resolve this discrepancy and investigate possible effects of progesterone, we used Fos immunocytochemistry combined with computer- aided image analysis. In experiment one, we found that treatment with 5 micrograms of estradiol increased Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) within a section of the medial preoptic area and the dorsal medial hypothalamus. Subsequent treatment with 500 micrograms of progesterone 1 hr before perfusion increased the intensity of the immunostaining within the medial preoptic area and the dorsal medial hypothalamus, although it had no significant effect on Fos-IR cell number. In experiment 2, a lower concentration of Fos antiserum was used in order to diminish the immunostaining sensitivity to a level in which no increase of Fos-IR cell number was observed after treatment with estradiol. Under these immunocytochemical conditions, subsequent treatment with progesterone increased the number of Fos-IR cells in the medial preoptic area, the dorsal medial hypothalamus and the steroid receptor-rich area lateral to the ventromedial hypothalamus. Thus, treatment with behaviorally effective doses of both estradiol and progesterone induces Fos expression in localized regions of female rat brain.
Biochemical Parameters correlated with Tumour Cell Implantation

FIDLER1 has described melanoma cell lines produced by serial injection into and collection from C57 mice, some lines of which produce few pulmonary metastases while others have greatly increased metastatic potential. These cells also grow in culture and retain their respective metastatic or non-metastatic character1,2. These cell lines are particularly useful for studying metastasis since all cells are tumorigenic, and one is therefore not faced with making a choice of an appropriate ‘normal’ cell or tissue to act as a control with which to compare neoplastic or metastatic potential. Dr Fidler kindly supplied us with cell lines 26 (low metastasis) and 37 (high metastasis). Culture conditions and maintenance were as described1. Since metastasis would seem intuitively to be intimately concerned with plasma membrane properties, we initiated extensive studies on cell surface properties of these cells. We report here the results of these studies and some findings relating to cell growth that may define the process of cell metastasis. It should be pointed out, however, that under the conditions defining the cell lines, implantation, more than metastasis, is being studied. Metastasis implies the ability of a cell to leave a given tumour site, be transported to another site, and implant and grow there; in the studies described here only the last two conditions of metastasis obtain and hence implantation properties are probably being studied.
Recent developments in the law affecting livestock grazing on western riparian areas

Since 1993 there have been numerous significant legal developments affecting livestock grazing on public-land riparian areas in the western United States. These include new regulations, standards, and guidelines for grazing on BLM lands and a series of judicial and administrative decisions applying environmental statutes, such as the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, to public lands grazing. Legislative and judicial efforts by the livestock industry to counteract these developments have met with only limited success. The new legal developments have established a set of substantive and procedural criteria that must be met before the BLM or the Forest Service issues a grazing permit affecting a riparian area. Enforcement of these criteria, however, will depend on the involvement of concerned individuals and organizations at the local management level.
CRES: A Content-Based Routing Substrate for Large-Scale Data-Centric Sensor Networks

We propose CRES as a substrate structure to enable content-based routing in large-scale sensor networks without location information. With CRES, traffic is routed based on its content rather than the destination’s physical address. CRES is therefore applicable to data-centric sensor networks where sensor data and user queries need to be mapped to their corresponding nodes in a distributed manner such that a query can find its matching data efficiently.
An ecological assessment of the United States mid-Atlantic region using rank frequency distributions based on watershed quintiles

When working with raw data for multiple environmental indicators, it can be difficult to assess quality or 'health' because of the large number of indicators and inconsistencies among the indicators. By grouping the raw data into rankings, the data become more manageable and more comprehensible. We do not, however, want to lose information as a result of the groupings. It is possible to assess the quality of grouping options graphically by seeing if the resulting assessments of 'health' are concordant with the raw data. This can be done through the use of CDF-index values, cumulative distribution function plots, parallel coordinates plots, and scatterplots. A major purpose of this paper is to present approaches and the graphics for comparison and prioritization based on quintiles used, in this case, for ecological assessment of a large region.
Aqueous to cornea fluorescein distribution ratio in normal and swollen cornea

Intravitreal sodium fluorescein was used to simulate equilibrium fluorescein kinetics, thereby allowing simple measurement of the aqueous to cornea fluorescein distribution ratio. Two groups of rabbit corneas were studied: normal corneas and corneas wounded by freezing. The aqueous to cornea fluorescein distribution ratio was approximately 0.4, was not significantly different in groups of normal or wounded eyes and little variability was noted. In addition, a comparison of in vivo and in vitro measurements of corneal fluorescein concentration in wounded eyes suggests that in vivo protein-bound fluorescein in the cornea fluoresces less efficiently than free fluorescein.
Effects of cortisol and ACTH administration on some aspects of lipid metabolism in the hamster.

