cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Organic carbon in sediments underlying the Ross Ice Shelf

Abstract Percentages (mean = 0.36) and δ13C values ( mean = −25.4‰ vs PDB ) for organic carbon in 13 samples in the top meter of sediments, of Miocene age, underlying the Ross Ice Shelf at Site J9 indicate organic carbon deposition during the Miocene much like that of Recent time, i.e. a mixture of organic carbon-rich polar diatom ooze with δ13C signature of about −27‰ and older kerogen contained in indurated shale fragments with percent and δ13C of about 0.1 and −22‰, respectively.
The acquisition of English past tense in an instructional setting

Abstract The development of past tense verbal morphology among second language learners has been associated with the lexical-semantics of verbal predicates, or the saliency and frequency of past tense morphology. The relative effect of the above-mentioned factors was analyzed in written and orally elicited narratives of 14 classroom learners of English (native speakers of Spanish in their home country). The results show that the effect of the cognitive saliency of frequent and irregular verbal morphology appears to be more important than the effect of lexical aspect in the beginning stages of development of inflectional endings. The results were analyzed from the perspective of two distinct cognitive processes in the development of inflectional endings in a second language: lexical (item) learning versus rule-based learning. The above-mentioned findings are discussed in terms of the potential value of developmental sequences for second language acquisition.
Effect of axially projected oligothiophene pendants and nitro-functionalized diimine ligands on the lowest excited state in cationic Ir(III) bis-cyclometalates.

The novel terthiophene (3T) oligomer 6 and a series of cationic Ir(III) bis-cyclometalates [Ir(C∧N)2(N∧N)]PF69–12 were prepared. The synthesis, characterization, electrochemical, and photophysical properties are reported. The cyclometalating ligands (C∧N) are 2-phenylpyridinato (ppy) or the 3T oligomer (3T-ppy), asymmetrically capped in the 5 and 5″ positions with the ppy and mesityl groups. The diimine ligands (N∧N) are 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) or 4-NO2-bipyridine (4-NO2-bpy). Hybrid metal-organic complexes 11 and 12 bear 3T-pendants ligated through the ppy cap, 10 and 12 contain NO2 functionalized diimines, whereas 9 contains neither. Structural characterization of 10 by single crystal X-ray diffraction confirms the presence of the NO2 substituent and pseudo-octahedral coordination geometry about the Ir(III) ion. Cyclic voltammetry highlights the large electron withdrawing effect of the NO2 substituent, providing an 850 mV shift toward lower potentials for the first diimine centered reduction of 10 and 12....
Gravity observations at sea in USS Conger, Cruise III

Principal facts, including free-air and simple Bouguer anomalies, are presented for 60 gravity observations at sea. A Vening Meinesz pendulum apparatus was used during the gravity measuring cruise of USS Conger (SS477), Cruise III. Excluding anomalies associated'with the Puerto Rico Trench and the continental margin, free-air anomalies observed on a line between San Juan, P. R., and New London, Conn., are −10 to −50 mgal. If the standard oceanic crustal section of Worzel and Shurbet is adopted as a reference, these anomalies can be explained by variations of the sediment or, the crustal rock thicknesses of not more than 1 km from normal oceanic thicknesses, or both.
Evidence for a Soft Nuclear-Matter Equation of State

The entropy of the fireball formed in central collisions of heavy nuclei at center-of-mass kinetic energies of a few hundred MeV per nucleon is estimated from the ratio of deuterons to protons at large transverse momentum. The observed paucity of deuterons suggests that strong attractive forces are present in hot, dense nuclear matter, or that degrees of freedom beyond the nucleon and pion may already be realized at an excitation energy of 100 MeV per baryon.
MODULATION OF CELL MIGRATION AND VESSEL FORMATION BY VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR AND BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR IN CULTURED EMBRYONIC HEART

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulate endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and vascular tube formation. We tested the hypotheses that these growth factors stimulate (1) cell migration and (2) assembly into cord-like structures in embryonic rat heart explants cultured on collagen gels. Atrial and ventricular explants from rat embryos at 12 (E12, avascular) and 14 (E14, early vascularization stage) days of gestation were cultured on a collagen substrate. Western blot analysis of the explants indicated that endogenous VEGF was present in both atria and ventricles during incubation. Addition of bFGF to E12 explants markedly increased cell migration, whereas VEGF had no significant effect. In E14 explants neither growth factor influenced cell migration. Cotreatment with VEGF and bFGF did not have a synergistic effect on the migration distance of cells from either E12 or E14 embryonic hearts. However, VEGF stimulated the appearance of cord-like structures in E14, but not E12, explants. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that these cord-like structures consist of elongated cells, some of which aggregate into clusters, or form tube-like structures, similar to capillaries. Serial sections of monolayers revealed that tube formation occurs beneath the surface of collagen gel. We conclude that in this model system VEGF and bFGF play distinct roles, at specific time points, in coronary vascular tube formation in the developing heart. ©1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
PER CAPITA EFFECTS AND BURROW MORPHOLOGY OF A BURROWING ISOPOD (SPHAEROMA QUOIANUM) IN DIFFERENT ESTUARINE SUBSTRATA