SummaryAcetate-C14 was given intraperitoneally to hamsters which had received cortisol for 3 days or ACTH only 10 minutes previously. 1. Cortisol administration reduced the liver total lipid concentration in contrast to reports that cortisone administration to rats produces fatty livers. The contrasting response in hamsters and rats receiving similar hormones may either be attributable to species differences or depend on the amount of hormone given. 2. Cortisol administration did not lower the specific activity or incorporation of label into liver total lipid. Hepatic lipid synthesis may have compensated during the 3-day dose period for a probable, initial inhibitory effect. 3. Plasma esterified sterol concentration was elevated by cortisol treatment. The increased concentration may result from a redistribution of sterol to the vascular compartment, as found in the cortisone-treated rabbit. Plasma esterified sterol concentration was lowered by the brief ACTH treatment. This response, opposite to that prod...
Margaret Cavendish and composition style

Margaret Cavendish has been getting more attention recently as a controversial, prolific, sometimes brilliant, sometimes unintelligible British writer in the latter half of the seventeenth century.' I approached Cavendish's writings soon after reading the essays in Reclaiming Rhetorica, and I noticed in many of her works an intriguing view of composition style. She advocated consistently that fancy and adornment were appropriate stylistic ingredients in scientific and historical prose. This is especially surprising in that Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, and Thomas Sprat targeted science and history as areas in which fanciful and elaborate writing styles had no place. The rise of moder expository prose, with its idea of mimetic disinterestedness, can, in part, be traced back to these well-known calls for stylistic "plainness" and "purity" in the seventeenth century. Cavendish, however, was not sympathetic to early moder calls for stylistic plainness. She was well read in natural philosophy and had contact with figures such as Sprat, Hobbes, Walter Charleton, Rene Descartes, and Pierre Gassendi. Gassendi's critique of Descartes influenced significantly Cavendish's own antiCartesian, vitalistic view of nature as an intelligent, self-moving, and purposeful entity, not a set of de-animated corpuscles.2 In addition, Cavendish followed closely the meetings of the Royal Society, and she was well aware of the Society's calls for a plain, nearly mathematical style of composition. She attended a meeting in May of 1667, the first woman ever to do so, and her attendance drew strong reactions from several members who disapproved of her scientific speculations, her fanciful writing style, and her elaborate clothing as well, as Samuel Pepys notes in his dairy (8:243). Undoubtedly, Cavendish's decision to write scientific and historical prose in elaborate styles was an informed decision, and her style should therefore be seen as a form of dissent directed against her age's escalating positivism. Until recently, Cavendish's writings have been characterized in large part by their excesses, including their proliferating and extravagant stylistic qualities, a characterization that began in her own time. As Henry Perry suggests in his 1918 dissertation on Cavendish, "the Duchess's lack of restraint in writing was
Joint density functional theory of the electrode-electrolyte interface: Application to fixed electrode potentials, interfacial capacitances, and potentials of zero charge

This work explores the use of joint density functional theory, an extension of density functional theory for the ab initio description of electronic systems in thermodynamic equilibrium with a liquid environment, to describe electrochemical systems. After reviewing the physics of the underlying fundamental electrochemical concepts, we identify the mapping between commonly measured electrochemical observables and microscopically computable quantities within an, in principle, exact theoretical framework. We then introduce a simple, computationally efficient approximate functional which we find to be quite successful in capturing a priori basic electrochemical phenomena, including the capacitive Stern and diffusive Gouy-Chapman regions in the electrochemical double layer, quantitative values for interfacial capacitance, and electrochemical potentials of zero charge for a series of metals. We explore surface charging with applied potential and are able to place our ab initio results directly on the scale associated with the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE). Finally, we provide explicit details for implementation within standard density functional theory software packages at negligible computational cost over standard calculations carried out within vacuum environments.
Single shot diffraction of picosecond 8.7-keV x-ray pulses

We demonstrate multiphoton, single shot diffraction images of x rays produced by inverse Compton scattering a high-power ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ laser from a relativistic electron beam, creating a pulse of 8.7 keV x rays. The tightly focused, relatively high peak brightness electron beam and high photon density from the 2 J ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ laser yielded $6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{7}$ x-ray photons over the full opening angle in a single shot. Single shot x-ray diffraction is performed by passing the x rays though a vertical slit and on to a flat silicon (111) crystal. ${10}^{2}$ diffracted photons were detected. The spectrum of the detected x rays is compared to simulation. The diffraction and detection of ${10}^{2}$ x rays is a key step to a more efficient time resolved diagnostic in which the number of observed x rays might reach ${10}^{4}$; enabling a unique, flexible x-ray source as a sub-ps resolution diagnostic for studying the evolution of chemical reactions, lattice deformation and melting, and magnetism.
Clinical Phenotype of Juvenile-onset Primary Open-angle Glaucoma Linked to Chromosome 1q*