Marine wood-borers and burrowers can substantially alter habitats and human-created structures in the marine environment. While many marine borers and burrowers occur only in a few substrata, burrowing sphaeromatid isopods can damage a variety of substrata. On the Pacific coast of North America, burrowing by the non-native isopod, Sphaeroma quoianum, accelerates shoreline erosion and damages marine structures. We conducted a lab experiment to quantify the per capita burrowing effect of S. quoianum on four common estuarine substrata. After two months, isopods created longer and more voluminous burrows and removed the most material (per capita) in marsh banks and Styrofoam followed by sandstone and non-decayed wood. We also examined the burrow morphology (length, diameter, volume) of burrows of S. quoianum from those four substrata collected in the field. We observed longer and more voluminous burrows in marsh bank and Styrofoam substrata, although we only detected a significant difference in length between substrata. Based on our lab results, we estimate a population of 100 000 adult isopods burrowing for two months could remove approximately 176 liters of marsh bank, 103 l of Styrofoam, 72 l of sandstone, or 29 l of non-decayed wood. While the per capita bioerosion effects are lower than some bioeroders, e.g., the shipworm Bankia setacea, the pholad Penitella penita, high densities and wide distributions of S. quoianum suggest it is a substantial bioeroder within the intertidal and shallow subtidal in temperate Coos Bay, Oregon, and perhaps the other estuaries it has invaded.
Instruction, Development, and Achievement of Struggling Primary Grade Readers.

Abstract This study examined the phonics and reading achievement of 117 primary grade students in 14 schools and 42 classrooms. Students received instruction in one of six different reading programs or models based upon the school they attended. Through qualitative data collection and analysis of specific instructional practices, it was determined that no model or program proved more effective for the learning of phonics in the first grade after one year of instruction. However, when observed after the second year of instruction, these children seemed to achieve differently on reading comprehension measures.
Is Apathy a Valid and Meaningful Symptom or Syndrome in Parkinson's Disease? A Critical Review

Objective To review the nearly 30 papers suggesting that apathy may occur frequently in Parkinson's disease (PD) and that it may be a symptom or syndrome that is separate from depression. Method Literature review. Results The review revealed three possible explanations for the high rates of apathy found in PD. First, there is much interest in an endogenous explanation of apathy because the basal ganglia and dopamine are implicated in both PD and apathy. Researchers have suggested links between apathy, dopamine depletion, and basal ganglia dysfunction in PD. Second, apathy in PD may be exogenous, resulting from disability and activity restriction. Third, apathy findings are inflated due to conceptual problems and methodological confounds. Indeed, apathy may be consistently confounded with symptoms of PD, including expressive masking, depression, disability, and cognitive decline. Conclusion Because apathy has not yet been found to relate to meaningful patient outcomes, and it appears that other factors such as depression and cognition are more strongly related to quality of life than apathy, there is not enough evidence to conclude that apathy is a clinically meaningful syndrome in PD. The role of PD in motivation is of theoretical and practical interest and deserves further research.
Production of sterigmatocystin by Aspergillus versicolor QM 432 used in fungus resistance tests for United States military specifications

A study was made to determine whether Aspergillus flavus (QM 380; NRRL 3537; ATCC 9643) and Aspergillus versicolor (QM 432; NRRL 573; ATCC 16,020), mold strains routinely combined in fungus resistance tests for United States military specification (MIL-STD-810B; MIL-STD-331A), were capable of producing aflatoxins or sterigmatocystin when grown separately or in mixed culture fermentations of cracked corn (11 days at 25 °C or 28 °C). Substantial quantities of sterigmatocystin (average of 3 replicates= 1,895 ppb) were detected when A. versicolor was the sole colonist. No sterigmatocystin was detected when A. versicolor was simultaneously inoculated with other molds. Aflatoxins were not detected in any of the treatment combinations.
Hydrogen hopping rates and the order–disorder transitions in sub-stoichiometric lanthanum trihydride

Abstract Extensive measurements of proton magnetic resonance lineshapes and spin–lattice relaxation rates in sub-stoichiometric lanthanum trihydrides, prepared from highest purity La metal, furnish clear evidence for the coexistence of ordered and disordered hydrogen sublattices over an extended temperature range terminating with the onset of semiconducting behavior. This phenomenon persists even at the stoichiometric limit, LaH3. Analysis of resonance lineshape intensities yields Ht=0.080±0.020 eV for the enthalpy of the order–disorder transition in LaH2.99, and analysis of intensities in relaxation rate measurements yields Ht=0.066±0.020 eV for this enthalpy in LaH2.90. A second, higher temperature transition in the hydrogen hopping rate appears to coincide with the onset of semiconducting behavior.
Small clades at the periphery of passerine morphological space.