Abstract Purpose: Recent reports have suggested that a gene responsible for juvenile-onset primary open-angle glaucoma exists on the long arm of chromosome 1 (1 q). This report describes a previously unpublished family (UM:JG3) in which juvenile-onset glaucoma is segregating in an autosomal dominant manner. The clinical features in this family were compared with those seen in other pedigrees with this condition. Linkage analysis was performed to evaluate whether a glaucoma-causing gene in UM:JG3 is linked to genetic markers on chromosome 1 q. Methods: Affected family members, their siblings, children, and spouses were examined to identify the presence of glaucoma. Linkage studies were performed using short tandem repeat polymorphisms from chromosome 1 q. Results of these studies were compared with those found for other families in which juvenile-onset primary open-angle glaucoma is linked genetically to the same chromosome 1 q region. Results: The UM:JG3 family includes 22 affected individuals over five generations, including 12 still living. The average age at diagnosis for living affected individuals was 26 years. An association between myopia and glaucoma was observed in this family, but the glaucoma was not associated with iris processes or other structural anomalies. The clinical course of disease and response to treatment were similar to other families with this disease. The disease phenotype in this family is linked to markers on chromosome 1 q with a maximum lod score of 3.52 at a recombination fraction of 0.00 for marker D1 S433. Haplotype analysis suggests the gene responsible for glaucoma in this family is located in an 8-cM region between markers D1S445 and D1S218. Conclusions: The glaucoma in UM:JG3 is linked to markers on chromosome 1q, with a candidate interval smaller than that in previous reports. In individuals with juvenile-onset open-angle glaucoma linked to chromosome 1 q, the phenotype can range from mild ocular hypertension to blindness, resulting from marked elevations in intraocular pressure, with age at diagnosis ranging from 6 to 62 years. However, most affected individuals display a characteristic phenotype that includes onset in the first three decades of life, unusually high intraocular pressures, and the need for surgical therapy to prevent loss of vision. Whether differences in expression among families is due to allelic heterogeneity remains to be determined.
Double-stranded RNA in isolates ofDiscula destructiva from the Eastern United States

Phenol-chloroform extraction and CF-11 chromatography were used to examine 83 isolates ofDiscula sp. for the presence of dsRNA. Agarose-gel electrophoresis revealed three major size classes: large (ca. 8–12 kbp), medium (ca. 3–4 kpb), and small (ca. 1.5–2.5 kbp). Additional segments were present in two isolates. Double-stranded RNA was demonstrated in 80/80 isolates ofDiscula destructiva, but not in three isolates of an unidentifiedDiscula sp. commonly referred to asDiscula, Type 2. Twenty-two isolates contained one or more large segments. Isolates with large segments were more common in collection sites on the eastern slope of the Appalachian Mountains. The most common banding profile consisted of two medium and two small bands.
The job of the river

Earth scientists have traditionally conceptualized rivers and streams as geomorphic machines, whose role is to transfer sediment and to sculpt the landscape. Steady-state relationships between sediment supply and transport capacity have traditionally been considered normative in fluvial systems. Rivers are hydrological entities, however, whose function is to redistribute excess moisture on land. The geomorphic work of the river – erosion, transport, deposition, etc. – is a byproduct of the hydrological job of the river. There is therefore no reason to expect any particular relationship between sediment supply and transport capacity to develop as a normative condition in fluvial systems. The apparent steady-state equilibrium slope adjustments of rivers are a byproduct of four basic phenomena: (1) hydraulic selection, which favors channels and branching networks over other flux patterns; (2) water flows along the available path of least resistance; (3) energy dissipation; and (4) finite relaxation times. Recognizing converging trends of stream power or slope and sediment supply as common (but far from inevitable) side effects rather than self-regulation has important implications for interpreting and predicting fluvial systems, and for river management and restoration. Such trends are variable, transient, contingent, and far from universal. Where they occur, they are an emergent byproduct of fundamental physical mechanisms, not a goal function or attractor state. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crustal mass transfer and index mineral growth in Barrow's garnet zone, northeast Scotland

The Barrovian metamorphic sequence of northeastern Scotland plays a critical role in our understanding of regional metamorphism at middle and lower crustal levels. The importance of regional temperature and pressure gradients in producing the sequence is well established, but the petrogenetic significance of mass transport of nonvolatile elements by metamorphic processes remains controversial. This paper focuses on the impact of fluid flow through fractures (now quartz veins) on the geochemical and petrologic evolution of metamorphosed clastic rocks in the northeastern part of Barrow9s garnet zone, Scotland. The veins constitute ∼13 vol % of the total rock mass and are generally surrounded by zones rich in plagioclase. A traverse along a typical metasedimentary bed cut by a vein reveals that, as one approaches the vein, (1) plagioclase porphyroblast size and An content increase, (2) the modal plagioclase/muscovite ratio increases, (3) bulk rock Na/K, Ca/K, Sr/Rb, (Na + Ca + K)/Al, Mg/Fe T , and (Mg + Fe T )/Al increase, and (4) bulk rock Si/Ti decreases. The plagioclase-rich zones are interpreted to be alteration selvages that developed as a result of fluid infiltration through fractures; the alteration reaction destroyed muscovite and produced plagioclase. Furthermore, in some rocks the assemblage garnet + biotite + chlorite was stable in the most intensely altered areas directly adjacent to vein margins, whereas chloritoid + biotite + chlorite was stable in less-altered and unaltered areas. Geochemical relations suggest that the fluid flow was in a direction of increasing temperature and that the vein quartz was mostly derived from local wall rocks. It appears that open-system transport of nonvolatile elements can exert important, previously unrecognized controls on rock chemistry and the growth of common regional metamorphic mineral assemblages.
Shedding light on the graph schema: perceptual features versus invariant structure.

Most theories of graph comprehension posit the existence of a graph schema to account for people’s prior knowledge of how to understand different graph types. The graph schema is, however, a purely theoretical construct: No empirical studies have explicitly examined the nature of the graph schema. We sought to determine whether graph schemas are based on perceptual features or on a common invariant structure shared between certain graph types. We isolated the process of activating the graph schema by presenting the graphs to participants in pure and mixed blocks. Any differences in reaction time between the blocks could be attributed to loading the appropriate schema. Results from a series of experiments using five types of graphs suggest that graph schemas are based on the graphical framework, a common invariant structure among certain types of graphs.
Cultural Stereotypes and Personal Beliefs About Individuals With Dwarfism

Three studies assessed the content of cultural stereotypes and personal beliefs regarding individuals with dwarfism among "average height" (i.e., non-dwarf) individuals. In Studies 1 and 2, undergraduates from three separate institutions selected adjectives to reflect traits constituting both the cultural stereotype about dwarves and their own personal beliefs about dwarves (cf. Devine & Elliot, 1995). The most commonly endorsed traits for the cultural stereotype tended to be negative (e.g., weird, incapable, childlike); the most commonly endorsed traits for personal beliefs were largely positive (e.g., capable, intelligent, kind). In Study 3, undergraduates from two separate institutions used an open-ended method to indicate their personal beliefs about dwarves (cf. Eagly, Mladinic, & Otto, 1994). Responses contained a mixture of positive and negative characteristics, suggesting a greater willingness to admit to negative personal beliefs using the open-ended method.
Mutations in Growth Factor Independent-1 Associated with Human Neutropenia Block Murine Granulopoiesis through Colony Stimulating Factor-1

Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) is characterized by a deficiency of mature neutrophils, leading to recurrent bacterial and fungal infections. Although mutations in Elastase-2, neutrophil (ELA2) predominate in human SCN, mutation of Ela2 in mice does not recapitulate SCN. The growth factor independent-1 (GFI1) transcription factor regulates ELA2. Mutations in GFI1 are associated with human SCN, and genetic deletion of Gfi1 results in murine neutropenia. We examined whether human SCN-associated GFI1N382S mutant proteins are causal in SCN and found that GFI1 functions as a rate-limiting granulopoietic molecular switch. The N382S mutation inhibited GFI1 DNA binding and resulted in a dominant-negative block to murine granulopoiesis. Moreover, Gfi1N382S selectively derepressed the monopoietic cytokine CSF1 and its receptor. Gfi1N382S-expressing Csf1-/- cells formed neutrophils. These results reveal a common transcriptional program that underlies both human and murine myelopoiesis, and that is central to the pathogenesis of SCN associated with mutations in GFI1. This shared transcriptional pathway may provide new avenues for understanding SCN caused by mutations in other genes and for clinical intervention into human neutropenias.
Coupled Climate Model appraisal: A benchmark for future studies