Abstract: Among passerine birds (order Passeriformes), tribe‐ to family‐level clades with five or fewer species are more frequent than one would expect from a homogeneous speciation and extinction process. Previous analyses also suggested that small clades tend to be marginal geographically and/or ecologically. In this study, I use principal component (PC) scores based on eight log‐transformed measurements of the wing, tail, leg, and beak to test the hypothesis that small clades (≤5 species) occupy peripheral positions in morphological space. Species in smaller clades exhibited higher absolute deviations and greater standard deviations on PC axes 4, 6, and 7, reflecting peripheral positions associated with relatively long toes, sometimes in contrast with short legs, and relatively small beaks compared with other birds. These extreme morphological characters are related to foraging on hard substrates, such as rock or bark, or feeding from perched positions or in dense vegetation. The implication that these...
On the dispersion function in particle transport theory

iz 1(3, #, ~0) + I(3, ~, e) =-~ -1 0 where c > 0 is the mean number of secondary particles per collision, p is the direction cosine of the propagating radiation and ~0 is the azimuthal angle. In addition O is the scattering angle, and we consider scattering laws that can be adequately represented by a finite Legendre expansion, i.e. L ;(cos O) = ~ (2l+ 1)fPl(cos O), 3~ = 1. (2) l=0 Using the addition theorem to write Eq. (2) as L l p(cos O) = ~ ~ (2 - 60,m) fit m P~ (/z) P~ (/.t') cos m(~0- ~0'),
A note on containment of operators

Two new types of containment of operators on Hilbert space, namely partial containment and semi-containment are introduced. We show in Proposition 11 that A is semi-contained in B if and only if the map P(B) → P(A) for polynomials P extends to be an ultra-weakly continuous completely positive map from all bounded operators on the underlying Hilbert space of B . We show in Theorem 15 that if an isometry is semi-contained in a contraction T , then T has a non-zero invariant subspace on which T is isometric. The semi-equivalence class of the simple unilateral shift is characterized in Theorem 18, and we show that a unilateral positive-weighted shift semi-contains the unilateral shift if and only the weights are eventually 1.
A Simplified Method for Determining Reactive rate Parameters for Reaction Ignition and Growth in Explosives

A simplified method for determining the reactive rate parameters for the ignition and growth model is presented. This simplified ignition and growth (SIG) method consists of only two adjustable parameters, the ignition (I) and growth (G) rate constants. The parameters are determined by iterating these variables in DYNA2D hydrocode simulations of the failure diameter and the gap test sensitivity until the experimental values are reproduced. Examples of four widely different explosives were evaluated using the SIG model. The observed embedded gauge stress-time profiles for these explosives are compared to those calculated by the SIG equation and the results are described.
Sound-aided recovery from and persistence against visual filling-in

Disappearance phenomena, in which salient visual stimuli do not register consciously, have been known to occur. Recovery from such phenomena typically occurs through change in some visual attribute, such as increase in luminance contrast or stimulus duration. Thus far, there have been no reports of cross-modal modulation of disappearance phenomena. In particular, what effect a cross-modal attentional cue has on sensory suppression is unknown. Here, we show that an adapted, flickered visual target that is synchronous with a brief sound appears more vivid than a similarly adapted, otherwise identical, visual target that is offset in time by more than 200 ms from the auditory cue. We argue that the brief auditory stimuli momentarily boost the concurrent signal of the adapted visual stimulus at a site downstream of the visual adaptation, thus causing the transient recovery from the visual adaptation. Repetitive visual cues cause significantly less recovery from visual adaptation than repetitive auditory cues, implying that there are functions a cross-modal cue can perform that a cue of the same modality cannot. Moreover repetitive auditory cues selectively prevent synchronous visual targets from undergoing visual adaptation. Ours is the first report of cross-modal modulation of a disappearance phenomenon.
Biology of the Caddisfly Oligostomis ocelligera (Trichoptera: Phryganeidae) Inhabiting Acidic Mine Drainage in Pennsylvania

Abstract Oligostomis ocelligera (a phryganeid caddisfly) is reported for the first time from a degraded lotic system—a first-order stream in north-central Pennsylvania that was severely impacted by acid mine drainage. Although uncommonly collected and poorly known, O. ocelligera maintained a substantial population in the mine discharge, free of competition from Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, and other species of Trichoptera. It thrived under conditions of very low pH (2.58–3.13), high concentrations of sulfate (542 mg/L) and heavy metals (Fe 12 mg/L, Mn 14 mg/L, Al 16 mg/L), and a nearly uniform springbrook-like temperature regime. More than 350 larvae were collected from deposits of leaves and woody detritus in a pool 0.32 km downstream from the mine entrance over a two-year period. Measurement of head-capsule widths yielded a multimodal distribution with five peaks, corresponding to five instars, in conformity with Dyar's Law. Eighty-three egg masses were observed along the stream channel from 3 June to 12 ...
Influence of Native Language Vocabulary and Topic Knowledge on Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning in Health Care Providers