Studies of future climate scenarios, such as those conducted in support of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, http://www.ipcc.ch/), rely heavily on numerical experiments performed with coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models (OAGCMs). In order to assess the results of such climate change experiments, a benchmark for evaluating model performance is required.To provide this benchmark, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) conducted an extensive appraisal of multidecadal climate simulations by 11 coupled OAGCMs that were developed during the period of 1995–2002 [Bader etal., 2004]. While diverse representations of atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, land, and of their respective couplings were employed (see Table 1), all of these climate models were run with current values of solar and greenhouse gas radiative forcings. Thus, by comparing details of the OAGCM simulations with analogous facets of climate observations, the needed model-performance benchmark can be obtained. If, for instance, a model simulation closely replicates the salient features of the present climate, a necessary (though not sufficient) condition is met for placing some confidence in the model's projections of the climate of the next several decades.
ru2hot?: A public health education campaign for men who have sex with men to increase awareness of symptoms of acute HIV infection

Objectives Teach HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) symptoms of acute HIV infection (AHI) and direct them to nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) though Public Health—Seattle & King County (PHSKC). Design Cross-sectional surveys, retrospective database analysis and chart review. Methods Beginning in June 2009, the ru2hot? campaign described AHI symptoms and NAAT. Two preintervention and two postintervention surveys assessed campaign visibility, symptom knowledge, and healthcare-seeking behaviour. Regression analyses evaluated secular trends in case-finding. Results 366 MSM completed surveys. In survey 4, 23% of 100 men reported seeing the campaign, and 25% knew ‘ru2hot?’ referred to AHI. From survey 1 to survey 4, the proportion of subjects who knew ≥2 symptoms or that AHI was a ‘flu-like’ illness was unchanged (61% vs 57%, p=0.6). However, in survey 4, 13 (72%) of 18 subjects who saw the campaign named fever as a symptom of AHI compared with 19 (35%) of 55 subjects who had not seen the campaign (p=0.005). From 9/2003 to 12/2010, 622 (2.2%) of 27 661 MSM tested HIV-positive, and 111 (18%) were identified by the Public Health—Seattle & King County NAAT programme. In terms of the impact of the campaign on case-finding, diagnosis of EIA-negative/NAAT-positive and OraQuick-negative/EIA-positive cases increased from six in 2004 to 20 in 2010 (p=0.01), but postcampaign numbers were unchanged. 23 (51%) of 45 cases identified before and 8 (44%) of 18 cases identified after the campaign reported symptoms at initial testing (p=0.6). Conclusions Although a quarter of MSM surveyed saw the campaign and knowledge of fever (the symptom of emphasis) was high, case-finding was unchanged. Increasing campaign visibility could have had greater impact.
Expression of expanded polyglutamine targets profilin for degradation and alters actin dynamics

Huntington's disease is caused by polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin protein. Huntingtin directly interacts with profilin, a major actin monomer sequestering protein and a key integrator of signals leading to actin polymerization. We observed a progressive loss of profilin in the cerebral cortex of Huntington's disease patients, and in cell culture and Drosophila models of polyglutamine disease. This loss of profilin is likely due to increased degradation through the ubiquitin proteasome system. Profilin loss reduces the F/G actin ratio, indicating a shift in actin polymerization. Overexpression of profilin abolishes mutant huntingtin toxicity in cells and partially ameliorates the morphological and functional eye phenotype and extends lifespan in a transgenic polyglutamine Drosophila model. These results indicate a link between huntingtin and profilin and implicate profilin in Huntington's disease pathogenesis.
Varicella in Day Care Centers

Spread of varicella in day care is controlled by excluding children at the first signs of illness. Exclusion is generally ineffective. Minimally ill children might be permitted to attend day care. This approach may lead to exposure of those in high-risk groups, i.e., adults or immunocompromised children. Morbidity is greater in adults, but susceptibility among day care workers is probably low. Immunocompromised children can be vaccinated or given varicella-zoster immune globulin (VZIG) after exposure. Questions about the risks of varicella-zoster vaccination (V-Z) concern the production of latent infection and subsequent zoster and the effect on the epidemiology of infection, i.e., its possible delay until adulthood. Zoster has been found not to be more frequent in immunized than in nonimmunized leukemic children, and normal vaccinees retain good antibody titers five years after vaccination and have titers similar to individuals who have had varicella 10 years after vaccination. Vaccine efficacy is excellent, but its desirability will be determined after resolution of questions concerning the long-term impact of its use.
ygiW and qseBC are co-expressed in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and regulate biofilm growth.