Adults attending short, language for specific purpose courses may have expertise not utilized in general foreign language courses. The present study investigates two factors that may influence the acquisition of medical Spanish vocabulary in such persons: native English vocabulary size and topic knowledge. Forty-four health care workers attended 12 hr of medical Spanish instruction. Prior to instruction, the Nelson–Denny Vocabulary Test, a Medical Spanish vocabulary test, and an English Medical Terminology Test (an indicator of topic knowledge) were administered. The Medical Spanish Vocabulary Test was readministered at posttest. Individually, both English medical terminology knowledge and English vocabulary size were significant predictors of medical Spanish vocabulary acquisition, but English medical terminology knowledge explained most of the variance in medical Spanish vocabulary acquisition. The results are discussed in terms of the impact of expert memory organization on the ability to learn new labels in a second language. A curricular shift toward content-centered vocabulary in language for specific purpose courses may be advantageous for some groups of foreign language learners.
BH3-Only Molecule Bim Mediates β-Cell Death in IRS2 Deficiency

Irs2-deficient mice develop type 2–like diabetes due to a reduction in β-cell mass and a failure of pancreatic islets to undergo compensatory hyperplasia in response to insulin resistance. In order to define the molecular mechanisms, we knocked down Irs2 gene expression in mouse MIN6 insulinoma cells. Insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) suppression induced apoptotic cell death, which was associated with an increase in expression of the BH3-only molecule Bim. Knockdown (KD) of Bim reduced apoptotic β-cell death induced by IRS2 suppression. In Irs2-deficient mice, Bim ablation restored β-cell mass, decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells, and restored normal glucose tolerance after glucose challenge. FoxO1 mediates Bim upregulation induced by IRS2 suppression, and FoxO1 KD partially inhibits β-cell death induced by IRS2 suppression. These results suggest that Bim plays an important role in mediating the increase in β-cell apoptosis and the reduction in β-cell mass that occurs in IRS2-deficient diabetes.
Decoy Discrimination Using Contact Potentials Based on Delaunay Tessellation of Hydrated Proteins

Three strategies are presented for developing a knowledge-based statistical contact potential from computationally hydrated proteins that may be useful in studies of protein folding and stability. The potentials employ a definition of nearest neighbor contact based on Delaunay tessellation that identifies quadruplets of neighboring residues. The potentials are derived from a large set of proteins with explicit waters of hydration to improve the representation of the protein environment. The decoy discrimination ability of the three potentials as well as an unhydrated potential are evaluated and compared using four sets of publicly available protein decoy structures. The results suggest that the potentials can be used to infer the compatibility of a sequence of residues with a specific protein structure.
Indefinite integral of a confluent hypergeometric function

This letter deals with the evaluation of the indefinite integral I(m, ?) = ? exp (?x)1 F1(m, 1, ?x). It is shown that the result is a confluent hypergeometric function of two variables.
Method for studying translocation of some radioisotopes into organs from site of injection.

Doses of 0.05 mc of Y/sup 90/ Cl/sub 3/ solution and of CrP/sup 32/O/sub 4/ colloidal suspension in 0.05 or 0.1 ml were injected into ventral surface of tails in mice. At intervals of 1 minute to 3 days after injection, tails were serially amputated and preserved until 3rd day when every mouse was sacrificed; their organs (liver, lung, spleen, kidney), tails and heart blood (0.3 ml) were emulsified, dried and tested for radioactivity content with a Geiger Tube Detector. Results showed only a narrow range of radioactivity for each organ specimen calculated ss a product of the average blood radioactivity in the same group of mice (amputated at the same time). The calculated and tabulated data show that a significant proportion of CrP/sup 32/ O/sub 4/ was translocated Into the liver from the tail; for Y/sup 90/ the initial storage in the tail was very high, but some translocation occurred, presumably by excretion. The pattern of Y/ sup 90/and CrP/sup 32/O/sub 4/ distribution in the body after injection into the tail wss comparable to delayed results of intravenous injection; this resemblance was interpreted by high vascularization of the tail. It was concluded that the method of serial tail amputationmore » may be useful for outlining ths dynamics of isotopes spread in bodies of experimental animals. (auth)« less
Quantum mechanical study of putative intermediates in adduct formation by the suicide substrate ethylene with cytochrome P-450

We report INDO calculations on putative intermediates in the oxidative metabolism of ethylene by cytochrome P-450 leading to either the epoxide or the formation of an adduct at the pyrrole nitrogen of the porphyrin. We also report the characterization of a ferryl model which has been postulated to be the active oxygen state involved in oxidation reactions involving cytochrome P-450. Our results suggest that adduct formation proceeds via a radical process which leaves the oxygen bound to the iron forming a five-membered cyclic structure. The possibility of an intermediate which could lead to either the epoxide or the N-alkylated porphyrin is discussed.
Diabetes (db/db) mutation-induced endometrial epithelial lipoapoptosis: Ultrastructural and cytochemical analysis of reproductive tract atrophy

Background The diabetes (db/db) mutation in C57BL/KsJ mice promotes a progressive cytolipidemia within the endometrial epithelial (EE) layer of the female reproductive tract which results in premature cellular and organ atrophy. The current studies focus on the ultrastructural and cytochemical changes which promote nuclear apoptosis and cytostructural disruption following the expression of endometrial hypercytolipidemia which promotes diabetes-associated organoinvolution and manifest infertility.
Differential responses by psychosocial subgroups of fibromyalgia syndrome patients to an interdisciplinary treatment