The quorum-sensing Escherichia coli regulators B and C (QseBC) two-component system were previously shown to regulate biofilm growth of the oral pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and to be essential for virulence. In this study, we use RT-PCR to show that an open reading frame, ygiW, residing upstream of qseBC and encoding a hypothetical protein is co-expressed with qseBC. In addition, using a series of lacZ transcriptional fusion constructs and 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE), the promoter that drives expression of the ygiW-qseBC operon and the transcriptional start site was mapped to the 372 bp intergenic region upstream from ygiW. No internal promoters drive qseBC expression independently from ygiW. However, qseBC expression is attenuated by approximately ninefold by a putative attenuator stem–loop (ΔG = −77.0 KJ/mol) that resides in the 137 bp intergenic region between ygiW and qseB. The QseB response regulator activates expression of the ygiW-qseBC operon and transcription from the ygiW promoter is drastically reduced in ΔqseB and ΔqseBC mutants of A. actinomycetemcomitans. In addition, transcriptional activity of the ygiW promoter is significantly reduced in a mutant expressing an in-frame deletion of qseC that lacks the sensor domain of QseC, suggesting that a periplasmic signal is required for QseB activation. Finally, a non-polar in-frame deletion in ygiW had little effect on biofilm depth but caused a significant increase in surface coverage relative to wild-type. Complementation of the mutant with a plasmid-borne copy of ygiW reduced surface coverage back to wild-type levels. Interestingly, deletion of the sensor domain of QseC or of the entire qseC open reading frame resulted in significant reductions in biofilm depth, biomass and surface coverage, indicating that the sensor domain is essential for optimal biofilm formation by A. actinomycetemcomitans. Thus, although ygiW and qseBC are co-expressed, they regulate biofilm growth by distinct mechanisms.
A New Approach to Identify Functional Modules Using Random Matrix Theory

The advance in high-throughput genomic technologies including microarrays has generated a tremendous amount of gene expression data for the entire genome. Deciphering transcriptional networks that convey information on members of gene clusters and cluster interactions is a crucial analysis task in the post-sequence era. Most of the existing analysis methods for large-scale genome-wide gene expression profiles involve several steps that often require human intervention. We propose a random matrix theory-based approach to analyze the cross correlations of gene expression data in an entirely automatic and objective manner to eliminate the ambiguities and subjectivity inherent to human decisions. The correlations calculated from experimental measurements typically contain both "genuine" and "random" components. In the proposed approach, we remove the "random" component by testing the statistics of the eigenvalues of the correlation matrix against a "null hypothesis" - a truly random correlation matrix obtained from mutually uncorrelated expression data series. Our investigation on the components of deviating eigenvectors using varimax orthogonal rotation reveals distinct functional modules. We apply the proposed approach to the publicly available yeast cycle expression data and produce a transcriptional network that consists of interacting functional modules. The experimental results nicely conform to those obtained in previously published literatures
Activated macrophages demonstrate direct cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and enhanced binding of Naegleria fowleri amoebae.

Abstract Macrophages activated in vivo by injection of Corynebacterium parvum or bacillus Calmette-Guerin caused direct cytolysis of the pathogenic free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, in vitro. Amoebicidal activity was time and cell density-dependent but was not dependent on the presence of specific antibody. Antibody-dependent cellular cytoxicity for amoebae was also expressed by activated macrophages. Resident and thioglycolate-elicited macrophages demonstrated low cytolytic activity under all conditions tested. From scanning electron microscopy it appears that the degree of target cell binding is directly related to the degree of cytolysis expressed by the macrophage populations. Cell-cell contact was required for cytolysis of amoebae by activated macrophages since cytolysis did not occur when contact was blocked by a porous filter. For each macrophage population, the levels of amoebicidal activity and tumoricidal activity were comparable.
Alkali Attack of Glass Surfaces by Molten Salts

The surface reaction of soda-lime-silica, sodium borosilicate, soda-zirconia-silica, and soda-alumina-silica glasses with pure molten sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide was investigated at 350° and 425°C, respectively. Chemical durability of these glasses is assessed in terms of an acid-base concept in which the glass network forms the acid function. Use of a mixture of sodium hydroxide in sodium nitrate resulted in a tenfold increase in the zirconia-silica glass durability at concentrations up to 60 mole % sodium hydroxide.
Application of adaptive joint time-frequency processing to ISAR image enhancement and Doppler feature extraction for targets with rotating parts