Objectives. To evaluate differential treatment responses among 3 empirically derived, psychosocial subgroups of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome to a standard interdisciplinary treatment program. Method. Patients were classified into 1 of 3 psychosocial groups on the basis of their responses to the Multidimensional Pain Inventory. Forty-eight patients completed a 6 one–half-day outpatient treatment program consisting of medical, physical, occupational, and psychological therapies spaced over a period of 4 weeks (3 sessions the first week followed by 1 session per week for the next 3 consecutive weeks). Results. Statistically significant reductions were observed in pain, affective distress, perceived disability, and perceived interference of pain in the patients characterized by poor coping and high level of pain (“dysfunctional” group). In contrast, individuals who were characterized by interpersonal difficulties (“interpersonally distressed” group) exhibited poor responses to the treatment. “Adaptive copers,” the third group, revealed significant improvements in pain but due to low pretreatment levels of affective distress and disability showed little improvement on these outcomes. Conclusions. The results provided support for the hypothesis that customizing treatment based on patients' psychosocial needs will lead to enhanced treatment efficacy. They also emphasize the importance of using appropriate outcome criteria, as low levels of problems at baseline are not likely to show significant changes following any treatment.
Specifying the Sources of Misperceptions of Peer Deviance: A Tale of Two Levels

“Peer deviance” is normally measured through one’s perceptions of the deviant behavior of friends. However, recent research suggests that peer deviance perceptions may be inaccurate and unreflective of a peer’s actual deviance. Using dyadic data, the current study addresses the potential for three distinct sources of misperceptions of peer deviance stemming from (a) the actor who generates the perception, (b) the friend about whose deviance is perceived, and (c) the friendship between the actor and the friend. Using multilevel regression alongside analyses of variance (ANOVAs), results demonstrate that misperceptions, overperceptions, and underperceptions of peer deviance occur frequently and systematically covary with the deviant behavior of the perceiver, the friend, and the total amount of deviance within the friendship.
Using Data Mining to Predict K-12 Students' Performance on Large-Scale Assessment Items Related to Energy.

This article reports a study on using data mining to predict K-12 students' competence levels on test items related to energy. Data sources are the 1995 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), 1999 TIMSS-Repeat, 2003 Trend in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Student population performances, that is, percentages correct, are the object of prediction. Two data mining algorithms, C4.5 and M5, are used to construct a decision tree and a linear function to predict students' performance levels. A combination of factors related to content, context, and cognitive demand of items and to students' grade levels are found to predict student population performances on test items. Cognitive demands have the most significant contribution to the prediction. The decision tree and linear function agree with each other on predictions. We end the article by discussing implications of findings for future science content standard development
Clinical Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death by n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Mechanism of Prevention of Arrhythmias by n-3 Fish Oils

This review will be limited specifically to the beneficial prevention by the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of arrhythmic deaths, including sudden cardiac death, which annually causes some 300 000 deaths in the United States and millions more worldwide. We will also show that the growing body of positive clinical studies is supported by what has been learned in animal and laboratory studies regarding the mechanism by which n-3 PUFAs prevent cardiac arrhythmias. See p 2632 Figure 1 shows the 2 essential classes of PUFAs, the n-6 (ω6) and n-3 (ω3) classes. Both classes are “essential” because we cannot make them in our bodies. They must come in our diets, and they are essential for normal growth, development, and optimal function of brain, heart, and probably other systems. The parent fatty acid of the n-6 class, linoleic acid (C18:2n-6; LA) has 18 carbon atoms in its acyl chain, and the first C=C double bond is 6 carbons back from the methyl end of the fatty acid, hence the “n-6” appellation. In the bodies of animals, including humans, LA can be elongated and desaturated through a series of enzymatic steps to form arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6; AA). AA is the source of the n-6 eicosanoids that result from oxygenation of AA by cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, and epoxygenase enzymes to form prostaglandins, leukotrienes, lipoxines, and P-450 compounds, which in many instances are potent cell messengers. Figure 1. Two classes of essential PUFAs. In the chloroplast of green plants, algae, and phytoplankton, LA can be further desaturated in the n-3 position to yield α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3; ALA), the 18-carbon parent fatty acid of the n-3 class. ALA can be further elongated and desaturated by the same enzymes that convert n-6 LA to AA to form the 20-carbon n-3 analog of AA, namely, eicosapentaenoic acid …
Essential Role of IL-21 in B Cell Activation, Expansion, and Plasma Cell Generation during CD4+ T Cell-B Cell Collaboration

During T cell-B cell collaboration, plasma cell (PC) differentiation and Ig production are known to require T cell-derived soluble factors. However, the exact nature of the cytokines produced by activated T cells that costimulate PC differentiation is not clear. Previously, we reported that costimulation of purified human B cells with IL-21 and anti-CD40 resulted in efficient PC differentiation. In this study, we addressed whether de novo production of IL-21 was involved in direct T cell-induced B cell activation, proliferation, and PC differentiation. We found that activated human peripheral blood CD4(+) T cells expressed mRNA for a number of cytokines, including IL-21, which was confirmed at the protein level. Using a panel of reagents that specifically neutralize cytokine activity, we addressed which cytokines are essential for B cell activation and PC differentiation induced by anti-CD3-activated T cells. Strikingly, neutralization of IL-21 with an IL-21R fusion protein (IL-21R-Fc) significantly inhibited T cell-induced B cell activation, proliferation, PC differentiation, and Ig production. Inhibition of PC differentiation was observed even when the addition of IL-21R-Fc was delayed until after initial B cell activation and expansion had occurred. Importantly, IL-21 was found to be involved in PC differentiation from both naive and memory B cells. Finally, IL-21R-Fc did not inhibit anti-CD3-induced CD4(+) T cell activation, but rather directly blocked T cell-induced B cell activation and PC differentiation. These data are the first to document that B cell activation, expansion, and PC differentiation induced by direct interaction of B cells with activated T cells requires IL-21.
Design and fabrication of a micromachined planar patch-clamp substrate with integrated microfluidics for single-cell measurements

We have designed, fabricated, tested, and integrated microfabricated planar patch-clamp substrates and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic components. Substrates with cell-patch-site aperture diameters ranging from 300nm to 12 /spl mu/m were produced using standard MEMS-fabrication techniques. The resistance of the cell-patch sites and substrate capacitance were measured using impedance spectroscopy. The resistance of the microfabricated apertures ranged from 200 k/spl Omega/ to 47 M/spl Omega/ for apertures ranging from 12 /spl mu/m to 750 nm, respectively. The substrate capacitance was 17.2 pF per mm/sup 2/ of fluid contact area for substrates with a 2-/spl mu/m-thick layer of silicon dioxide. In addition, the ability of the planar patch-clamp substrates to form high-resistance seals in excess of 1 G/spl Omega/ has been confirmed using Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1). Testing shows that the microfluidic components are appropriate for driving human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293) to patch apertures, for trapping cells on patch apertures, and for exchanging the extracellular fluid environment.
Using Propensity Score Matching in Educational Research.

This methodological brief introduces the readers to the propensity score matching method, which can be used for enhancing the validity of causal inferences in research situations involving nonexperimental design or observational research, or in situations where the benefits of an experimental design are not fully realized because of reasons beyond the researcher's control (e.g., attrition of participants). This brief discusses the rationale of propensity score matching, the major implementation steps and considerations, and illustrates the procedures with a data example. Some limitations and implementation challenges are also discussed.
Activation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa lasI gene by LasR and the Pseudomonas autoinducer PAI: an autoinduction regulatory hierarchy

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the transcriptional activator LasR and the Pseudomonas autoinducer PAI, are necessary for efficient transcriptional activation of the lasB gene, encoding elastase (L. Passador, J. M. Cook, M.J. Gambello, L. Rust, and B. H. Iglewski, Science 260:1127-1130, 1993). The transcriptional start points of lasI in Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa were determined by S1 nuclease mapping. In the presence of both LasR and PAI, the start site, T1, is located at position -25 relative to the ATG translational start codon. A minor transcriptional start, T2, is found at position -13 when lasI is transcribed in the absence of either LasR or PAI in P. aeruginosa and E. coli, respectively. To begin to closely examine the regulation of lasI, whose product is involved in the synthesis of PAI, a lasI-lacZ fusion on a lambda phage was constructed to form monolysogens of E. coli MG4. Lysogens supplied only with either lasI or lasR via multicopy plasmids demonstrated no significant increase in beta-galactosidase expression compared with control levels. Lysogens in which both lasR and lasI were supplied in multicopy exhibited a 62-fold increase in expression, and a lysogen in which lasR was supplied in trans and which was grown in the presence of exogenous PAI exhibited a 60-fold increase. Thus, LasR and PAI are necessary for the full expression of lasI in E. coli. The interchangeability of the P. aeruginosa and Vibrio fischeri homologs LasR and LuxR and their respective autoinducers, PAI and VAI, as activators of lasI-lacZ was examined. Only the combination of LasR and PAI significantly increased the expression of lasI. The comparison of lasI-lacZ and lasB-lacZ expression lysogens grown in the presence of lasR and PAI revealed that half-maximal expression of lasI required 0.1 nM PAI, in contrast to the 1.0 nM PAI necessary for lasB half-maximal expression. These results suggest an autoinduction regulatory hierarchy in which LasR and low PAI concentrations primarily activate lasI expression in a regulatory loop. With the accumulation of PAI, secondary activation of virulence product genes such as lasB occurs.
Tablewise, a decision table tool

Decision tables are widely used for specifying finite functions, such as finite state transitions. We have developed a tool, Tablewise, that tests decision tables for consistency and completeness, displaying possible inputs for which no output or more than one output is specified. Tablewise also supports a novel form of structural analysis that localizes flaws that cause decision tables to be inconsistent or incomplete. Tablewise can generate Ada code implementing the function defined by a decision table and can generate English-language documentation describing that function. Tablewise uses algorithms based on variants of binary decision diagrams.
Wind-Driven Sand in Coachella Valley, California