A new methodology based on adaptive joint time-frequency processing is proposed to separate the interference due to fast rotating parts from the original ISAR image of the target. The technique entails adaptively searching for the linear chirp bases which best represent the time-frequency behavior of the signal and fully parameterizing the signal with these basis functions. The signal components due to the fast rotating part are considered to be associated with those chirp bases having large displacement and slope parameters. While the signal components due to the target body motion are represented by those chirp bases having relatively small displacement and slope parameters. By sorting these chirp bases according to their slopes and displacements, the scattering due to the fast rotating part can be separated from that due to the target body. Consequently, the image artifacts overlapping with the original image of the target can be removed and a clean ISAR image can be produced. Furthermore, useful rotation rate information contained in the Doppler signal can be extracted. Successful applications of the algorithm to numerically simulated and measurement data show the robustness of the algorithm.
Do Sustainable Urban Designs Generate More Ecosystem Services? A Case Study of Civano in Tucson, Arizona

Empirical evidence of environmental performance of urban areas designed according to the principles of sustainable urbanism is limited. Using the case study of Civano, a planned development that was designed and marketed as a sustainable community in Tucson, Arizona, we quantify fine-scale differences in urban form and delivery of ecosystem services. We found that the urban design of the first phase of development translated to the lowest surface temperatures and highest albedo and vegetative density. The first and second phases of the development greatly reduced potable water consumption through the addition of nonpotable resources; however, the second phase had higher temperatures and less dense vegetation than even the conventional development. Our results show modest improvements in environmental performance through sustainable urbanism and suggest further refinement in fine-scale spatial analysis of the role of urban design in the provisioning of services.
Relatives' Awareness of Their Own Expressed Emotion as Measured by a Self‐Report Adjective Checklist

Relatives' ratings of their affective attitudes toward a schizophrenic family member (N = 54) on a self-report adjective checklist were compared with two methods for rating expressed emotion (EE)--the original Camberwell Family Interview (CFI-EE) and a Five-Minute Speech Sample method (FMSS-EE). Eighty-four relatives were included in the sample. Results indicate that, in general, the relatives in the present sample perceive in themselves attitudes toward the patient that parallel those assessed by outside raters. A higher rate of correspondence was found between adjective ratings and concurrent FMSS-EE status than with prior CFI-EE status. Relatives classified as high-EE, critical by either method, were more readily discriminable in their adjective ratings from those rated low-EE than were relatives rated high-EE on the basis of emotional overinvolvement.
Predicting Utility of Exercise Tests Based on History/Holter in Patients with Premature Ventricular Contractions

Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are considered benign in patients with structurally normal hearts, particularly if they suppress with exercise. Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) requires exercise testing to unmask the malignant phenotype. We studied risk factors and Holter monitor variables to help predict the necessity of exercise testing in patients with PVCs. We retrospectively reviewed 81 patients with PVCs that suppressed at peak exercise and structurally normal hearts referred to the exercise laboratory in 2011. We reviewed 11 patients from 2003 to 2012 whose PVCs were augmented at peak exercise (mean age 13 ± 4 years; 52 % male, 180 exercise studies). We recorded clinical risk factors and comorbidities (family history of arrhythmia or sudden unexpected death [SUD], presence of syncope) and Holter testing parameters. Family history of VT or SUD (P = 0.011) and presence of VT on Holter (P = 0.011) were significant in predicting failure of PVCs to suppress at peak heart rate on exercise testing. Syncope was not statistically significant in predicting suppression (P = 0.18); however, CPVT was diagnosed in four patients with syncope during exercise. Quantity of PVCs, Lown grade, couplets on Holter, monomorphism, and PVC elimination at peak heart rate on Holter were not predictors of PVC suppression on exercise testing. Patients with syncope during exercise, family history of arrhythmia or SUD, or a Holter monitor showing VT warrant exercise testing to assess for CPVT.
Inferential searches of knowledge networks as an approach to extensible language understanding systems

A program has been constructed that implements some inference schemes for inferring the meaning of noun-noun, adjective-noun, and agent-verb-object phrases from the constituent words. Dictionary definitions of words are input directly into a semantic network using a context free grammar implemented in a production system. To interpret a novel phrase (e.g., lawn mower, car tire, car wheel) semantically, an intersection search originating from the nodes representing the constituent words is performed in the semantic network. If an intersection is found, a meaning for the phrase is produced; otherwise the phrase is not interpreted. During this interpretation, only knowledge provided by dictionary definitions and parts of speech of words is used.
Metamorphic Protein IscU Changes Conformation by cis–trans Isomerizations of Two Peptidyl–Prolyl Peptide Bonds