An 11-year study provides data on saltating sand driven across a barren, bouldery alluvial plain by strong unidirectional wind. By weight, 50 per cent of the grains travel within 5 inches, and 90 per cent, within 25 inches of the ground. Maximum height attained exceeds 10 feet, even for grains of 3–4 mm. Weight of each grain-size fraction decreases with height, except for particles smaller than 0.062 mm which are presumably in suspension. The weight percentage of grains smaller than 0.125 mm increases with height, that of grains between 0.25 and 0.125 mm decreases with height, and that of still larger grains peaks out at heights increasing with size. This suggests that grains smaller than 0.125 mm are affected by turbulence, and that the rebound height of particles larger than 0.25 mm varies directly with grain size. Grains between 0.125 and 0.25 mm are too large to be significantly affected by turbulence and too small for high rebound. Arithmetic mean grain size within the saltating curtain attains its maximum at heights between 10 and 40 inches, the higher values occurring with stronger winds. Maximum wear of 0.038 inch in 10 years on a vertical lucite rod occurred 9 inches above the ground. This represents the height at which grain size, number, and velocity combine to give maximum impact energy. Common red bricks were worn 1.6 inches in 6 years and 2.25 inches in 11 years. Cubes of commercial gypsum cement (hydrocal) showed maximum wear of 1.9 inches in 10 years. Sound gneissic boulders displayed no measurable wear in 10.5 years. Cubic hydrocal blocks became tilted upwind by ground scour, and one 6-inch cube turned over in 6 years. Smaller cubes similarly turned over and in addition fell sidewise several times in 11 years. Rotation up to 90° on a near-vertical axis accompanied some overturns. Movement of blocks was principally southward, indicating that overturns were due to unusually strong winds from the north. Wind scour is a major mechanism for the shifting of ventifacts in this environment.
A new algorithm for computing class groups of Zariski surfaces

Let k be an algebraically closed field of characteristic p � 0a ndX g ⊂ A 3 be a normal surface defined by an equation of the form z p = g (x, y). The two original algorithms for calculating the group of Weil divisors of X g contain key errors. This paper presents an algorithm that corrects and improves upon the earlier attempts.
Variable modes of larval development in the Polydora cornuta complex (Polychaeta: Spionidae) are directly related to stored sperm availability

Reproductive crosses between geographically separated populations of the nominal species, Polydora cornuta , support the hypothesis that the Florida/ Gulf of Mexico populations represent a single, potentially interbreeding lineage that is reproductively isolated from West Coast (California) and East Coast (Carolinas to Maine) populations. Previous research has indicated that California populations are reproductively compatible with worms from North Carolina but reproductively isolated from Maine populations. In spite of these species-level differences, all populations of this nominal species deposit egg capsules inside the female’s tube that usually develop into three-chaetiger planktonic larvae measuring about 200 µm in length. Although adelphophagy (feeding upon unfertilized eggs within an egg capsule) has been reported in some populations of P. cornuta and in numerous other spionid polychaetes, the relationship between stored sperm in the female parent and the size of larvae within capsules has not been explored. We raised isolated female P. cornuta from three genetically and reproductively distinct populations (Florida, California and Maine) over a period of about 16 weeks and determined percent fertilization and larval size in successive spawnings over time until the females ran out of stored sperm. As each female used up stored sperm during successive spawnings, the percent of fertilized eggs per capsule declined and larval size at release increased. In some cases, the largest larvae produced by an isolated female were 114% larger than the smallest larvae produced by the same female. Larvae inside capsules containing unfertilized eggs fed upon these eggs and grew larger than larvae that did not have unfertilized eggs to feed upon. The effects of producing larger larvae following stored sperm depletion were completely reversed by transfer of fresh spermatophores to the isolated females. Variable larval size produced by a single female worm (poecilogony) may therefore be a result of stored sperm limitations rather than a genetically determined reproductive strategy in this species complex.
María del Mar Felices de la Fuente. Condes, marqueses y duques. Biografías de nobles titulados durante el reinado de Felipe V . Madrid: Edición Doce Calles, Junta de Andalucía. 2013

Resena sobre Maria del Mar Felices de la Fuente, Condes, marqueses y duques. Biografias de nobles titulados durante el reinado de Felipe V, Madrid, Edicion Doce Calles / Junta de Andalucia, 2013.
Hemispheric Intelligence: The Case of the Raven Progressive Matrices

Neuropsychological findings show that different brain regions and particularly the two cerebral hemispheres mediate different aspects of intelligence. Which hemisphere, then, is richer in general intelligence or “g”? Several versions of Raven’s Progressive Matrices, a nonverbal test of intelligence said to be loaded on g, give similar IQ estimates to the left and right hemispheres of commissurotomy and hemispherectomy patients. The mean IQ for three left hemispheres was 87 (range 74 to 103), and for the corresponding three right hemispheres it was 83 (range 74 to 93). However the left and right hemispheres excelled in different parts of the tests. The right hemispheres were also less sensitive than the left to item difficulty as defined by test progression, and less able to benefit from trial and error. But several attempts failed to define a priori the problems that yield left as against right hemisphere superiority, such as conceptual vs. perceptual or in terms of earlier vs. later stages of cognitive development. A proposal is made to split g into gL, and gR and redefine some primary factors of intelligence in terms of tests that index left vs. right hemisphere abilities.
Teaching Legal Writing Through Subject-Matter Specialties: A Reconception of Writing Across the Curriculum