IscU from Escherichia coli, the scaffold protein for iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis and transfer, populates two conformational states with similar free energies and with lifetimes on the order of 1 s that interconvert in an apparent two-state reaction. One state (S) is structured, and the other (D) is largely disordered; however, both play essential functional roles. We report here nuclear magnetic resonance studies demonstrating that all four prolyl residues of apo-IscU (P14, P35, P100, and P101) are trans in the S state but that two absolutely conserved residues (P14 and P101) become cis in the D state. The peptidyl-prolyl peptide bond configurations were determined by analyzing assigned chemical shifts and were confirmed by measurements of nuclear Overhauser effects. We conclude that the S ⇄ D interconversion involves concerted trans-cis isomerization of the N13-P14 and P100-P101 peptide bonds. Although the D state is largely disordered, we show that it contains an ordered domain that accounts for the stabilization of two high-energy cis peptide bonds. Thus, IscU may be classified as a metamorphic protein.
Velocity reversals and sediment sorting in pools and riffles controlled by channel constrictions

Abstract Keller [Keller, E.A., 1971. Areal sorting of bed-load material: the hypothesis of velocity reversal. Geological Society of America Bulletin 82, 753–756] hypothesized that at high flow, near-bed velocities in pools exceed velocities in riffles and create pool scour. Pools, however, typically have larger cross-sectional areas of flow at bankfull discharge. This condition raises an inconsistency with Keller's velocity reversal hypothesis and the one-dimensional continuity of mass equation. To address this problem, a model of pool maintenance and sediment sorting is proposed that relies on constriction of flow by recirculating eddies and flow divergence over the exit-slopes of pools. According to the model, a narrow zone of high velocity occurs in the center of pools, creating scour. Along the downstream end of pools, an uphill climb of particles up the pool exit-slope promotes sediment deposition. The model is tested with field and flume measurements of velocity, water-surface elevation, and size of bed sediments in recirculating-eddy influenced pools. Local reversals of the water-surface gradient were measured in the field and a velocity reversal was created in the flume. The reversals that were measured indicate higher gradients of the water surface over the upstream portions of pools and higher velocities in pools at high flow. The distribution of bed sediments collected in the field also support the proposed model of pool maintenance.
Estuarine intertidal sandflat benthic microalgal responses to in situ and mesocosm nitrogen additions

Abstract Benthic microalgal communities are important components of estuarine food webs and make substantial contributions to coastal materials cycling. Nitrogen is generally the limiting factor for marine primary production; however other factors can limit benthic primary producers because of their access to the additional nutrients found in sediment porewater. Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that water column nitrogen supply affects estuarine sandflat benthic microalgal community structure and function. Our field and mesocosm experiments assessed changes at both the population and functional group levels. Simulated water column nitrogen additions increased maximum community photosynthesis in most cases (Pb max from photosynthesis vs. irradiance curves). Additional changes that resulted from nitrogen additions were decreases in porewater phosphate, increases in porewater ammonium, shifts in community composition from N 2 fixing cyanobacteria toward diatoms, and detectable, though not statistically significant increases in biomass (as chlorophyll a ). Results from field and laboratory experiments were quite similar, suggesting that laboratory experiments support accurate predictions of the response of intertidal benthic microalgae to changes in water column nutrient conditions.
Coherent Phonon Excitation by Ultrafast Pulse Trains

Time resolved reflectivity of bismuth thin film evaporated on a silicon substrate is measured by an 80 femtosecond (fs) laser at a center wavelength of 800 nm. The reflectivity data reveal that coherent optical phonons (A1g ) near 2.9 THz (1 THz = 1012 Hz) are excited by the 80 fs laser pulses. Analyses of the reflectivity data reveal key parameters related to electron and phonon dynamics, including phonon excitation and de-phasing and electron-phonon energy coupling. It is also found that the phonon frequency peaks are red-shifted and broadened at higher laser fluences. We also show that the phonon oscillation can be manipulated by specifically designed ultrafast pulse trains with different pulse separation times.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Rotating Modons over Isolated Topographic Features

Abstract In this paper steadily rotating modons that are trapped over topographic features with finite horizontal length scales are described. The quasigeostrophic equation over topography is transformed to a frame rotating with angular frequency ω, and steady solutions are sought that decay monotonically outside of a circle of radius, r=ra. These conditions are imposed upon an isolated seamount or depression of the form η=h0[1−(r/rb)m] (and η=0 for r≥rb) with primary focus on the m=2 case. Two different scenarios result from this choice of topography and correspond to ra/rb=α½≥1 or α½≤1. There are three solution regions compared with the usual two for rectilinear modons. Both scenarios result in a countable infinity of both radial and azimuthal modes. In addition, it is found that an axisymmetric flow with a particular form but arbitrary amplitude can be added to the basic modon multipole solutions. The angular frequency is then found as a function of α and this axisymmetric flow amplitude. Topographical...