In the 1990's, DePaul's law school created its first of several certificate programs, which enable students to concentrate in an area of law and acquire expertise before they begin practicing law. Shortly afterward, DePaul created its first specialized legal writing section to dovetail with its certificate program in Intellectual Property Law. Three more specialty sections followed, in Family, Health, and Public Interest Law. The specialized legal writing sections provide students with the opportunity to acquire, and then develop, their research and writing skills in the context of the substantive area of law that they choose. The purposeful instruction of legal writing through subject matter specialties is congruent with, and extends, current educational theory. The theoretical basis for DePaul's pedagogic approach is the writing-across-the-curriculum movement. Writing across the curriculum is an approach to integrated legal education through which doctrinal professors import writing instruction into their classrooms, thereby increasing the number of skills assignments on which students work throughout their educations. Purposely teaching writing in subject-matter specialized sections is the obverse of this approach. It reconceptualizes writing across the curriculum by exporting doctrine to the writing classroom and, in so doing, achieves greater results than can teaching legal writing without the specialty focus. The method of instruction has firm support in the constructivist learning theory, which emphasizes the social context in which learning occurs. The instructional method also has roots in the three composition theories: the process approach, the product approach, and the social discourse theory. By permitting students to enter a pre-existing social context of like-interested students, DePaul creates micro-social discourse communities of specialty students within the larger discourse community of the law, thereby maximizing the benefits of the curricular choices. It is an untraditional, but equally effective, method of integrating law school instruction.
Safety Measures in Skiing

(1949). Safety Measures in Skiing. Journal of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation: Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 89-124.
DCL1, a Protein that Produces Plant MicroRNA, Coordinates Meristem Activity

Abstract The ubiquity and importance of short duplex RNAs, termed microRNA (miRNA), for normal development in higher eukaryotes are becoming increasingly clear. We had previously shown that reduction-of-function mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana DCL1 (DICER-LIKE1) gene, affecting the nucleus-localized protein that produces 19-25 nucleotides long miRNA species from longer double stranded RNA precursors, cause a delay in flowering by prolonging the period of juvenile organ development. Here we show that DCL1 transcription is increased at the critical phase of juvenile to reproductive developmental transition, and that DCL1 protein is localized in meristematic cells of the shoot, inflorescence and flowering meristem. DCL1 protein is also expressed in the ovule funiculus, ovule integuments, and in early but not late embryo. Genetic analysis revealed that DCL1 exerts its effect along the same pathway that involves the floral pathway integrator gene LEAFY. Results are most consistent with the idea that DCL1 protein is required in the shoot apical meristem to prevent uncontrolled proliferation of meristematic cells. The expression of DCL1 protein in the early embryo may be either via the transmission of DCL1 mRNA through the female gametophyte, as suggested from the sporophytic maternal effect of dcl1-8 on early embryo development, or from DCL1 mRNA synthesized in early embryo cells off the maternally transmitted allele. The requirement of an active maternally transmitted allele of DCL1 for normal early embryo development, and the presence of DCL1 protein in the early embryo, together suggest that the synthesis of miRNA in early embryo cells is critical for development, but does not rule out potential maternal contribution of miRNA or its precursor molecules into the embryo. (Manuscript was prepared on February 2, 2007, and has been unaltered since)
What is the Value of Educational Broadcast

Over the years several developed and developing countries have used television broadcasting as a tools to enhance the dissemination of specific educational programs, as well as information and values to a large segment of their population. This paper sets out to measure the social value of one of this initiatives in the context of a developing country, namely the Futura TV channel in Brazil. The Futura is a communication project, ran by a non-profit foundation financed exclusively by private sector donations in Brazil. With almost 10 years of existence, Futura broadcast reaches almost 50% of the Brazilian population, and has approximately 33 million regular viewers in the whole country. Contingency valuation (CV) techniques using the referendum design were used to estimate the willingness to pay of a representative sample of the Brazilian adult population. Using both parametric and non-parametric techniques this paper is able to estimate the population willingness to pay for Futura, even in a sample in which a 60% of the population choose not to consume the good. The analysis suggest that the willingness to pay for the channel is positive and at least 16 times greater than the channel operation cost. The average minimum willingness to pay estimated using the Turnbull nonparametric model was R$ 3.7 per month, while the parametric average willingness to pay estimated with the Spike model suggested a value of R$ 5.9. When multiplied by the 5 million households with at least one member willing to pay something for the Futura TV channel, the total annual social value of the channel ranges from 330 to 550 million reais. Moreover, the complementary social mobilization activities promoted by the Futura channel seems to have a positive impact on its social value, suggesting that the method was successful in terms of disentangling embedded effects.